WE are planning to enroll our kid to test for ACT Explore. She is in 5th grade. I think it will be a good way to challenge her more. My only fear is, if she fares badly will these scores stay with the ACT and show as history. I really want to hear from parents whose kids participate in duke and other talents and give these tests. My only concern is, hope I do not jeopardize her scoring history.
Thank you all for allaying a mother's anxiety.

Our DD, who is also in 5th grade, will take the EXPLORE in January. We received a packet recently (though I haven't opened it yet) and I seem to recall from our older DS's experience that there are practice questions in the packet. So I'll have DD review those questions and we'll talk about timing/pacing + any other issues or concerns she may have prior to the test.

Based on our older DS's experience, I don't believe ACT retains EXPLORE scores for more than a year and - if they do - those scores are not reported to colleges along w/the student's ACT score in high school. So even if the score is low, I'm not sure it matters (though others may point out something I'm missing).

Our DD is taking the EXPLORE through Duke TIP. I don't know what the downside would be, unless your DD has considerable anxiety or adamantly does not want to test. Our DD would obviously prefer not to take this test, but she has seen how her older brothers became familiar w/these types of tests - over a period of several years - and it really has paid off for them so far. Oldest son is a National Merit Scholar on a full-tuition college scholarship (via the PSAT & SAT) and high-school brother is working toward that goal by preparing for the PSAT right now. We tell our kids that "slow & steady wins the race," which I personally believe to be true.

For our DD, we've told her that her EXPLORE score is not even a concern at this point. We just want her to become familiar with what it's like to take a test of this kind: Preparing to the extent she can (which means reviewing the EXPLORE pamphlet in this case), getting up early, eating a good breakfast, standing in line at the test center, locating the bathroom before the test & using the bathroom first (before anything else) during breaks. Watch for air vents - you don't want to be sitting under an air vent during any test. Does your chair wobble back & forth? If so, raise your hand and ask the proctor for a new chair! Are your pencils sharpened and your snacks packed the night before? How well do you do with timing on the test? How can you improve your pacing? ALL these small factors are important when it comes to actual PSAT/SAT/ACT testing...so DD is learning about those things now, and the test itself will be what it will be. That's what we stress, so I really don't think DD is nervous or anxious about it at all. Just a learning experience, among many.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I personally would not worry about scores at all right now, and makes sure your DD views this as a chance to see what future testing will entail. It's a shame that so much rides on testing, but it does.

Best of luck to you & your DD!

ACT does not retain the EXPLORE score, or if they do, it does not show up on the ACT account when the kid is in HS. In any case, the HS student only sends scores from 9th grade on to colleges - colleges are not typically interested in earlier scores.

Based on my experience with a kid who took EXPLORE in 3rd grade and the ACT in 11th grade, and is now a college junior.

OP,

Jewel offers some great tips above, especially the sharp pencils, good night's rest and a healthy breakfast. Our DD uses mechanical pencils so they are always sharp (just remember to fill the magazine/hopper) which is one less worry/distraction. Bathroom breaks are also a good tip as 'needing to go' does not help with focus on the task at hand.

We had our DD take it through using Duke Tips to give her exposure to tests of this sort and to learn exam technique. We were not overly worried about the longevity of any scores because, as NotSoGifted says, they are not retained.

Good luck!

Thank you all so much.Jewel you motivated me enough. All your inputs: not so gifted and madeinuk helped me a lot.
I will be sending my daughter for the test.She read all your posts and wants to go now and try it out. Thank you guys...
God bless and Wish you all a Very Happy New Year.

Thanks

Jane, I'm so glad my post was helpful to you & your DD. Once the test is behind her, she will probably feel happy & proud of herself that she undertook the challenge! At this point, the score itself should not matter, because it's all about learning the ins/outs of testing itself.

And, true story: I had read somewhere about not sitting in a chair that wobbles or is uneven, because that can be very distracting. I've always reminded my older boys about this. Right before he took the PSAT (which is the gateway to National Merit), my oldest DS realized his chair wobbled back & forth. Now, he's fairly shy but he knew what he had to do. He stood up and told the proctor he needed a new chair...and he got one! He made the NMSF cut-off exactly...no points to spare...so I can only imagine what might have happened if he had not known to ask for another chair. He felt confident in the testing situation, having taken the SAT and ACT before on a few occasions, and knew what he needed to do!

