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Posted By: Lere Cogat Results-- Now what? - 02/09/17 10:33 PM
I just got my son's Cogat testing results, and he tested extremely high. I'm not sure what to do with this information. I want to be an advocate for my son, but I have no idea where to start. Does anyone have any resources they can share with me? Any steps I should take? Any help is much appreciated.
Posted By: puffin Re: Cogat Results-- Now what? - 02/10/17 07:48 PM
How old is he? Why was he given the Cogat?
Posted By: indigo Re: Cogat Results-- Now what? - 02/10/17 08:45 PM
Welcome!

puffin asks good questions... although a newbie might appreciate a bit of background as to why a member of this forum would ask. It is because sometimes assessments are administered to a single child because of behavior which may indicate he is very bored* in school and may have reached the limits of his ability to cope without acting out (being a clown, disruptive, off task, etc.) Other times an assessment may be given to a whole class as part of school district policy/practice. Scores may tend to stabilize around 8 years old.

Are you familiar with CogAT? It is the Cognitive Abilities Test. Information is readiy available online, including this wikipedia entry, and this score interpretation webpage.

With a CogAT score > 132, one can apply to join Mensa, the high IQ society.

CogAT scores can also be utilized as a component of the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) to evaluate for a potential grade skip, although it is not a preferred test.

With the high score your son received, it is likely that your school may offer one or more advanced classes, and/or gifted program(s) and/or service(s). The aptness or "fit" of any of these may vary... and may or may not be beneficial for your son. You may want to read about gifted ed buzzwords and develop a good BS filter, so you may look beyond rosy surface descriptions to understand what your child's educational experience will actually entail.

Here is a roundup on advocacy... it may seem an overwhelming amount of information... but taken one bite at time, one resource at a time, one day at a time... you can learn a lot rather quickly.

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* bored. We talk about kids being bored, here on the forum, but NOT when talking to teachers or advocating... here's why, and here's why... you might want to read the rest of the thread, too!
Posted By: Lere Re: Cogat Results-- Now what? - 02/11/17 04:01 AM
Puffin, he is 7. He recently moved to a new school. I guess they noticed that he's bright, so they wanted to test him. I really love his new school. They're very attentive. No behavioral issues or anything.

Indigo, thank you to the link on gifted ed buzzwords. That is EXACTLY what I need. I wrote because I don't want to go into school unprepared. I want to be the best advocate I can be for him, and I felt very overwhelmed and lost when I first got the score. Thank you!
Posted By: JessicaJune Re: Cogat Results-- Now what? - 02/11/17 04:25 AM
In my school district, kids take the Cogat in 3rd grade to identify kids for gifted programming that had previously not been identified. If that's the case in your district, someone (the school's gifted coordinator) should contact you with information about what gifted services they will now provide your child.
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