Teacher Rating Scales

Teacher Rating Instruments and Scales

Researchers have developed different observation and nomination scales for teachers, parents, and others for many years. These rating scales can and do provide valuable information about specific strengths of students. The Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS) by Joseph Renzulli and his colleagues was the first published instrument with available reliability and validity information in 1976, with 10 scales to identify student strengths in the areas of learning, motivation, creativity, artistic, musical, dramatics, communication-precision, communication-expressive, and planning. It was subsequently revised, and scales were added in the areas of reading, mathematics, technology, and science. The scales were developed for teachers and other school personnel to rate students for specialized programs using a six-point rating: never, very rarely, rarely, occasionally, frequently, and always. The most widely used scales in the SRBCSS are those dealing with learning, motivation, leadership, and creativity and these three scales [Page 881]were subsequently revised. An independent summary review of SRBCSS from the Buros Mental Measurements Yearbook explained that the SRBCSS represented a significant advancement in the expansion of the methodology for identifying intellectually gifted, creative, or talented youth.

The Gifted Education Scale, Second Edition, developed by Stephen McCarney and Paul Anderson is another scale used for the screening and identification of children and youth in kindergarten through Grade 12. This scale includes 48 items across five areas: intellectual ability, creativity, specific academic aptitude, leadership, and performing and visual arts, with an optional scale on motivation.

The Pfeiffer-Jarosewich Gifted Rating Scale (GRS) developed by Tania Jarosewich and Steven Pfeiffer is also used to identify students in preschool kindergarten and school-aged children and includes subscales focusing on intellectual, academic, creative, and artistic talent and motivation. The data support the intended use of the instrument as a screening measure or as part of a comprehensive battery to determine whether a student qualifies for gifted programming.

The Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS) include seven abilities: General Intellectual Ability, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Creativity, and Leadership. Both a school version and home version are available, and those completing the form are asked to provide examples for any subscale with six or more high responses. The Buros summary of the SIGS included some cautions, however, about the technical adequacy of the SIGS.

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