What helps is to have everything packed up the night before - sharpened pencils, protein snacks, small bottle of water, kleenex, lip balm, watch for timing, admission ticket & ID - so your DD feels completely ready to go. She should bring a sweater or jacket always. She should know where the restrooms are and always head there first during a break. After a few tests like this, she will feel very good about knowing what to pack & what she needs to do.

We will obviously stay at the test center during the EXPLORE, since our DD's just 11, so your DD may want you to do the same. Most test centers have places you can wait.

My older boys were no big fans of testing, but they knew it was important to work at it over time and I'm grateful they were willing to approach testing positively. At younger ages, it's just about learning what to expect and how to manage the testing environment.

Good luck to your DD and Happy New Year to your family, as well.

Do the practice questions sent in the packet accurately depict the difficulty of the actual exam questions?

Just trying to prepare DS for what to expect on Saturday.

I am waiting to hear about this as well for both my DD's. They will take it on Feb. 20.
I look forward to hearing from those who take the test in Jan. and early Feb.

It's hard to say because as parents we obviously don't get to see the actual exam questions. I was trying to find a good sample test for my DD10 last fall, mostly because I wanted to let her have a feel of what it's like taking a very long test and practice filling in bubbles. But I was not able to find any good full-length test. So we just let her do the sample questions that came with the brochure and sent her in like that. Luckily she did well.

Question re: EXPLORE admission (DS is registered for Feb., we don't have the packet yet). At younger ages, do they just require the admission ticket or do we need to figure out how to get him ID? (That's assuming his passport, now two or three years old, doesn't look enough like him to work.) I was really surprised by what is not accepted for photo ID. His school doesn't have official ID cards, and the list says that the Childfind IDs we get with school photos are NOT acceptable.

I doubt you will need ID. We didn't have it for EXPLORE.
We didn't have it for the ACT.

OTOH: It would be a shame to get there and they would not let you take the test because you didn't bring ID.

It just says 'bring this admission ticket' on ours, no mention of ID. Ticket, calculator, pencils, watch, and optional snack. That's the complete list. :-) It's a full sheet of paper and says 'Admit One' along the side. My kids don't have IDs at all for school or otherwise.

My question is whether a decades-old basic Casio scientific calculator is sufficient, as it won't be on any lists, prohibited or not. Ha.

Let me know, because that's what we have, too! (circa... um, 1988?). He was so surprised to learn he could take one with him.

DD took it in 3rd grade through a talent search and it was a good experience.

DD had never really used a calculator before, so I was a bit afraid that she would be sidetracked playing with it (she was 8). She did very well, however, so I guess it was ok.

Like others have said, it is my understanding that scores are not retained.

We did not need an ID, btw, just the test ticket.

Best of luck!

I'm more than a little worried about the fun factor of the calculator. He's 9 and not using one for math class. Definitely will have him practice the sample questions with it nearby... we have already talked about using it to check work, vs. do the work.

Thanks for the info!

Not the same test, of course, but our #1 took a calculator into the SATs, as directed, and said it wasn't really necessary. I would definitely practice with it for the sample questions, and see whether it's actually needed.

According to my DD it wasn't needed - calculator that is.

Thought I'd mention that my DS did use his calculator a couple of times, to do some three-digit multiplication faster than by hand. Also, he enjoyed the test, thought it was fun. :-)

DD took EXPLORE recently & I forgot to ask if she used her calculator, so I'll try to remember to ask & post back. She's familiar w/her calculator because of Mathletics.

Overall, DD thought test was not too bad, though Science was hardest section for her. However, I am *so* glad she took EXPLORE - because she encountered a variety of wacky situations that will stay with her, and better prepare her for the experiences that happen w/virtually every test of this kind.

For example: Proctors arrived & school was locked. By the time they hunted down help, most students/parents had arrived & everybody was standing out in the freezing cold for some time. Sooo...

Test started late. Building was very cold (janitors didn't know about test, didn't turn up heat). Classroom doors were locked, even when building was finally opened. Parents weren't allowed beyond entry, so all instructions I gave to DD about "find bathroom, use bathroom before test, don't sit in wobbly chair or under vent, etc." she had to do those on her own without a parent around. During break, students & Proctor left testing room & door locked behind them! I could go on & on...

