In some cases, the school's testing is necessary (for their program, for instance) or very helpful (some schools actually properly administer full tests!
![wink wink](/bb/images/graemlins/default/wink.gif)
).
We've done testing both ways. The school's test was needed for their program, but was only a "partial test," with a low ceiling. We only received the "final score" in the mail - no further explanation, no analysis, no breakdown, etc. The private testing had higher ceilings, complete explanations, descriptions, and a chance to ask the tester questions and hear how our DC answered the questions - MUCH more informative. After learning from my experiences with the school testing with my older DC, I chose to do things differently with the younger DC (did the testing earlier, with a private tester).