Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment To test privately or not...

For those who tested OOP, what was the reason? DH and are on the fence, with the answer changing daily, do we test? Our DS7 is bright, articulate, has a great sense of humor ( once you get past the fart jokes, he wants to be parody writer), understands sarcasism and very speedy at comprehension, esp. Math. He came home two weeks ago and told me he knows how to square a number, and after testing it, he does. His friend told him about it, but neither one knew what it looked like, they just knew how to do it. Boys!

His memory is beyond our comprehension, he can not only tell you what states border what states, but what colors they are coded on his puzzle, by letter and by capital. We pull him out for parties, lol,....family only. I know there are others who can do so much more.

We have never pushed him into anything, he has done everything on his own. He's our third and we are just so very tired. He just showed up one day and said "pick a state.". He was reading well before K, he asked me just after his 5th birthday, what's a habitat, 'cause we need to give Lucky the Lion money so he can get a new one and pointed at thesign. I came home and told DH, we have a reader. We are anything but complete idiots, he was reading store signs much earlier, we just assumed he had memorized them.

So to the point,our district does not test for and has no g&t (they are writing the policy as we speak). The only researched, district-wide test they use is MAP, but I was told not to hang my hat on that test. It is the only one administered, so now I don't know where to hang my hat. So do I test privately? I would like to know if he is an exceptional learner or actually gifted, however, the district will not do anything with the results because not all children will be tested using the same test. Catch 22.

I have been fighting the district and the revolving door of administrators for almost 5 years, started with now DD13, who was placed in 2 year accelerated math (this is the only thing they do in middle school). My first and only success.

So would you test? And for what reasons? What will I be able to do with the test scores? I mean other than bang my head against the wall at Central Office or sheepishly back away from the fight, depending on the results. To appease my curiosity seems rather selfish.

BTW, Spring MAP for 1st Grade
Reading 211
Math 229

Callie

Hi Callie,

We have been fighting district to keep and not phase out our gifted programing since Pre-K, no luck. Our dd is 9yrs old and now in 3rd grade. We just had her privately tested and now with her WISC IV and Explore scores the district is all over us about what they can do for her... full grade acceleration, subject acceleration. They'll transport her to Jr. High for science, and so on.

The private test scores are the only thing that has motivated the teachers, school, district to do anything. Parent meeting after private meeting after discussions galore. She's always tested in the 99th and 98th percentile since kindergarten and they've sat on it. We decided to do the IQ test because it's part of admission for a gifted school.

We have been looking at gifted schools and even thinking of moving to a different district with a full gifted program.

If you have concrete info, then you know definitively where you stand and you know which way to go. Good luck!

Callie, I agree that private scores can help you out here. When my son (just turned 10) finally had his Explore and then WISC scores this past year, the district, principal and several teachers got involved in helping create appropriate curriculum. We were able to set up a meeting within a couple of weeks, plus get them started on the IAS to approve a skip. The district told us skips are extremely rare, but that they approved it for him, even though he was already working more than a year ahead in a highly gifted classroom. We haven't actually experienced any of the new accommodations yet, as this just happened at the end of this school year, but the situation is on everyone's radar now and I think they all want to make things work.

This is the cynic in me, but I think they know he'll ultimately make the district look good if they can accommodate him correctly, so they're working with us.

The other thing private testing gave us was the confidence to assertively advocate for him. Everyone knew my son was exceptional to begin with, but once they saw his scores, they knew he needed something different in school.

Just be certain that the school will accept private testing. Perhaps they will since it sounds like they don't do their own testing. What testing did they do to admit your daughter to the accelerated math? Our district does not tie math to the gifted program, but uses ERB and Iowa tests to determine math placement.

Our district had a period of time where they let a lot of kids in the gifted program through various means (and most were deserving/saw benefits from the program). Then they realized that almost 25% of one grade was in the program, and there is little or no funding from the state to support the program.