But it was *great* because DD saw all this & learned from it. She was espc. glad I had her wear a light jacket under her winter coat, because many students had to take the test wearing coats, but DD was able to take off her coat & just wear her jacket. If the student is better prepared for all the random things that can happen during a test like this, they are better prepared to go with the flow during an actual PSAT, SAT or ACT.

We had a few chuckles over the experience, and it's now behind her. She agreed it was worth her time & effort. Not sure how good results will be, but she definitely learned from taking the test!

DS took it today. Very small group of students, I think all but one were youngish. He said he finished all the sections early and had time to check his work, found an error or two (so that's something!). He said he was most confident of the reading, followed by English, then math and last, science. Said there was a science passage where he had to guess on two questions. Hmm. Not sure how to interpret that... he said that he thought the actual test was harder than the sample that they sent out. I asked if it was fun. He said "not really." I suspect that was in comparison to staying home playing or reading.

Turned out my circa 80s Casio scientific calculator is rather erratic in giving actual answers, so we purchased a new 5.98 model with the required functions at Target.

How long is it taking to get results?

DD12 and DD10 took the Explore test today as well. Said the same thing as ConnectingDots. They actually enjoyed the reading section. DD10 said she had never heard of some of the science topics which I found interesting since she reads so much non-fiction. They zipped through the sample tests but barely had time to finish the real test. This is the first time they have taken the test.
I read that results show up in 6 weeks.

I'd love to be able to read the science section. DS did really well on the sample science test and loves reading about science topics. That said, he has only had fourth grade science, other than enrichment camps.

He said they told them 6-7 weeks for the results. I'm expecting above grade level but maybe not that great. ;-)

DS9 took Explore in January. Said he left 5-7 unanswered per section. Good experience for him being in a timed environment.

Our kids took the Explore a few years ago in 4th grade. Our impression of the science section is that answering the questions required the ability to read the provided reading passage (with data in some cases) and carry out a logical interpretation -- i.e., very little a priori science *knowledge* required. My just turned 10yo achieved a perfect score on the science section.

My DS10 said that he learned new stuff from the science section; it wasn't familiar. He ended up with a 23 on that part. I'm not even sure what that tells me for school advice. He took it shortly after skipping a grade, and he'll be in honors science, but I really wish they had deeper gifted options here.

Have you received the results for this year? MY DD took the test on Feb 20th and have not received results so far.

I'm still waiting for Feb. 20th results as well. I keep forgetting to check the mailbox though. Is it a big envelope?
Also - do even the younger kids get the advice on what is a good career for them? I would be curious as to what they tell my 6th graders!!

In our January results (which came 6 weeks after test) there were just two copies of an 11x17 folded sheet with final scores compared to 8th grade norms. No scoring data. No career info (why do they fill it out??!). A couple weeks later, our Talent Search data came via email link, with comparative to below and above grades, which was neat to see, and info on what the different tests assessed. No scoring details, how many right or wrong or attempted. I was disappointed by that.

We got the results today. DS9 (4th grade officially, accelerated in two subjects) scored an 18 overall. I don't know what I was expecting but it seems low. Maybe we have warped experiences so far? He did well on the science portion (90nd percentile) but pretty low, 64th percentile in math -- which is his strongest subject. Guessing it was either material he's not covered or he goofed on some of it. Now what we do with this info, I don't know... doesn't seem high enough to use for advocating with new schools. Am I off there?

How were his sub test scores?? That composite is pretty darn high for 4th grade!

DYS qualifying scores

EXPLORE Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6
English 19 21 23 24
Math 16 18 21 24
Reading 18 19 22 24
Science
Reasoning 18 20 23 24
Composite 17 19 21 23
Must meet or exceed on at least three out of five scores above.

It depends on what you were hoping to see, but it still sounds like he did really well -- remember it's against 8th graders, and you'll know more when you compare to other kids in the gifted pool. I thought it was interesting to see how the 8th grade numbers compared later to the talent search grade levels. DS's science reasoning was his strongest, and he said he learned some new things from it.

If it's any consolation, my DS got that same math score, even though he had 3 DYS qualifying scores, and it was his lowest score. Average for math among 8th graders was 15.5, and among the gifted 4th graders average was 14.1 (according to ACT).

