Is there any reason at all that I should not have my ds7 (who turns 8 in December) take the Explore test in January or February? He's homeschooled, so I'm looking at it as a kind of baseline achievement test, as well as the experience he'll gain from taking a test like Explore.

He doesn't do his best if he knows that he's timed, though that really only seems to be an issue when it's a video game or math. I'm not sure if that's something that will change as he matures, or if it's just one of his issues. (I broke down and cried on an Algebra test in college, so perhaps he's inherited this from me. ) I'm basically wondering if anyone has had any problems with doing it with a 3rd grader and wishes they had waited until 4th grade or higher.

I'm having my 8 year old 3rd grader take it this year for similar reasons. He took the SCAT last year and maxxed it out, so there is no reason to repeat that I don't think. My DS LOVES tests, even timed tests, so that part is not an issue for him, therefore I can't advise you on that! It is a bit of a pain to get him registered for it as a 3rd grader. We are doing it through C-MITES in PA and we live in FL. Our local talent search is through Duke TIP and they will not bend and let a 3rd grader take it through them.

I think you've answered your own question. If he doesn't do his best in a timed test, then you will not have a good picture of his actual achievement level. In all cases, what would a double-digit number tell you (e.g. he got a 21)? Are there awards for 3rd graders or a placement that would be facilitated by a high Explore test (e.g. DYS).

There are other ways of finding out what your child knows (e.g. Singapore math placement tests).

If he truly doesn't like being timed, the experience he'll gain from taking the Explore in 3rd grade might very well be a negative experience. Not to scare you, but there were a few children coming out of the testing room in tears when my dd took the Explore last year. It is a real concern. Would he be upset if he didn't know how to answer several (maybe even many) questions? The question packet they send you when you enroll is easier than the test itself.

Just to provide the perspective of a parent who had one of those crying children ... Dd13 took the EXPLORE when she was a year older than your ds (a few months past her 9th bd/4th grade). She didn't do her best, timed things are not good for her b/c her processing speed is slow, and she came out crying. She didn't finish parts of it and, in some areas like reading where she left the test repeatedly to go to the bathroom b/c she was crying, I really don't think that it was her best showing.

However, it overall turned out to be a good thing for her. She was bogged down with some significant perfectionism at the time and that, combined with a grade skip the next year, helped her learn to deal better with things that weren't cake walks. She took the EXPLORE as part of a consideration of a grade skip. If she had been homeschooling at that time and the purpose was to get a baseline achievement score, I don't know that this would have been the test I would have chosen, though.

Essentially I'm saying that I don't know if it would be the test I'd pick in your situation but that it isn't always a terrible thing even when the child is overwhelmed by it if you do wind up having him take it.

If you're doing it for purely planning purposes and don't need an "official" score for anything like DYS, my recommendation would be for an out-of-level ITBS given at home. That's what I've decided to do this year rather than repeating the EXPLORE. The ITBS results are much more useful from a curriculum planning standpoint because they are broken down by topic.

MY DS took that test in 3rd. He was not afraid of not knowing some anwsers and did great. He also doesn't have much test anxiety. He is not afraid to take on most challenges.

You can give your child sample questions test at home and time him. See how he does with that.

Last year DS was not interested in taking it again. Our GT said that test would be good reference of his ability for 2 yrs.

what is ITBS ?

Iowa Test of Basic Skills

If time is a major issue for him, you also might want to consider an out of level SAT-10 b/c it is untimed whereas the ITBS is timed. There are suggested time limits on the SAT, but the child can exceed them with no penalty. They both test about the same thing.

I realized as I was reading these (excellent) replies that this was one of the reasons that I was considering Explore testing as a 3rd grader. I see this coming out in my son already. I think we've done a good job of heading it off, but he is so accustomed to everything being easy. I'm wondering if doing this now will help with some of that.

Perhaps that's the wrong reason to test him now, but it seems like a little struggle would be good experience. Generally, he's not one to lose control and melt into tears, so I'm thinking (hoping!) that he wouldn't be traumatized in any way by doing this. Though, he's never done a test like this with a group. My dh and I laughed about it, wondering if we would find him wandering around the halls at some point instead of sitting in the testing room. One never knows with him!

He has improved dramatically in the past year in regard to timed tests and games, but he would still prefer not to be timed. I feel like he will trust us that it's "okay" not to answer all the questions, and that he'll be able to let it go, relax (somewhat), and do what he can for the test. That's just a gut feeling that I have and I really don't have anything to base that one except that he usually puts his trust in us if we reassure him about things like this.



Okay, I tried this last year thinking that it was out of level, but the test he received (as a 1st grader) was so simple that he found it hilarious, as if it had been for preschoolers. I opted not to do it at the end of the year because I assumed they wouldn't let me choose a higher level or grade. Can you educate me about how this works and how you intend to test yours? I would be willing to try this.


Where can I find information on doing this?

DYS was another reason I was considering the Explore, not that we're guaranteed to make the cut, of course. He qualifies with his WISC scores, but he was one point off on achievement. This was because of his out-of-whack math scores --due to it being timed. I was hoping to take the easy route and avoid the portfolio.

Thank you, All!

Just to be clear, the SAT-10 I was mentioning is not the SAT that you take for college admission or through talent search. It is a grade level achievement test just like the ITBS. I was suggesting that you give him a higher grade level than his actual grade like the 4th grade version or something maybe not as high as the EXPLORE if you wanted to split the difference.

You could give it to him yourself if you qualify to administer it. For the ITBS, my recall is that there are limited requirements like a Bachelors degree in anything. For the SAT-10, I believe that the qualification to administer it is a Bachelors in anything plus some course work in testing and assessment or a training that is provided through the groups that market it to homeschoolers. The places you can order it from range from Bob Jones to Triangle Educational Assessments. You could also pay someone else to administer one of these types of tests.

For DYS application purposes, I don't think that either the ITBS or SAT-10 alone will do it without a portfolio, though, b/c they aren't among the tests they have listed.

Thank you for the input. All information and opinions have been helpful.

I think it really depends on your child. My DD took the Explore at age 9 (4th grade). The results were useful to me (not so much to the school, but that's another issue.) Given her personality, I'm glad we didn't have her take it in 3rd grade and almost wish we would have waited another year. She doesn't do well in pressure situations and dislikes tests.

DD was one of those kids who walked into and came out of the test in tears. She was emotionally exhausted. Not so much because she didn't know the answers, but because of the testing situation - it was a strange place with strange people and she gets really anxious before tests.

My son first took the Explore right around his 8th birthday, and it was a positive experience. (He was a grade-skipped 3rd grader.). He took it to allow him to do summer programs with CTD. We were concerned, too, that he would get frustrated, but since he knew it would be hard he was OK.