Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Iowa acceleration testing- lots of questions

It is likely my ds10 will be given some math placement testing next summer/fall using the iowa acceleration scale (?) not sure that is the right terminology.
My understanding is that this is an excellent tool for placement decisions, but I am pretty unfamiliar with it.

My questions are:
I know it is timed, and so far the school seems to indicate that they could do some accommodation for his slower than average processing speed. I don't see how he'd do very well without 1.5 or double time. Does anyone have experience with this test and time accommodations and how that works for placement (does it affect it, and in what way)?

Second, I am curious if, like the wisc, there are limits on how often a test can be given to a student? (once a year, once every 2 years)?

And lastly, the person I spoke to yesterday said the test is helpful in teasing out whether a student is working at a conceptual level or has memorized procedures and is going based on that and will therefore not do well if accelerated too quickly. Would you say that is the case with this test? (how does that work?)

thanks for any info on this!!

Interesting! so I probably have the terminology wrong, because they refer to this as a 'test', and confirmed it was timed.

It is perhaps the Iowa Algebra Aptitude test(?), now that it is not too early in the morning, I googled and found that. They did not mention the iowa acceleration scale, actually, that was my brain filling in the blanks wrong.

I am only hoping to have more time for him to complete this one test, not necessarily the classroom work/tests as he doesn't take extra time on his current school work or classroom tests as of now. It's just this bizarre testing anxiety/timed test thing he has that I want to avoid holding him back.

I see what you are saying about the wiat; since ds10 hardly ever goes about memorizing stuff 'on purpose' that would not be my gut reaction as to how he's doing his algebra work; but perhaps since he scored pretty high on the operations side (for once!) there is a good bit of that going on.
I am eager to see how this unfolds but not eager to get him in way over his head!
Thanks!

(ps, sorry to be so vague, getting actual names of tests, or real details on how they make their decisions is pretty touch-and-go sometimes!)

Could it be the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS)?

I'm guessing that they might be using the ITBS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Tests_of_Basic_Skills

Much to my surprise I actually got some phone time with the folks at the middle school today to discuss what test, when, whether there could be a time accommodation, etc.
They called it the 'iowa test of algebra readiness', but I think it is this, since I couldn't find itar...:

http://www.education.uiowa.edu/itp/iara/iara.aspx
Iowa Algebra Readiness Assessment - IARA> I had no idea there were so many possible ways to say 'math test'!

Doesn't sound like they are too inclined to offer more time than usual to take the test, but she did listen to my explanation of what the dr. had said about ds when he was 8, and what he is currently working on, and his wiat numbers from earlier this year.
Someone is going to arrange for me to bring that in for discussion some time soon, so that sounded excellent, like the ball is actually rolling.

Thanks Dottie! I can definitely seeing extending the time to take the test as confounding it's validity as a 'readiness' indicator... so just trying to understand when and why accommodations for time are given for kids on timed tests? Has that been discussed here or elsewhere that anyone can point me to?

thanks~

MoN-

This sounds so much like where we're at with ds10 (soon to be 11). Glad to hear your ds has qualified.


I actually think if he is asked to do 6th/7th math first, things are going to go down hill extremely quickly grades-wise. I think we are sitting on the cusp right now, way up or way down.

"When processing speed is slow in general, I think it makes it very difficult to pull out the intuition aspect."
This makes sense to me, hopefully it will be a perspective that the teachers/admins at the middle school will be open to! Thanks for the succinct wording!

I found out in our meeting with the school this week that the ITBS is getting a total overhaul and will be drastically different in the fall, with a new name, which is something with Iowa Assessment in the title. I listen really well to those details too. That is likely what they were talking about, or maybe just the math portion.

Ha!! I literally just found a PDF from the county with the exact test name, it is IAAT (but who knows if that will be true in the fall) and, more interesting, the flow chart of decision making for all the extended/advanced math possibilities in middle school.
Of the 6 people I talked to at the schools and county level, it sure would have been great if they'd just referred me to that for clarity. Sigh.