Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Question on early test scores for 4 year old

Grandma took DD (just turned 4) to get assessed to see if she could apply for local gifted and talented program. Grandma got the scores, but did get many more details. I have a follow-up phone call with the tester to get more details and am wondering if you can help me with what I should ask:)

The little bit of information I got was that she scored 99.4% and 99.4% for a combined 99.8% - you need a 95% to aply to the program so I am taking it that she did pretty well

They also listed what sound like IQs...but not sure 134, 134 and combined 144.

The entire assessment was only an hour so short assessment time frame along with extrememly young age leads me to believe that there could be quite a bit of variability in test scores(but she seems to be directionally smart:))

- Does this sound like the CoGat?
- Is there anything specific I should ask?
- any suggestions?

I would ask to get a copy of the test report that you can look at *before* the phone call - this is a reasonable request - it gives you time to review it so you can frame your questions, as well as gives you the report to refer to during the phone call.

Re questions during the phone follow-up - I'd ask specific questions about the program you're considering - if the person who did the testing is also associated with the program.

Congrats to your dd on the great scores!

polarbear

Thanks - I will ask about that. It was for the Northwestern University Program and would hope that it is somewhat unbiased...

Yes - I was happy and surprised by the results (if they say what I think they say lol). She did a bit higher than I thought she would - she knows more reading than we thought and she apparently did quite remarkable on pattern recognition and processing(?)

Hi Alicat

We also tested through Northwestern. You have the KTEA II Brief Form and the KBIT-2. The KTEA is an achievement test and the KBIT is the "intelligence test." I did a bit of research before testing, and while there is some variability, it is highly unlikely that your DD will go from "gifted" to "not gifted."

Where are you located? We've signed up for a couple of the summer camps at the Naperville location and we'll be heading to the family conference in Evanston in June.

Kathie

Kathie - thanks for the information! I was able to look up a little about the tests before speaking with the assessor.

We are looking at the Palatine location, but not sure if we will get the application submitted in time...may need to wait for fall. I just heard about the program a couple of weeks ago and DD is a bit on the young side (4 years 3 months), so if we do not make it for the summer, it is not a big deal.

polarbear - thanks for the questions! She is an independent assessor and has been doing this for 10 years (after she retired from running gifted programs). She sounded pretty knowldedgable and provided a lot of additional feedback that was helpful.

I am still a bit in shock over the numbers. I realize that a lot of kids on here are higher...but she did a lot better than I thought she would do:)

Alicat...enjoy the ride! When we got DS's numbers, I just stared at his math scores. I thought he'd do well in reading, but the math scores blew me away! (Neither DH or I are particularly math minded!)

We have looked into Northwestern as well for ds6. The Palatine location is closest for us too!

What a small world:) I just (finally) submitted the actual application...we will see if I made it in time....

It is already a bit mind boggling:) I knew she was smart, but a couple of things finally came together as the assessor was talking...

- she prefers to talk to adults...at times, I am a bit embarrassed because she finds any adult she can and tries to have an in depth conversation. I was attributing this to her being an ego-centric 4 year old (and it still could be lol)...the assessor pointed out that she probably enjoyed the company of adults and the most kids her own age probably didn't get everything she says

- she is also super sensitive - she is the only 4 year old I know that listens to the local weather...she heard that there was a storm warning yesterday, got a terrified look on her face and ran outside to pick all her toys up so that they would not blow away. Later on she would not take a walk because she was afraid it was going to storm and nearly cried when we made her go outside...