Hi,
I've heard that testing starts to be an option around 4. The reasons I'm not fully clear on but having read here include the idea that testing is done mainly to help with educational placement or planning (ie is acceleration something to consider or would enrichment type activities/pullouts etc suffice), thus not really needed earlier than about 4. And then another comment I've seen a few times is that repeating testing too frequently (even every other year may be too frequent) will cause either learning of the test strategy thereby inflating results or boredom with the test questions so they don't complete them.
I'm curious though if anyone knows if earlier testing is reflective of later results? If it is but only for some kids, which ones, can one tell at the time of the test whether it was representative of the child's abilities? Is it a matter of a younger child being able to complete the testing due to attention span, or is something to do with age-based norms?
My DS2.4 is refusing to answer easy questions. One of his favorite things to do is get quizzed on dinosaurs. Most of the questions I can think of he now won't answer as he's heard them before, but if I come up with an new way to ask the same question he will -- like he will simply say "no" if I ask "what was the smallest pterosaur" but if I ask, "What pterosaur could fit on your plate?", he will. He's also started saying the numbers out of order (while giggling) as a new way to count, after we read a book with a silly character who couldn't count in order. (disclaimer -- all quiz-like games are entirely at his request). His newfound interest in refusing easy stuff works well too to hide his normal counting or question-answering accuracy and thus we currently are in a relief-phase of avoiding some awkward conversations about his age. But the humor/refusal would be bad for testing though.
Polly
