This is probably the hardest question for me to answer because I honestly feel like the tests we give to our students have just become so monotonous and so many tests are given just for the numbers for the state to have for funding. To me, creativity comes in so many forms. It is hard to just give a test, see a score, and say this child is more creative than this child.
One child may be the outgoing, funny one who comes up with these crazy, off the wall jokes. While, another child is the one who look rebellious in his/her outward appearance, but is the loner who quietly writes beautiful word describing his/her life in poems.
The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking would be one that I would use because it has been around for so long, which would make it seem to be reliable. It does have updated scoring guides and the language used on the test is said to be non-bias and written in a manner that is consistent with every type of social economic status. I like how it is divided into verbal and non-verbal and scored on flexibility, originality, and elaboration.
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Although the scoring is straight forward, my only concern would be that the person administering and scoring the test understand what true creativity is because originality almost becomes a judgment call for scoring. Schools and states tend to want numbers and proof of why kids are put into the gifted and talented program, so this gives some accurate proof of the student’s performance.
Another test I would suggest is the GIFT (Group Inventory for Finding Creative Talent) I like how the same test is given to each age group because it can show creativity maturity when given at different ages. It could show the creativity is still present but at a higher or lower level. This could help determine if the student tested is still ready to be in a gifted program. Some students who are considered creative in a teacher’s eyes may very well be but may not want to be in a special class or program for their strength of creativity. This test seems honest and has used a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
The Barron-Welsh Art Scale is a unique type of test, but I think it would unveil the more creative students without intelligence being a factor. The more complex or out of ordinary the drawings are the more the “creative” students would lean toward. It would tend to make sense since most “creative” people we know do think and see things “outside of the box.”
