Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment CoGat

For a 2nd grader...

Is the Cogat composite roughly equivalent to an IQ score?

I don't think it's equivalent.

In fact, I've come to really dislike the Cogat test. My HG+ ds has taken it twice and both times not scored above 92%. However, he's taken the WPPSI, SB5 and the WISC-IV twice. On each of these he scored 99%+. I wish I could find more research on the inaccuracies of this test for HG students. It cares quite a bit of weight in many school systems when working on GT placement.
Anyone know of a source?

our school said to save our money, not get him formally IQ tested and that their Cogat was roughly equiv.

???

I am not trusting what the school is telling me in so many areas!

is there a place to see what all the abreviations mean?

If you go to the CogAT co. website, they will tell you it is not an IQ test:
CogAT FAQs on Riverside Publishing site

Here's a link to the acronyms: List of Common Acronyms on this forum
(It's a sticky thread under the parenting and advocacy forum))

I'll go check out your intro before I ask questions.... but welcome!

You and me both! That's nearly the exact same spot we're in with our younger dd. I've also seen a number of kids come out "gifted" on the CogAT who don't seem to be. A mom on another forum recently posted that her dc got 97th-99th percentile scores on the CogAT and a 100 FSIQ on an actual IQ test. FWIW, the mom didn't think her dc was gifted and thought that the CogAT showed the potential for high achievement and that her dc was simply a high achiever. I wonder if it is both giving false negatives and false positives and would also love to see some research into the validity (not reliability) when used to id high ability.

Laura,

In looking @ your other posts, I don't mean to imply that your dc got a false positive on the CogAT, merely to commiserate with spiritedmama that I really don't like the test and am not sure it's a good test for GT ids.

However, if your district is going to treat it as an equivalent of an IQ test and he qualifies for all they are willing to offer with it, I guess that I'd just go with that for now. On the other hand, if what they have to offer isn't good enough, you have to figure out if you'd get any further with more data.

thanks... I am trying to actually figure it all out too. I have history with IQ tests and trust that...

He also did test into JH-CTY... not that that is a measure of IQ either - but reflects his ability to function mathmatically at a high level.

And his enthusiasm for math is pretty high.

Overall, the actual IQ (while of interest) doesn't really matter... I suspect it's between 130-140 so we're not dealing with anything way off the charts.

I don't think the district treats it as an IQ, but more that typically it reflects roughly the IQ.

Even if he did IQ off the charts, the school probably couldn't offer anything other than skipping grades at this point.

So, maybe he is gifted, maybe not... without the formal testing who knowS?

Wondering if I should just get him tested and find out?? thoughts?

I don't think the CogAT is a good or bad test. It's a screening tool to help decide what kids would be a good fit for a gifted program. Our school district uses the OLSAT, which is probably sort of similar.
The advantage to the CogAT/OLSAT, etc. is that they are tests that can be given cheaply and quickly to large groups of kids. That is why they are used. I think an IQ test (WISC, etc) would be the best way to identify "gifted" kids since it also looks at different types of intelligence- the ability to identify geometric patterns, being able to memorize numbers quickly, etc.
IQ tests are very expensive and can only be given one on one, so obviously, you can't screen 300 or more kids with that.
I wouldn't necessarily poo-poo the CoGAT. There probably is some strong correlations between doing well on it and the WISC, etc. Our district will also accept scores on the WISC, which makes sense to me.

Agree with most posted above... CogAT is not a assessment designed to test the outer limits of gt (of course many are not). And it doesn't not make a direct correlation to IQ score. Cheap and works for mass group screenings.

130-140 is one hell of a range ;-) And if a child is at the upper end of that then a parent may need to be advocating to bend the system to fit or find other options (depending on the school). Most research indicates the parents who wonder and think their child is gifted - are generally right. And if your family can spare the money - for me - knowing a bit more about my child's needs so I could best advocate and seek best options was incredibly helpful.

I'm not into testing for testing sake... but tend to find those parents who wonder aloud simply need a push. Those who wonder usually know in their heart but are just second guessing.

Two cents for what it is worth :-)

Shout out to Grinity - rocking the board as always.

ditto on all accounts. I think if you are wondering, and can afford it, it's worth it to have it in black and white.

I'm no expert or anything, just another mom sailing the uncharted waters with only half a paddle, but a very pushy little captain with me.