Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Does Belin-Blank recognize high scores like NUMATS

You can see how much research I did before signing up DS/DD for testing through Belin-Blank (Univ. of Iowa)! Last year we tested through C-Mites (Carnegie Mellon) because they were the only ones I came across who tested 3rd graders. C-Mites does not recognize high scorers even though they provided a nice table showing distribution of 3rd grade scores.

This year we had more choices since they are 4th graders so we tested through Belin-Blank because they were cheaper and because I had been reading their book, "Developing Math Talent". Reading the thread about NUMATS made me think of the recognition/award aspect. Maybe we should have tested through NUMATS but I didn't think of it because we are not in the Midwest. This is the last year that we will have DS take the Explore so it would be a nice bonus for DS, who scored a 23 composite. Anyone aware of any recognition and what the cutoff might be.

23 composite definitely gets the 4th grader to the award of NUMATS.

Too bad I ddin't test through NUMATS! I wasn't thinking about the awards at all; otherwise, I would have realized that I would not have minded taking another trip to Chicago, but Iowa doesn't really appeal.

I actually found something on the Belin-Blank website from last year that indicated the top 1% gets to the awards and that you can invite a teacher to be honored with your child.

That would be very nice!!!!

I'm curious about why an award matters? My son didn't study for this test, so getting an award seemed silly to him. We ignored it all. Am I missing something?

I wouldn't say that you were missing anything. To each his own. You are right to "ignore it all" when "getting an award seemed silly" to your son.

For us, an award matters because it is recognition that he has high cognitive abilities/achievements and that such cognitive abilities/achievements are actually good and important. The fact that DS didn't study is irrelevant to him. The high scores resulted from a life-long habit of curiosity and independent learning - googling for information and picking up any reading material lying around. It's similar to PSAT scores - I didn't study but the recognition was nice rather than silly to me and I guess to most of the other honorees I knew.