I was re-reading your earlier posts. Would the Explore really have more headroom than the MAP though? The Explore is an 8th grade test. After that you'd move to ACT and SAT but I don't know how useful those are for year to year as well as how does multiple testings affect college admissions. If the MAP does have up to 12th grade material, then it should be ok until about 8th grade I would think which is what I think Dottie was getting at in her posts. At that point, DC would taking ACT and SAT.
((Hand raised and waving))
I can answer this one!
SATs taken before 9th grade are magically wiped away each June by College Board unless the score is so fabulous that the parent sends a letter requesting the scores to be saved, so before 9th grade there is Zero negative impact on Colleges.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/register/special/8th-gradeMy son took them at age 11/7th grade, age 12/8th grade, and age 13/9th grade.
No scores at age 11, because he left about 4/5th into it - just too much sitting. but there was a gratifying jump between age 12 and age 13!
There is various information available for certain months of the SAT for feedback, but we haven't really been able to make much sense of that.
As for advocacy, our local high school is intimately familiar with SAT, so whenever the faces start looking like: 'Oh, you are just another mistaken parent who thinks there child is special' I casually throw in the SAT scores and the doors start flying open.
My son has done the summer camps that required the SAT, and loved that experience, and having the talent search information has helps me 'believe' that 'not all gifted is the same' and helped me get an idea of his LOG.
Right now the plan is to have DS (now 9th grade)take the SAT every year just to see if he should really study and trust the colleges to do the math and figure it out. My hunch is that this won't backfire, but it could for some of the most selective schools. If the score keeps rising, then what's not to like?
Love and more Love,
Grinity