In the interpretation guide, it came to the 87th percentile against 4th graders in the talented pool, 66th against 5th, and 39th against 6th graders. He said he left two unanswered in math -- that's always where he gets stuck, timed math. But it's even more clear to me that he's not getting sufficient extension instruction in math (as if his complaints aren't enough), particularly compared to the 6th grade talent pool. So I found that valuable!

Not DYS level (he is DYS) . I am interested to see what the talent pool results say. We were hoping that the scores would be high enough that advocacy would be easier if we move, especially if we need to try to get him into a gifted program. These don't seem to show DYS level work, particularly taking into account that he's in some 6th grade classes. Other standardized tests have been at the maximum scores (grade level-tests, though).

Composite 18
English 16 (92% in rhetorical, 61% in usage/mechanics...)
Math 16
Reading 18
Science 20 (I think he said this was the hardest!)

We're wondering if the math scores may show that the instruction (6th grade level) he's getting is not sufficient. He really should have done better there, I would have thought. He said he finished everything and went back to check his work.

I think that's just a formatting error, the test is Science Reasoning. The scores may not by DYS, but there are just under. I think it's still an impressive tool for advocacy. It's still above the 60th percentile, and it's also great against the gifted cohort. I'm not sure how it'll help in our school even having DYS numbers.

Thanks, I just caught that, too!

I believe the subtest is called "Science Reasoning," but was split into two lines in frannieandejsmom's post (probably because it was copied out of a table). The scores are pretty close to DYS scores, except for English. I think you might still be able to use them for advocacy, but I don't think most schools "get" Explore scores, anyway, so I'm not sure how much good they would do. I suspect you'd be better off sticking to the maximum scores on grade-level tests for many school districts.

Thank you. I'm thinking you might be right about which scores to use... was just thinking some above-level scores would be useful.

We received our explore scores as well. I am puzzled about the English vs Reading scores. A large gap has shown up between them (Reading is 5 points lower than English). Everything else is quite bunched. They were exactly the same last year.

My DD (Grade 4)did indicate she was reading slowly so did not answer the last 4 questions on reading (left them blank). Could this be the sole cause or are there other issues to consider?

ConnectingDots - I believe that those scores would have been DYS-level up to the last "update" to the requirements. They are very good scores.

We also had a rather large gap between DD's English and Reading when she last took it. DD's English score was much higher.

DS's Reading was 3 points below English, but higher than Math.

It seems a little weird that reading scores would be so much different than English. One would think they are closely correlated. Does anyone have some insight?

I think the reading is an indication of "close reading," i.e., can they interpret text and use it to make inferences about what's happening or going to happen in a story.

English is grammar.

Got it. So could this have to do with a 4th grader not having enough exposure to 8th grade reading material?

DD had just taken the EXPLORE before she was WISC tested. I actually asked the tester about why DD's English score might be so much higher than Reading. She was not concerned. She said something along the lines of the Reading questions sometimes being arbitrary.

DD reads constantly. I was actually surprised at the time that Reading was not DD's highest score (instead, English was).

IMO, I think it's more a matter of whether they are mature enough to interpret the "correct" answer. You can find sample questions online if you want to see what types of questions she had to answer.

Since I know nothing about Explore, take this with a grain of salt.... but I can say that inferencing and related skills are still pretty weak in grade 4s: developmentally, reading what the text doesn't say is a skill that grows over time and requires explicit teaching for many kids. For example, my DS's grade 6 English teacher, in a gifted class, has explained to me that a significant portion of the kids in the class struggle hugely with inference and making textual connections, and this is normal.

So based on the many conversations I have been having with grade 4 and 6 teachers this year about the age of readiness for these specific kinds of tasks, it makes sense to me that so many of you report younger children doing much better on the clear, rules-based part of the Explore than the inferencing et al bits.

We received our test scores on Saturday as well. Not what I expected!! DD12 (6th grade) did much better than I thought she would. She did well (though not DYS high) in math and science and rhetorical skills (English) Her lowest score was reading. Actually the reading score did not surprise me as she is a mathy kid and not labelled gifted in language arts.

I'm not sure what to think about DD10 (also in 6th, grade accelerated). She has now taken a 3 year above level on the Iowa test and this Explore test which, if she is age-wise a young 5th grader and school-wise a 6th grader, is Explore a 2 or 3 year above level test? Science was her strong point on the Iowa, but not on the Explore. Reading was her best on the Explore.She does not like being tested (she very grudgingly took this test!!) and is ADHD inattentive. I was hoping to get a sense of where she is, but I don't know if this gives me a clear picture of what's in her head. My biggest surprise was that her sister received better scores than she did knowing what DD10's WISC score is.

