Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment ITBS

My son will be taking ITBS 3rd grade. The testing company we will be going through is using norms from 2005. He said that is the latest edition available used by HSers. Does anyone know if you went through a different channel, would later norms or newer test be used? The copyright date for the test is 2001. If he hits ceilings on this one, I was then going to do the 4th grade test and so on. We are HSing and the test will be ordered and administered by a state-certified teacher.

thanks,
dazey

This is the source we use for testing. It allows parents to self-administer the tests to their own kids. Much nicer and cheaper! (Provided you can bite your tongue when you see a dumb mistake. Not easy for me to do, but I do it...)

http://www.pesdirect.com/itbs.html

They also appear to use 2005 norms, FWIW...

I had planned to use Brewer Testing Service. It's $38. A friend is administering so I don't think she is charging me anything. I can't recall if our district allows parents to give the test. The Homeschool forms weren't clear on that but then my teacher friend offered to proctor it so I figure I might as well. Releases me from the anxiety of standing over his shoulder shuddering as he makes stupid mistakes.

LOL! I just try to do something else while he works. If I'm busy, I'm not watching every answer.

That only works when it's not an oral section of the test though. Since nearly everything was oral last year for the 1st grade test, there were some pretty doggone painful moments! (Happily, not very many. I'd have been worried if he hadn't done great on it, but he did.) I'm hoping the 2nd grade test is more independent. It's one of the reasons I seriously considered giving him a higher grade level test. For the sake of my sanity!

I wonder if I could get away with that...

They are just PAINFUL! I don't know how the people who administer tests like these (teachers, etc.) do it without losing their minds!

our district info says

Administration option:
a) at the PS
b) at a registered non-public school by their professional staff
c) at a non-reg, non-public school by their professional staff
d) at the parents' home or another reasonable location, by a XX State certified teacher.

If the test is not administered in the public or nonpublic school, enclose the qualifications of the test administrator (ie cope of certification).

I think I can petition the Superintendent to give it myself but since I have a friend willing and able to do it and since she was a teacher at DS's school and he knew her there, he sees her as an authority figure and will perform. For me, he'd be up and down to get a snack, play with his sister and drag it out all day.

Oh, sure. If I had a friend who would do it for free, I'd absolutely take advantage of the silly sap use her generous services!

Do you both give the ITBS b/c you have to or b/c you want to? Is that the test you recommend to keep tabs on how the HSing is going? Wouldn't mind some test results, myself...

Our district requires either a portfolio review with a teacher from the school system OR a standardized test. Passing on the test is something like the 28th percentile.

As I am not very organized and I like to make sure we're not falling behind on anything, I prefer the standardized test. The ITBS (aka the Iowa)is an easy one to buy and administer, so it's the one I use.

If I didn't have to submit test results to my district, I would do above-level testing. No question! Actually, I will probably choose to use the Explore next year. I thought about using it this year, but I wimped out. The thought of a 2nd grader taking an 8th grade test just plain freaked me out! What if he didn't make that low percentile? I didn't think remediating him because he took a test 6 grades above level was really right!!!

But I'm kind of regretting that choice now, actually, and wishing we had gone with the Explore, especially as I see that he's doing pre-algebra, managing good scores on junior-high level CyberEd, and reading high-school level books with comprehension. I think he'd have done well enough to pass muster at least.

One Saturday above-level test that's administered by someone else sounds a lot better than a week-long grade-level test!