Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment JHU CTY

Can someone explain this to me in layman's terms? I've looked at the website and I confess confusion. What is the advantage of doing the Talent Search testing which happens during the school year vs the ability and achievement testing you can do during the summer?

DS has had the WISCIV. I hope to get the WJIII done somewhere. But if I can't, perhaps I should have him take the SCAT? And if you sign up for the SCAT, do you take it for the current grade level or do you take it one or two grade levels up? But then what about the STEP?

Still Dazed&Confuzed

The summer testing for the SCAT (ie not the Talent Search) is $25 registration fee and $50 to the testing agency.


Is the individualized report worth $200? Especially with the help of this board in looking at test results.

That is what I was thinking ie the school.

We've done the talent search testing mostly with the idea of JHU-CTY being a large sample of talented students (they have to score above 95% on acceptable standard tests), then they take the SCAT or SAT/ACT and the report compares how they did to 30,000 students and whether they qualify for distance education or summer programs. The SCAT was a great test to start with for young students because it's short (DS6 took about 35 minutes including a mandatory break) and gets them in the mode for above-level testing. DS9 took EXPLORE this year, which is a step up (about 2 hrs), and then they get into the lengthy SAT/ACT (4 hrs/3 hrs, respectively). Nice progression.

An aside: both my older boys seem to be enjoying jhu cty summer institutes, maybe not as much as Duke but still positive experiences.

So the talent search testing isn't the SCAT?

Yes, the jhu cty talent search testing is the SCAT for 2nd-6th grades. The EXPLORE is used by Rocky Mt talent search and Duke TIP talent search. But in order to be in the talent search at all, you first have to provide test results that are 95% or above (usually state test scores) or parent justification for homeschool kids or special cases. So, the results of the SCAT or EXPLORE (and later SAT/ACT) compare you to other kids that are already in the top percentiles. Does that make sense?

Yes! It makes sense. But for the summer SCAT testing, presumably you don't need state test scores?

I'm following this with interest. What are the benefits of doing the SCAT? We are not eligible for any of the JHY CTY talent search benefits here. I guess we could register online for EPGY but it seems expensive. Is it another way to measure what WISC measures?

I think I've probably asked this before but I get so confused with all the acronyms, tests, and places.

Oh, and if you skip a grade, like we are skipping 2nd and going into 3rd, would they consider grade level 3rd (the class he'd be in starting August) or 2nd (the grade he'd be in given age)?

Thanks.

Hi squirt,

We're not in JHU CTY territory either but I went ahead and applied to their talent search when I wanted one or two kids to test on the SCAT. The prometric testing center is a very convenient way to administer the test (there are a couple in my state!!)--sometimes with a Sylvan Learning Center.

Score analysis, please!

We want to apply on DS's behalf to DYS, have qualifying WISC scores but only partial, thisclose, not qualifying, WIAT scores. Since we didn't get a full WIAT, I thought I would try the portfolio route before forking over $$$ for achievement test.

DS 3rd grade took the SCAT this year and scored 451 verbal and 431 math.

When I gather up the materials to send in, I'll include this. I'm wondering though, will this score be sufficiently high? Or will I need to throw in more impressive portfolio items?

I had him take the test without any sort of accommodation. He has an IEP for fine motor issues, scored abysmally on that "tracking" section of the WISC and tends to skip problems, lines and pages of work in his regular homework and gets a test scribe at school. In retrospect, we should have asked for an accommodation, just to make sure he wasn't accidentally clicking to move on to the next problem before it was done, and to make sure the answer was clicked without too much wasted time. I guess there is next year!