My third grader just received a 98 core score on the Iowa tests.
He scored 99 in math catagories, but scored a 55 in punctuation.
He says he's bored in class because the teacher repeats things over and over.

I don't want to put him in a program that he is not qualified for.
I also don't want him wasting any special abilities.
He has two older brothers they attend a very competitive High School.
One of them also had similar Iowa scores yet has average SAT scores.
Did we Err in not pursuing an advanced program for him?
Thank you.

What do we do?

A lot of kids have more talents in one area than another. Your son sounds like math is at least one area where he may want more challenges than he will get in the regular classroom.

So some things to think about:
- What are the alternatives in the area you live in? Do you have a variety of school options (public, private)? Any gifted programs available in your public schools?
- What summer options exist in your area? We have successfully used summer and extra programs outside of school in some of our D's area of interest to keep her challenged and happy.
- You may think about having him test for one of the talent search programs in a couple of years. Good scores on those can open up some opportunities for summer programs or additional services.

Other parents may have comments on whether it is worth having additional testing (IQ, etc.) done for him. There are pros and cons to that. If he needs testing to qualify for gifted programs in your school district, that would be a reason to do it.

One thing to remember, while they are certainly high scores, especially Math, the Iowa is a test of achievement, (meaning skills they child has learned or what not in school, etc.) where as there are other tests that are abilities tests, which measures how a child learns, not what a child has already learned. Certainly they scores are good, but that is often why it is very hard to gauge a child's needs off of one test. You know your child. Does your child seem like he needs more? He says he is bored, that is an indication, but you need to look at the whole picture to decide what is needed. I wouldn't say you diserviced your other child for not pursuing it further. Some children can be gifted but show no desire for more (often times, the low scores can signal underavhievement later on from lack of being challenged). Again, you need to look at the entire picture to decide what is necessary. You know your child best.

Are there programs available to you son at the local school? Are their other programs you are considering?
It would be nice to get him some IQ testing - since he has a school problem (bored) perhaps the school will do the testing? Or you may prefer private testing.
Children can be bored from a variety of reasons...but it's worth looking into if he has special educational needs that aren't being met.