I am not a fan of the CogAT either, and my EG ds scored considerably lower (percentile) on the verbal portion of the CogAT than he has on any other type of testing (WISC, achievement testing of many different types etc spread out over many years). When I asked my ds about the test after he took it, he told me how he reasoned out the answer to some of the questions and I could see that he'd gotten the answers incorrect but was using high-level reasoning... it's just that the questions were assuming some types of learned knowledge that he hadn't been exposed to, he used totally logical and complex thinking to come up with an answer, but the answers were wrong.
The test results your dd receive don't match what you know of her school performance, so that's one reason as a parent I'd look for more data if you need test scores to get into higher level programs at school (and you believe she belongs there - if you weren't thinking she needs more, I wouldn't worry about the scores or further testing). Anyway, that's what *your* motivation is for further testing, but chances are the school is going to hear the same thing from other parents too - some of whom have good reason to push for more testing, some of whom may simply be "that pushy parent". So my next piece of advice is, you can't worry about being "that pushy parent" - you need to advocate for your child. It might help to think kindly of "pushy parents" - to be honest, even kids who are on the higher side of average most likely could handle and would benefit from having more challenge than is offered in most typical classrooms.
Sooo... what I also see in your post is something that you should be able to take back to the school to request *different* testing (if there is an option for appeal) - your dd's arm injury on the day of testing, combined with the discrepancy in testing results vs classroom performance. If your dd was given the test in a group setting, it was most likely timed. It may not seem like filling in a bubble is a big thing, but have you tried timing filing in a bubble with your dominant writing hand vs the hand you don't write with?
If the school doesn't have an appeal process, or if you don't want to bother with it, private testing will probably give you more insight into what your dd's relative strengths are. JMO, but I feel that there is a lot more information included with an innate ability test such as the WISC than you will receive with an individually administered learned ability test such as the CogAT. The CogAT is widely used as a screening tool for gifted programs, but I suspect that is due to factors that make it easy to use as a *screening* tool.
And last thing - if you do pursue IQ testing and the #s don't come out as high as you'd expect - don't let that stop you from advocating for the academic challenges you feel your dd wants/needs. Follow your child, not a #.
Best wishes,
polarbear