Greenlotus if I understand right you expected your DD10 to do better than your DD12 on the test. Is that correct? I am not sure this would be the case. Unlike WISC the EXPLORE is not an IQ test but a knowledge test. So age and maturity probably have a major role to play.

I would have the same overall assessment on the DYS numbers for EXPLORE. The numbers have probably been created based on the same percentile expectations as of those on WISC. But because of the age issue I suspect hitting the percentile on EXPLORE in younger grades is rarer than on the WISC. Hence the issues of DYSs not hitting the numbers in EXPLORE.

Thank you for helping put this into perspective.

I am surprised that the rhetorical score is so much higher than the mechanics on the English portion. Then again, he may have been flying through the mechanics part and overlooked some key details. It's been known to happen...

Given that your DD10 didn't want to take the test, her results may show that she wasn't that into it...

My understanding is that it is normally taken by 8th graders at the start of the school year, so it would be two years above grade level (roughly) for a 6th grader.

Yes, I was surprised that DD10 did not do better than DD12. While they are 14 mos. apart, DD10 has always outshone DD(just turned 12) on testing. Where I am not surprised though, is DD10 scoring higher than DD12 is on the reading section. You can just see DD10's depth in writing vs. her sister's. She also grasps reading concepts/info etc. much faster than her big sister (and BTW they are not biologically related so the old 10 points or less difference in the IQ of siblings is not valid here unless nurture is trumping nature!!). But, DD12 is definitely much more mature than DD10. Nor does she have to deal with any LD's.

Right. This is where the grade skip plays a part. I am looking at my daughter's results as if she were still a young 5th grader whereas she is actually a 6th grader. But! She has been exposed now to 6th grade classes so she takes the test as a 6th grader. Sometimes I wish the elementary school could have accommodated her. Ugh. If I think about it I will get mad about her time in 4th grade when the teacher refused to give her challenging work. Grrrrrr.

Right. This is where the grade skip plays a part. I am looking at my daughter's results as if she were still a young 5th grader whereas she is actually a 6th grader. But! She has been exposed now to 6th grade classes so she takes the test as a 6th grader. Sometimes I wish the elementary school could have accommodated her. Ugh. If I think about it I will get mad about her time in 4th grade when the teacher refused to give her challenging work. Grrrrrr. [/quote]

I understand. DS9 is in 4th but accelerated for math and reading/English (6th). So there's the way of thinking of his scores as those of a 9 year old, but truly, he's a 6th grader for most of what the class covers. In your case, I would think of how much time she has or hasn't had in 6th and balance your viewpoint accordingly. I'm not sure that it matters for the test what happened in 4th (although I certainly understand the frustration in general!).

My guess is she had an off day when it came to the test or that it covered some things she's not as comfortable with yet, while your ODD had a better test day. Or perhaps your ODD's results show that her earlier assessments underrepresented her ability!

For those of you whose children took EXPLORE through BESTs, how long did it take to receive the interpretation guide by e-mail? We have not seen it yet and it's been more than a month.

Ours came almost two months after the test date, via email -- a link to the personalized guide, not in the mail. Hope yours didn't go to junk mail.

Hmm. We are a few weeks past two months now. I'd be surprised if it went in SPAM and I didn't catch it, as I use GMAIL and always check before permanently deleting. I think I should call!

It appeared yesterday! Now, to figure out what to do with the information. I'm pretty sure the net in some areas (ex. math) is he's not doing as well vs. age peers as his ability should allow him to perform. Or, he had a bad test day in some sections. Or, he hasn't had exposure (not enough enrichment) to some concepts.

Confused.

Am back on this topic as I'm trying to make sense of the BESTS talent search report. According to the Percentile Ranking tables, these scores range from 71%-95% (Science) and are a 92% composite vs. 4th graders who took the test. I'm thinking that means he is not performing (on this test) at a high level vs. his peers. His percentile rankings against 6th graders for English, Reading and Math range from 28-61% (he's accelerated in those classes). So what to make of all that?

Is the sample skewed to DYS level kids?
Did he have a bad testing day?
Material he's covered doesn't match test?

Color me confused. I was hoping this would provide clarity... but am still asking "What does this tell me?"