my $0.02:
DS13 did the EXPLORE test when he was in 6th grade (age 10). DS12 never took it because it conflicted with Science Olympiad competition. DS9 took it in 5th grade (age 9). It was good for DS9 because it was do-able, not overwhelming. It has algebra in the math, a science section with inferences from charts, and some long reading sections and advanced grammar, language arts. The test is produced by ACT, so imagine it is similar. When DS13 took it, it wiped him out--he said it was Hard. He did very well (94%) nonetheless, mostly because of his advanced reading ability (he was >12.9 level on STAR at that point). DS9 scored the same overall, but mostly because of math. Would I test DS6 next year with this year, after he turns 7 (3rd grade), with that test? No. Partly because it's 3 hrs drive each way to go take it. Mostly because he'll be overwhelmed and turned off by the test because it's too hard for him even though he's 5-6 grade reading level and about 5th grade math. Stamina issue, too. The SCAT was a perfect, shorter test to start with and I think I'll wait till he's about 8 or 9 to do EXPLORE.