By the time my kids went through the process in 7th grade to be labeled as "gifted" (so they could take certain courses in HS), the district had structured the process to be long and complex, and only accepted IQ testing by their own staff or consultants. They made you fill out tons of paperwork, gave the kids pre-tests and then suggested you stop the process since the kid did not do well on the pre-test. While I wasn't there during the actual IQ test, I suspect that the testers were not very encouraging or supportive.

Despite that - and despite the fact that my kids do not fit my definition of gifted - they tested over 130 FSIQ which got them the "label" so they could take the HS courses. Just be certain you understand what testing they will accept, because if it is done privately, and then they do not accept it, that particular test cannot be re-administered for a period of time (typically a year).

My personal take on this is to test (as long as you can afford it). The basic reason is data for *you* - I don't see it so much as appeasing your curiosity as giving you information that will help you better understand your child. You might be able to use it directly to advocate for your ds at school or you might not (that's going to depend on your school district and school personnel).. but you will always be able to use it indirectly when you advocate because you'll have that better understanding of where your child's strengths are and how outside-the-box he really is (or isn't).

polarbear

Hi callaghan, welcome! A couple thoughts. The MAP test is actually pretty great, in my opinion. It is an open-ended test, meaning that they don't end the test when you hit a certain point at your grade level. You can keep going. See Appendix B here to find out where your son's very high scores fall in other grade levels. http://www.nwea.org/sites/www.nwea.org/files/resources/NWEA_2011_RIT_Scale_Norms.pdf For example, 229 in math for spring is in the 97% for 3rd graders. The big question is how the school handles this information. Are they teaching your son at his level? There are some things he can learn on his own, but he must be exposed to some concepts to do well in other areas (including a lot of math). If the school groups kids of like abilities, or differentiates, maybe it doesn't matter what his IQ is. (But since you said you have been fighting with the school for years, my guess is they are not doing the greatest job.)

Are there other schools in your area that you would consider? I agree with the others who said to make sure that your school, or whatever school you consider, will accept outside testing. Personally, I was happy to get information about the level of giftedness of my kiddo, so I learned to be prepared for lots of advocacy, flexibility, and accommodations. The testing was helpful to us - the school recognized that our son would need more than usual, and even though the formal GT program didn't start until 3rd, they started doing differentiation in kindy for our kiddo.

Thank you for your replies. I have to say that I am a little envious of other districts and accommodations they have made.
NotSoGifted...if 5th Graders have qualifying test scores on the NJASK and MAP, they can take the Orleans-Hannah, and depending on what percentage they received, they receive points and depending on how many points they have, they will be accelerated. When my DD was scheduled to take this test, the district ws getting rid of ALL advanced classes, language arts and a two- tiered math class. I had multiple conversations about it, as did many other parents and they kept the two year (highest level) math class. There were 24 spots and over 80 test takers. DD got in, HOWEVER, the following summer if you had @ 40 hours and 150 dollars, your child could take a summer class covering pre-algebra and waive into the class. Ugh!!! DD has a definite math gift, she misses math class once a week for school-endorsed, parent-funded g&t art, and still manages to be one of the best in her class. But is DS blows her out of the water in comprehension speed and understanding. He is the kid who says " just show how to do it and go away." And he does get it. We have no formal curriculum we follow at home, we just let his interest guide him. I am not a tiger mom, my three children are well-rounded, sports, art and anything else they want to attempt. My kids will tell you they *hate* the American Revolution stories we tell at the dinner table, but they do retain. They can now
tell you how important a supply line is and why the colonies were a HUGE financial goal for France.
So, I guess I will get him tested and see where he actually is and what I need(or not) to do for him. And I will use his scores (hopefully) to advocate against his complete and utter boredom in math. He brought home a clock worksheet the other day, ugh! Maybe I will teach him Roman Numerals, so he can at least be challenged in writing the answers.
Thank you for your help and advice, it is greatly appreciated. But most of all through these boards, I feel less alone.