Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment CAT (Cognitive Abilities Test)

Those naughty teachers at little'uns school have been giving the boys these tests without telling us - tut! tut!

Anybody any knowledge of these, used them, opinions on?

I have heard them compared to WISC, but I dont know. Apparently they can be used to determine which boys need Gifted & Talented provision. His WISC scores say he needs help (ignored by school - see previous posts) but I suspect the CAT isn't showing this.

First, I am not an expert in testing but do have some personal insight that you may consider. The CAT is a reasonable test can HELP determine ones abilities. Depending on how the test was administered and if all components of the CAT were offered during testing. Many extenuating circumstances can influence the results � such as test conditions; bad hair day; was your child prepared to take a test on that day/s (i.e., good night sleep, nutrition, informed about the process, etc).

It is upsetting that the school did not inform you about the testing � for me, that raises.

rodc
Thanks for that
Can you finish your last comment please?

Sorry about that - "ethical issues".
Again, depending on the type of cognitive testing done and the circumstances of it's administration result may vary significantly.

Rod

Our experience with dd9, as Dottie knows, was that her CogAT was much lower than IQ. In re to the case you cite, though, do you actually think that the CogAT was an overestimation or that the WISC was an underestimation? I find this topic curious b/c one of our local school districts takes the approach of assuming that the highest score is accurate even if none of the other scores support that and the other takes the approach of looking at the lowest scores and often discounts high scores.

Dottie, you hit the nail on the head. So many of us parents focus on an initial number but as always, time tells all. Extrapolated data over time is the best means to determine both IQ and ability. After several years of testing, by the fourth grade one should have a true picture, as long as the data is clean - in other words, testing should always be administered under standard conditions, by well trained staff/professionals, with the child understanding what he or she is about to do, not being hungry or thirsty and after a good nights rest.

I was going to aid in taking the thread OT as I do sometimes and ask about the reverse, but I see that you've already gotten to that:
This is exactly why I've always felt that my dd11's MG IQ scores were likely an underestimation. She's consistently scored quite high on achievement tests (well beyond what would be needed to be in the 99th percentile for her grade and she is 1-2+ yrs younger than her grade mates with a skip and a fall bd.)

I don't really care about this and that score - I know my boy. I just had never even heard of this CAT thing before. I don't even know the results!

So, do you think he was given the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) as others have wondered, or the CAT (California Achievement Test)? That would make a difference in terms of what they intend to do with the results.

The CAT is more like an ITBS test. It is a standardized, nationally normed achievement test and those are sometimes used for GT placements. However, the group ability tests are the ones I'd worry more about being used to discount the child's giftedness if they don't come out high.