Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment 13 years old, 7th grade, took SAT, talent search?

Our 13 year old daughter took the SAT in January. At the time, she was less than 90 days past her 13th birthday. We had planned for her to take an earlier test but she had some serious medical problems that caused a delay (totally fine now).

We originally signed up for Duke TIP, but now we want to enroll her in some other talent searches. Her scores: 700 critical reading, 550 essay, 500 math. At the time she took the test, she had not had pre-algebra. She just skipped all the questions that looked unfamiliar on math. Since that time, she has completed the year of pre-algebra on her own in just a few weeks (we homeschool) and is now working independently on algebra I. Algebra I is taking her longer but I anticipate she will be done with it by late April at her current rate.

So here are my questions -- I did not send her scores to anyone other than Duke TIP. However, since one of her scores was 700, I am considering enrolling her in some other talent searches, and maybe even Davidson.

Am I too late? Do I just enroll and then ask for her scores to be faxed to the other talent searches? We want to be able to let her use GT online coursework from several providers.

Should she re-take the SAT in March to try to get into the more prestigious talent searches on the chance that her math scores will improve? She should be about halfway through Algebra I by that time.

If she does take it again, what if her critical reading score goes down? Because of all the medical drama, her entire preparation consisted of reading a book on how to hack the SAT the week before she took the test. She also took a practice test at home.

Davidson: Because of her medical problems, our most recent portfolio items are from last summer, right before she got sick. Should we wait until we create something more recent?

Thank you so much for your help.

Those are some great scores. I believe you can send the scores to other talent searches on your own, though you should probably call them to find out the procedure. As for applying for other talent searches, I suppose the question is "why?" CTY offers more classes and programs (I believe) than TIP. If you feel you might want access to those programs, then it makes sense to have the scores sent. DYS is a great community and offers many benefits. I would assume last summer would be recent enough for portfolio items, though I am not an authority, obviously.

Yes, great scores. For Davidson - Like others before us, after DD9 participated in a Talent Search last year we decided to have her take the WISC. For us, this was simply easier than trying to create a portfolio, plus we had real questions after the Talent Search testing! I have 2 DYS and we have used scores for both to apply, so I'm afraid we aren't much help on the portfolio. Also, DD is not homeschooled, and I don't think much of what she is asked to do at school is "portfolio-worthy." My DD would have had to create items specifically for the portfolio, while you might have something available from your DD's homeschool work that is great.

In terms of Talent Search - When you say apply with the scores, are you just referring to qualifying for the classes offered in conjunction with a university talent program? If so, I think you simply apply the same way you would with any other scores, and there is no rush until you are ready to apply for the course. Perhaps this is not what you are asking, though.

Your DD's Verbal score is already quite high but if you think that it may jump about 50 points by March, then it may be worth it to take the SAT again in order to qualify for SET (JHU's Study of Exceptional Talent). Basically, you need at least 700 before your 13th birthday or an additional 10 points per month after your 13th birthday.

While it may be possible to transfer your DD's SAT scores to other talent searches to access their courses, she cannot qualify for the awards ceremony or possible scholarships of that specific talent search unless she takes the SAT through them. I know that in the past CTY has provided a one-course scholarship to a local university for very high performers although you don't specifically apply for it and they don't appear to advertise it. I don't recall the actual cut-off but I think that 700 for a 7th grader would qualify. If your DD has interest in math/science course, she may also need to retake the SAT to get a higher Math score in order to qualify to take math/science courses through some of these talent searches with a higher qualification cut-off.