Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment EXPLORE test results

My daughter does not meet the criteria for the DYS program based on her EXPLORE test results, and I am wondering how good a predictor those test results are of results on other tests. We've never had her IQ tested, and in fact the EXPLORE test was only the third standardized test she'd taken in her life. She took it in 5th grade, and her private school does very little standardized testing, so she had only previously had end-of-year tests in 3rd and 4th grade.

She has always been at the top of her class in this very small school, and often frustrated by not "having enough to do" at school or finding the work boring, but I don't know really how gifted she is. Should I look into spending money to have her IQ tested? Or does the EXPLORE test give me enough information?

How close were the scores? FWIW, my daughter tested high onthe SCAT, then high on the WISC, then high on the EXPLORE. But i have heard many, many stories where there isn't that kind of consistency. and performance on the EXPLORE is influenced by exposure, not just intelligence. Also, your DD may well be gifted even if she doesnt make the DYS cut. Somewhere online is a chart that shows which EXPLORE scores are gifted. A gifted kid might need something different in school, even if she isn't PG.

Based on my own experience, it would have been hard for me not to test once I got bitten by curiosity. And I am incredibly glad that I did.

She was across the board about one to two points below the DYS threshold. By another chart I found online, that makes her gifted. I'm not surprised that she's that, it's just a question of whether she's PG or not. For what it's worth, she tested in the top half of the Duke Talent Search kids--around 65th to 80th percentile for that group.

Hi, LucyP,

Does your school have a gifted program? Would they be willing to test her? If you're looking to understand her and can afford it, I think it's great tool. Though I have read recently that as the kids get older the talent search above-level testing is a more accurate assessment of their abilities. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that. I found the gifted identification scores for 5th grade Explore:

English: 16
Reading: 15
Math: 15
Science: 17
Composite: 16

Yes, she's well above that gifted threshold. Here are her scores:

English: 20
Reading: 18
Math: 17
Science: 19
Composite: 19

DYS threshold is:

English: 22
Reading: 21
Math: 18
Science: 20
Composite: 20

So she's close across the board (except in Reading, which surprises me thoroughly) but doesn't make their standards on any level.

We're in private schools, so no real gifted program, and we'll have to pay for any further testing. She's moving to a new school next year. We've been unhappy with the level of academic challenge at the current school for the past two years, but because she was such an introvert, we felt it was worth it to leave her in a small, nurturing environment for social reasons. I'm hoping but not confident that the new school will be more challenging for her.

Her scores are very good! FWIW, after our ds took the Explore Test, we brought the scores to our school (which does have a gifted program, albeit pull-out) and they took the scores very seriously and tested him further. You could wait and see what the new school is willing to do or you could pay to have her tested privately. I would check though to make sure the new school would take outside testing into consideration.

She has good scores especially if you feel she has been under challenged the last few years. It is an achievement test which does depend on ability to learn but exposure weights heavily on how a child will do. Davidson Criteria is quite high and well beyond gifted identification in most gifted programs.

The only state I have seen listing Explore for gifted identification is Ohio.

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templ...tionID=961&ContentID=1821&Content=111274

Not all schools will consider outside testing or are familiar with Explore. I would consider talking with the new school more and trying to fish around for what they look for or are familiar with? Does the new school have either GT program or ability placement going on? Is your DD happy with status quo? Is the new school private or public?
Our public school listed a basic outline of GT Id and programs in the by laws of the BOE.

The new school is also private. I have a friend with a kid in the local public school's gifted program, and she thinks her kid is less gifted than mine and is not being adequately challenged, so I'm not too enthusiastic about looking into that. It's not a good school district.

The new school does seem to have some sense of what to do with gifted kids. The old school accelerated her a year in math, and the new school was prepared to continue that. It was surprising to me how few of the private schools in our area seemed willing to even let her continue in accelerated math; most of them had a "we are capable of challenging all students in our regular classes" attitude.

Nothing has ever been hard for her, and I'm worried about that--worried that she has never learned to work past a real challenge. On the other hand, she does complain when she finds a topic too easy, and comes home saying that she is bored.

Oh Yuck to weak GT programs in public schools. I am convinced some of those programs are in place to appease parents and look good. We are in public and GT program in later elementary is wonder. My DD6 is in GT Math and it is a joke.

I am leery anytime a school tells me the can adequately accommodate my kids in a regular room. It depends on what the means. Do they group the classes by ability or just attempt to differentiate in the class. I am not a fan of the idea you can easily differentiate in the classroom. So really amazing teachers can do a good job, but in all reality most will struggle to adequately do it for the GT kids. Ask the school specifically how they accomplish the task. They are willing to keep the Math in place for her maybe they are willing to do more.

Given it is a private school, I am not sure they will do testing for you or that you would want them to do it. I doubt they do a lot of it and I would be concerned about an inexperienced tester with an introverted young girl. Consider looking for a GT experienced tester. I allowed our school to test my DD, but I asked the psych to spend a considerable amount of time with her first. She gets very anxious with new people and needs to establish a comfort level with a tester. The tester was very experienced working both at the school and in private practice. Ask them if they will take a look at outside testing. ACT has benchmark guidelines you could share with them. Your DD is at or above the benchmarks for an 8th grader on track for college success. They must be familiar with ACT even if not explore. It's a continuum from one test to the next.

http://www.act.org/solutions/college-career-readiness/college-readiness-benchmarks/

I guess the question is whether I should get her tested before we start the new school, or wait and see how things are going. Again, I'm worried that she has been getting used to the idea that everything should come easily to her.