Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Where and What Kind of Test?

My son will be five early next year and we wish to have him tested before he would start Kindergarten in September. He's working at about a second to fifth grade level, depending on the subject.

Where can we find someone to test him in the state of Oregon? (Or if need be, California or Washington?)

What kind of test should he take?

Hi Ametrine,

I'm not familiar with particular testers in Oregon, but here's a link to Hoagies:
Hoagies List of Psychologists Familiar with Gifted

Do you already know what school your kiddo will be attending? Sometimes the schools will test for you, for free. I would check. I have found that schools are much more willing to accept the tests they are familiar with.

As for what kinds of tests, what we did was have our son tested with a pychologist familiar with GT kids, and she happened to use the SB-V, so that's what we used. We did an IQ test first, then saw what we were dealing with and approached the school, who then agreed to do achievement testing of their own.

Are you thinking of possibly skipping kindy? Or just looking for a good fit school good with differentiation? If he's working so far ahead in every level, a regular kindergarten won't likely be a good fit, unless you have a particular goal in mind that regular kindys are good at (like "learn how to do school" and "learn how to write").

If you're looking to skip kindy, what sort of laws are there in your state for this? Or are there requirements specific to your district? If so, those laws/rules/etc. might give you more guidance on what sort of testing you should have your DS take.

Good luck.

Thanks so much!

After reading Ruf's 5 Levels of Gifted, we decided not to skip Kindergarten, but may skip first grade.

DS is going (we hope) to a charter nearby that allows for mixed age classes. We won't know until early 2013 if he can go there. We want him tested before starting first grade so we can advocate for whatever services they have available for him.

We are in a very rural area with the largest city over an hour and a half away. I'm not aware of any gifted schools within driving distance.

if he is working at 2nd to 5th grade at 4 years of age skipping k alone will not help.he is ready for multi grade skip or radical acceleration.many in this forum have that experience. Have you thought of skipping 2grades?how is he stamina wise? handwriting wise

best of luck

His stamina is typical four/five year old. He doesn't nap (hasn't since three), but he still gets silly-tired if he concentrates too long. Handwriting is done in all caps. He hates lowercase.

I doubt my husband would agree to a double grade skip. I think it would take some "heavy hitter" recommendations for him to agree to that.

OK...
his reading is 2 -5th grade, math- can he also do up to fifth grade as well?, based on your reply he is may be at K level in writing

then in such cases may be subject accerelation is good fit for the time being and skip a grade or 2 after he picks up writing part... IMO

Hopefully someone who knows better will answer next, but here's what I've been reading.

Subject acceleration sounds right for a child, but elementary schools don't usually block their schedules. �The kindergarteners and second graders have math at different times and you might end up coming and going in the middle of things all the time from what I've read of other people's stories.

DAS 2 is something like differentiated achievement something test which was originally used to assess the need for differentiation for slow children and has since been used for gifted children as well. �I read a post that said it's much cheaper than paying for the WISC or SBT. �For some reason I'm thinking the price difference is a few hundred bucks for the DAS vs. a thousand something for WISC or SB. �I could be wrong. �I'm going to a cousin's professor when it's time for me to test, if we need it, and taking whatever test. �So I'm just reading about the tests in passing here.

I think all the kids get Cogat FREE starting in kindergarten. �That is what the school is going to want to see, although apparently it's not a good test for a lot of gifted kids. �

MAP testing is something the schools give free. � That is the best test for advocating ability grouping, ie., subject acceleration. �I forget if you need to ask for above level testing on the MAP. �The example I remember is to ask for your kid to be placed with a reading group with a similar MAP score, even if that means joining a different grade's reading group. �

If you're applying for DYS then you probably want a test to "show their true abilities more precisely"; it doesn't work �that way. �All the tests separate broadly into ranges and the upper range is really a very �wide range. �They aren't that precise. �Of course that could be a myth. �I only read it on the Internet. So, if that's true, just take the cheapest tests and make a portfolio. �

Unless you're testing for a disability or a relative weakness "bottleneck" then it's worth making an appointment to get your test done by one of the gifted specialists. �

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm

Dr. Amend has had positive reviews posted here on the forum.
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/browse_resources_171.aspx

Aimee Yermish has a positive reputation on this forum. �She tests. �Here's her blog. �http://davincilearning.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/hello-excuse-me-can-you-tell-me-where-i-am-introducing-yourself-or-your-child/

Dr. Ruf tests. �(see her site)

I think you can go to a university and have a student do it cheaply. �They're new, so it's more of a ballpark. �I'm not sure if the results are useable for advocacy. �That's just what I've been reading.
Me personally I'm just taking a little folder of my son's work to the school and showing them to start with and we'll take it from there. �I'm just kind of upfront and what else can you do? �It's really up to the school on what help they're going to give you. �I know there's some kind of drawback to the school seeing a pushy parent. �I'm still just going to be upfront.

MAP testing is out of level testing. The test will get easier or harder based on the child's answers. This is a computer based test.



This depends on your state and school district. In my state we do not have mandated gifted identification or funding. Our district only gives CoGAT if the child scores above the 95th percentile in math and reading on fall MAP (starting in first grade). If the child scores in the 98th percentile for reading and math (starting in the fall of second grade) AND scores above 130 on the verbal and non verbal section (they don't even administer the quantitative portion here) they will administer the WISC-IV.

Before testing, I would contact the school to see what they would even consider for your ds.

I would check your district's policies to see what kinds of outside testing they accept before I scheduled anything. What are your goals for the kind of information that you want to get out of this? What, if any, outside programs are you considering applying to in addition to school? Those answers will help determine which test(s) you should have done. Another thing to consider is the amount of "headroom" on the test you choose, and the types of strengths you see in your child. Different tests have different "ceilings", and highly gifted children can sometimes end up not getting a good measure of how advanced they might really be if this isn't taken into consideration.

If you are going to have achievement testing done to help with advocacy, I would have it done as close to the beginning of the school year as you can manage and still get the results in time. If you think about it, if your child is already working at a fifth grade level in some subjects at age four, clearly, in a few months, achievement levels can and will change by years.

I agree with frannieandejsmom, the types of tests used and accepted vary dramatically by district and by state, so you definitely want to talk with the school to see what the process is.

Our district does no MAP testing at all and gives the CogAT to all 2nd graders which is a screener for the GT program that starts in 3rd. There is virtually no GT programming before that. But it doesn't sound like regular GT programming would work for your child anyways. If your school does MAP testing that might be the easiest and most straightforward (and least expensive) test to use to advocate for grade or subject acceleration.