Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Explore test for 3rd grader?

Did anyone have their child take the Explore in the 3rd grade? Would you recommend taking it in 3rd grade or waiting a year or two before taking it? For anyone that has a child that has taken the Explore could you give us an idea of how it is presented and how long it takes.

We are considering signing DD8 up to take the test. We would like to know where she stands on an above-grade level test and we could maybe use her scores to help apply for DYS, which we are also considering. Our concern is that we have heard it takes about 3 hours and DD probably can't sit through a 3 hour test that covers some academic areas she has probably never even seen before. Another issue with DD is that when she goes some place she has never been before she has to check it all out and absorb everything in the room before she can really settle down and focus. For example - when she started piano lessons, which are held at the teacher's house, after 2 lessons the teacher asked if we really thought she wanted to take lessons because she didn't seem very interested. DD was interested. We had to explain that there were just too many distractions in the teacher's piano room and DD being able to watch the cats outside through the big bay window was not helping her stay focused either. Until DD could soak it all in and be able to ignore the cats (this one is very hard for her) she would be unsettled. It took about 4 more lessons before DD could really focus and now she is doing fine. So if DD goes into a totally unknown school to take the Explore she may not be focused on the test but more on the posters on the wall, etc.

My DS took the Explore test in 3rd grade, and he's taking it again this year, through NUMATS. The most valuable thing to me was the report that NUMATS sends, with detailed information about what my kiddo will likely be ready for in each of the next few years based on how he scored. If you have an opportunity to sign up with a talent search like NUMATS, I recommend that. Otherwise, it was very interesting to see how my kiddo fared compared with 8th graders who took the test (and you'll get that info even if you don't sign up through NUMATS). It kind of helps put things in perspective. Another bonus of taking this through a talent search is that you will get access to the past tests your child has taken as well, so you can compare.

Depending on when you sign up, you will get the location fairly well in advance, so you would be able to check out the school ahead of time (hopefully). (We just got our son's location for next month's test today.) The 3 hours is probably accurate, and the kids are separated from the parents the whole time. There are no penalties for wrong guesses in Explore, so guess away. Also, I recommend doing the practice test they send with your registration, with a timer. My DS did not finish any of the sections, likely because he had zero experience before taking it with timed tests. Note that the science section doesn't really require science knowledge, it's more about data analysis, so basically comprehension.

You know your child best. If you don't think she'll focus, then it may not be worth it to try. It is relatively inexpensive though, compared to other ways to get achievement testing.

It is great for 3rd graders that NUMATS just added 3rd graders on award ceremony this year. DS10 took the test when he was in 3rd grade. He did it well, but a bit disappointed because no ceremony for him. Overall, It was a nice experience. The proctor at Northwestern test site insisted to give DS a calculator. While he never used a calculator at that time, he just used it as a new toy in the math test. He told me after the test that he spent a few minutes figuring out how to use it and checked all the answers with the "new toy". The side effect obviously was that he did not have enough time to finish all 25 questions. So the first thing I did that day was buying DS a calculator, so he won't be confused again.

Even it was a 3-hour long test (8:30 to 11:30ish, with one 15 minutes snack break), it is not that scary after all. We did not have any prep, not even the sample test. According to DS, math was not difficult, he finished 20 question, and got all of them correct (double checked with calculator ofcourse ). No middle school knowledge (pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, count and probability etc.) needed. DS also aced all 25 questions in Science, so I assumed that it is not that difficult. DS said he did not get some of the vocabularies in Reading, so that could be at middle school level.

DS took two more Explore tests since then in 4th & 5th grade. We just treat it as benchmark test for DS' improvement. Once he grows out of it, we move on to ACT/SAT. Even though the report card was sent to school every year. It had no impact at all. GT teacher has no clue what the percentile really tells. She did not even realize that a 70 percentile was actually among the top 2-5% population, which was still a big accomplishment for a 3rd grader.

My 3rd grader just took it this fall. When we got the practice test that they send you along with the registration info, I was much less concerned. The vast majority of it seems to be more about comprehension than actually knowing the subject, the reading part was either answering questions that you could find from looking in the text, or re-arranging sentences. The math was a little more complicated, as it was her first time using a calculator and I had to demonstrate percentages on there for her, but it wasn't anything more complicated and x+4=6. The science portion had a table of info that they had to answer questions on, again just by looking at it, rather than knowing anything about the actual subject of the table.

We haven't got our results yet, so of course I may have overestimated how simple it was! I wanted her to take it so that we could get the educational plan most of all, since we are having such a hard time getting her school on board, but I also wanted another gauge of where she's at right now.

I'm in Washington state. Does anyone know where my DD8 would be able to take it next year? Their web site has virtually no information on finding a test location! I'd be willing to drive her somewhere a couple of hours away, but not if we had to fly.

There is a list of test centers in Washington at NUMATS website:

http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/numats/program/test_center/

It must not be given, because that search comes up blank for all four possible dates. Thanks for the pointer, though!

I couldn't find the EXPLORE test through talent searches in WA in my quickie search, either. But here's a nice chart from Davidson that might help. There are other tests and other talent search centers:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10260.aspx

Does it matter who we sign up for testing with? The Duke TIP program is the one actually used for our state, but they don't offer the Explore until 4th grade, so we were looking at going through Northwestern - NUMATS. They offer the test to 3rd graders and they have a test center about 2 hours from where we live. Does it matter which we use for the test and does the test results transfer between Duke and Northwestern and so on?

Test results don't transfer. Duke offers Explore only for 5th and 6th graders. You sign up in 4th/5th, but test in 5th/6th, so it's not even for 4th graders.

It may be possible to test locally with a different talent search. If the test is being offered locally, you may be able to take it there with a different search. My child took Explore with CMITEs in 3rd in a room full of 5th and 6th graders taking it with Duke TIP.