Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Don't laugh at me...but would you ever...

So. Is it possible to practice for an IQ test? No idea. But if it is, I'm sure there are parents in your district doing so as we speak.

This gets back to the odd fact that the Triple Nine Society allows you to use SAT/GMAT/ACT, etc. scores for admission into what is ostensibly a High IQ society.

http://www.triplenine.org/main/admission.asp

Note that you cannot use some tests since they were changed. The SAT is one.

That is, of course, all from older versions of these tests prior to the mass level of studying going on now a days.

I'm sure that there are ways to study for IQ tests, but I can't imagine that it is wise to do so. The goal of such a test is not to get an artificially inflated number so you can misplace the child in a program for which s/he isn't truly qualified. The problem when that becomes widespread is that these program are no longer filled with kids who are needing that level of programming and the programming adjusts to who it is actually serving not who it purports to serve.

It's getting into the program as a prize vs. getting into the program because you need it.

IQ score as competition.

It is a very good question. It is quite a large district, and so I can only speak for my school, but as far as I know there is only one other boy I know for sure is at about her same level. And that is in both sections of first grade. We have parent-teacher conferences at the end of Oct. where we get the most recent MAP scores and she said she had some "problem solving packets to share with us" (whatever that means! Gah!) But I guess I need to just TRY to be patient.

Well, I would only look to giving her an advantage b/c the guidelines aren't really fair. If I person is gifted at say 136, why should she be denied services as such? But obviously, I am not trying to put her in a program for special needs for a need she doesn't have....I just do not like this all or nothing approach. BUT she hasn't even been tested so...who knows.

Is there an online test we can try at home for fun to get an idea??

I'm guessing that means that math at least will be accelerated.

Just as you knew that your child was not even anywhere close to having a good fit without the grade skip, I imagine there are parents losing sleep in this district that their child may be denied GT services -- children who really really need these services beyond the already enhanced educational environment. With no "wiggle-room-for-the-sake-of-the-child" these education laws have put 100% of the decision on a test. If your child is perfectionistic and won't answer unless she is 100% sure of her answer -- whooops out she goes. If they process a little slow -- sorry about the timed parts of the test, but out he goes. I just think it's bad policy.

I did want to say that my last comment wasn't directed at you. I'm not thinking that you're trying to hothouse an inaccurate score. I just always get skeptical when districts claim that something like 20% of their kids are near gifted or gifted. If your child doesn't fit in with the regular kids, I suspect that she is more than the level of gifted they are claiming so many kids are (120-125 IQ) or b/c people are studying to get artifically high scores and thus making it such that kids whose scores are there w/out the studying aren't getting the fit they deserve in classrooms that are supposed to be full of other kids like them.