Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment SCAT Testing - When?

My DD6 skipping a grade and will be in the second grade next year. I know that SCAT (CTY) testing can be done for 2-3 grades. What would be the best choice: to go ahead and test her now (or closer to beginning of the second grade) or wait and test her at the end of the second grade? If results are good enough I would advocate for her subject acceleration in math. Does anyone has expierince with this test? Any idea if it is strictly above-grade comparison or they breaking results by age as well? Our state has no testing until the end of the third grade (TCAP). Thanks!

My DD9 took the SCAT in January. According to what they sent us, they do separate score comparisons for fall and spring, so your DD could take it at either time and be compared to students two grades above in the same season. From what I remember (not looking at our paperwork), it was strictly an above grade comparison. I don't recall seeing anything about her age or the ages of other test takers. They'll send a raw score, a scaled score and the percentile compared to fall or spring 4th graders (in the case of your DDin 2nd grade). The percentiles shift a bit each year depending on the students taking the test.

You may want to check with your school to see if they are familiar with SCAT. I tried to use DD's scores to advocate for acceleration but the school wouldn't accept them.

Thank you for your responses! I think we will aim for Fall testing so that we have our results on hands at the beginning of the year. I would like my DD6 to take third grade math in 2 grade so that she can take TCAP testing for 3d grades at the end of the second grade. She is attending gifted pull out program and was tested by the school before that. Grade skip was very easy to request and receive but this is where everything stopped. I am just looking into any kinds of testing that will show that she is above her new grade level (2grade) as well. Despite multiple requests no one tested her for above grade knowledge in math. So I am really looking into any (relatively cheap way) to test and to push for 3d grade math starting fall...

ALEKS.com has a free trial, and they have the skills they test broken down by state standards. You could have her take the ALEKS placement test for 3rd grade math (and 4th grade math, and 5th grade math, if she keeps testing out...) and print out the score results to give them a specific idea of what she has and hasn't already mastered, and the school can then directly compare her skills to their curriculum. And it eliminates any vague objections about "gaps" because you can see exactly where those holes and gaps are, and fill them...

Just a thought.