Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Testing child with ADHD

Specifically, from CogAt's own interpretation website, under "E" profiles:

When students obtain an E profile, it is important to double-check the integrity of their scores. The section "For Additional Information" (below) directs teachers to parts of the CogAT Interpretive Guide for Teachers and Counselors that explain how to check (1) whether the students attempted most of the test items, (2) whether their score reports contain score warnings, and (3) whether the confidence intervals on their plot of scores (shown on the List of Student Scores and the Profile Narrative Report) are reaso[i]nable.[/i]

This would seem to give you a great starting place to discuss the validity of those scores. HTH!

I'm 99 percent sure that the test was written (not read aloud), they set a timer, and said ready, set, go, kind of like the SAT. The version she took was 6/A. Not sure if that makes a difference. The one that she took in kindergarten was read to her. So for math, for instance, it says that there were 60 items, she attempted 32, and got 30 correct. Percentile rank: 57 (not even close to the 98-99 she is getting on achievement testing for math). I'm also wondering if they even had norms for her age. I mean, how many just turned 7 year olds take the version 6/A. Most kids are probably 8-9. So did they just throw her into the closest possible group? It says for Ability Profile: 7E (V+Q-) and I looked this up on the cogat website and that's where it talked about twice exceptional. Her gap between verbal and quantitiave was 27 (standard age score). I bet the district isn't even aware of what these ability profiles mean or in what cases the test should not be considered valid. All they care about is testing kids as quickly/cheaply as possible and setting their rigid cutoffs for GATE or cluster grouping that they think no one can argue with.

Interesting - DD took version 6/2, along with the entire 2nd grade. She was also 7. Perhaps 6/A is where it turns into a written test? Sorry if I missed this, but did you ask about age-norming? The CogAt composite that is used along with other tests by our school to determine whether a child gets into the pool (and is then eligible for MORE testing to determine if eligible for G&T) was age-normed. DD is young for her grade and this was the first time I've seen something age-normed versus grade-normed. NWEA/MAP appears to be only grade-normed for us. Although DD's CogAt composite was identical, some of her subtest percentile scores are higher when age-normed versus grade-normed. If your DD's scores were age-normed, they would also likely be higher.

I think that an SAS of 139 is 99%. I believe 99% starts at 135. 135-150 is a huge range...so SAS scores give more precise information than mere percentiles.

For verbal, her age percentile was 97 and grade percentile was 95, so they must be figuring in her younger age, but it seems like there should be a bigger gap than 2 percentiles, if most kids in her grade are 1 year older. So that makes me suspicious that they just lumped her in with the closest group they could find (for instance 7 1/2 year olds rather than kids who just turned 7). I can't prove that though unless there is some kind of percentile chart to reference. Now there is a new version of the CogAt, the CogAt 7, and I am curious if our district is going to adopt that and how it is the same or different. DS is going to have to deal with the CogAT as well, if we stay in this district. I can't see allowing DD to take it again, unless they agree to just give her the verbal section.

Sounds like kids would have to score in the 99.5 percentile to qualify for GATE without having the achievement test scores.