Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Can CogAT Scores Change Significantly?

In my understanding, the CogAT is an ability test which in my mind would mean the scores should be somewhat stable. My DD11 was tested at age 8, again last spring at age 10 and recently at age 11. For example her Quantitative percentile score jumped from 65%/71% (age/grade percentile rank) to 99%/99% (age/percentile rank). Why would there be such a large change?

Was she in second grade when she took the test at age 8? From kinder to second the test is read aloud to the kids and the format of the questions is different (more picture based). It is also untimed, and kids have to wait after each question for everyone to finish to move onto the next. From third grade on, it is timed and is more word and number based, except for the nonverbal section. Kids read the test themselves and move at their own pace until they finish or run out of time. The link below shows that types of questions that are asked at the different grade levels.

http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/cogAT7/content.html

My kid took it in first, second and third grade and scores changed dramatically each time.

It could also be a difference in maturity/effort on the part of your child.

She was in second grade when she first took the test. Perhaps the format change is the reason. It is just frustrating to see this big difference in score as the score at age 8 is what kept her out of the gifted math class for the last 2 1/2 years.

In terms of maturity/effort -- She has always been a serious/mature child when it comes to school work (and in many other things). When it comes to school, she is a kid who gives it her all every time. I don't think that would have been a factor for her, but I suppose it could be.

Oh, that is frustrating! I have mixed feeling about the test - it's not worthless, but it isn't perfect either and it often makes such a big difference in educational opportunities for kids. Will she get to join the gifted math class now?

My son's quantitative scores have been the most consistent 86th (first grade) to 96th (second) to 98th (third). His verbal and non-verbal score both made huge jumps between 2nd and 3rd grade. The verbal doesn't surprise me as much because of the change from pictures to words - he never was very good at interpreting the picture based problems that he had on his language arts problems in second grade. I don't have any explanation for the non verbal jump though, that's the section I would have expected to stay the most similar.

Because of her great teacher this year and her making a case for her to be in the gifted math class, they moved her into it earlier this school year despite the CoGAT scores. (Yeah teacher!!) However she should have been in it all along, and if she had the scores in second grade she has now she would have been without a problem.