Also - What steps would you suggest I take in advocating for a child in the 2nd grade that has scored above the 75%(against 4th graders)? He is already differentiated in the highest math group. What should I do next? Has anyone had success with meeting with the teacher and possibly the GT teacher and we also have an "instructional coach" at our school - and present them with the CTY results?
Thanks again!
az1
The SCAT results will help you fill out the Iowa Acceleration Manual as an 'Aptitude' test. I would include it in the results that you bring to the school to argue for acceleration, but by itself it isn't an Achievement Test. Schools are usually looking forward to seeing that there are no 'Gaps' and that the child has learned every thing that they would have if they had sat in the seat, so things like 'administering the school's own end of year test' or all the 'end of unit tests' are likely to be more persuasive.
You can show your school the SCAT scores and show how they compare to all the other kids who took the test as part of the talent search. It's sort of a catch 22, if the School folks know what a SCAT is or what a Talent Search is, then they'll be impressed and it's useful. If they don't .... then it's hard to get them to see it's value. One possible way to help the school understand the results is to call CTY and tell them about your son's scores and ask them what exactly you should tell the school that they mean.
I called CTY and gave them my son's scores, and asked them what level of Online Math he would start at given his scores. The fellow on the phone said that with scores that high, it would be a matter of trial and error to figure out where to start. That kind of helped me realize that I wasn't dealing with their 'run of the mill' gifted kid.
I don't think that the SCAT is meant to be one of those tests you can just flash to the school and get a free 'grade skip' token. But it's terrific for those 'Am I one of those scary parents?' moments.
Smiles,
Grinity
