While it's possible that DD's math score tipped the scales in favor of subject acceleration, we haven't gotten much of a response from the district in reaction to scores. HOWEVER:
It's a nice piece of data to have tucked in your head if you are in a school or district that tries to make you feel crazy for even thinking your child might need something different, and....
more importantly in our case, it was an opportunity for DD to understand what a test feels like to most kids. Had our state test been the only standardized experience she ever had, she would never have had the experiences of trying to work within a time limit, deciding when to stay on a problem or go on, or understanding that many tests will have some problems she doesn't know the answers to within 2 seconds. Her experience with state testing would not have prepared her for that because she has never come close to running out of time or having to skip a problem. For some students, EXPLORE may not provide those experiences either, but for my DD, it was a good level of challenge at ages 9 and 10
If you do sign up for it, you might consider leaving the school code blank if you don't feel your school is going to be receptive, and/or if you are nervous (or your child is nervous) about how the test will go. If you are paying for the test, it ought to be your decision what to do with the results and since so many districts don't understand the test in the first place, you may want to have DS take the test without the pressure of knowing it is going to the school (for a child who is used to doing well on standardized tests without breaking a sweat, the experience of taking an out of level test can be disconcerting. We wanted DD to know that this was for her benefit and that the school wouldn't automatically get a copy of her results).
HTH! Taminy
