Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment 3rd grade taking NUMATS

AlexsMom - ok, good.

Tomorrow is test day for NUMATS. We completed the pre-test song and dance and developed a small routine/format so to speak.

We did the sample test, I taped piece of paper over the answers. After the test ds said he didn't need to see the answers, I respected that. I did check myself without telling him.

My main goal is to make this as positive an experience as possible. Everything should fall in place.

fingers crossed

I am curious why people want to test for EXPLORE or SCAT. My son qualified for CTY through SCAT but when I emailed people here, almost no one had taken their online courses. We are taking an online course through NUMATs- it's fun but quite expensive.

It is available to us and it just seems like a logical next step based on his NWEA scores the last 3 years. combined with everything else.

I guess it is just another angle to a big picture.

Speaking only for myself:
- It keeps our options open for camp / classes. Being able to say, "you already qualify for this" rather than, "you could take a test to see if you'd qualify for this" makes a big difference for an 8yo.

- It's a cheap way of doing achievement testing beyond the low-ceiling stuff the school does.

- It's a cheap way of exposing her to material she may never have seen before. (I was a psych major in college, and had never heard of I/O psych before it came up on the GRE - if I had, that probably would have been the direction I'd have gone.)

- My kid is agreeable enough, so I assume that she likes it at least somewhat. If she'd come out of the SCAT (a very short test) as a frazzled ball of tears, I wouldn't have signed her up for EXPLORE (a very long test).

The length of the test is my only concern. We have a little plan to help him feel like he has some control.

I agree - the point is that there are some kids who score very high on their NWEA who are 'nicely challenged' in school to get those high scores, while there are other kids who have the same score and aren't at all challenged. Out of level tests are helpful to know what is going on, and some kids enjoy the challenge. Very helful and motivating to know that there is more to learn.

smiles and welcome,
Grinity

I agree with all of this and that is why my son took the SCAT test. My son can't take EXPLORE since it's not offered in our state.
However, I think very few kids who qualify for NUMATS or CTY actually take the courses since they are so expensive, etc. My son is enjoying his NUMATS course but frankly, doing an online course is a pain. It's not as stimulating as being around other kids and people.

where can I find NUMATS sample test?

My DD took explore in 3rd grade. It was very good for her. Just be sure to stress that this test is for fun, and there will be lots of things that he doesn't know how to do.

It was the first time she took a test that was difficult for her. She didn't really like the way that felt, but it did help her have some empathy for her classmates during test situations.

When you register they send you a few sample questions. I wouldn't recommend "studying" for the test, beyond what they send you. After all, you want to know what you child can do right now, rather than what they can do with test prep.

NUMATS will send you an educational plan along with the scores. We found that to be useful in helping to advocate. An IQ score is one thing, showing specifically what you are ready to learn is even more convincing.

We haven't done any of the online courses. They seemed too expensive, and I'm not sure my dd would enjoy them. We've chosen to enrich with camps, art classes, etc., that are taught in person. I guess that just depends on whether you think your child would enjoy an online experience.