Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Who's doing talent search testing this yr?

DD9 wants to repeat the Explore this year, she actually asked about it tonight. I haven't considered any other test this year, but maybe I'll look the links provided here for other options. I'll take any test that doesn't take 6-8 weeks for results. Especially if Dottie is not waiting with me this year, LOL!! Or are you?

Jen

From what I have read here, it seems like SCAT can be taken on its own , not necessarily through John Hopkins? Reason I asked is because DS8 may be taken the online distance course through them anytime soon. He took his WISC IV back when he was in grade one... so I would think that is over-due or can these still be used?
The sch's psychologist said that he would be handling all these but I would like to find out more too. If we could test without committing to payment first, it would be great since there are still uncertainties on school front.

Dottie - I'm filling out the registration form online. I didn't see a line item to put in WISCIV. I'm at the end. I chose parent nomination since he is not currently in school. Under the aptitude test details, it's just left blank with no scores. Does that sound right to you?

I went back and chose "other aptitude test" and in the blank next to it, I wrote "WISCIV."

AH I see. I thought Parent Nom was for HSers. I went back and unclicked it. I had thought that if I didn't choose Parent Nom, it would need school info to complete but that's not the case. I won't share the scores w/ the school until I see what they are lol.

So if I am not in the official JHU service area, I could take the SCAT at a local testing center through JHU? Looking at the sample SCAT questions, it would be a fun experience for DD. How is that test compared to Explore? Is it worth doing at 9?

Dottie, I'm not sure DD is ready for ACT/SAT. She thought Explore was fun and now wants to beat her last year's score. While I despise the wait, I know I'll have some good company to agonize with I'm not sure what grade to register her as this year, since she is by age a 4th grader, but takes 7th math and LAs. Science and Social studies are 5th grade. I wish they would just go by age instead of grade level.

Jen

Hi Mommy2myEm,

We are not in JHU CTY region either, but each of my kids has signed up for their talent search at one time or other. Then they took the SCAT through a local testing center (still 3 hrs away!). They all enjoyed the test, which really took less than an hour--with breaks.

ebeth,

The EXPLORE is used by both Duke TIP and Rocky Mt (our region), but there is not test center in my state. We drove to a neighboring state (3 hrs) that had a registered test center for my kids to take it. If your state doesn't have a test center, you might look for nearby states that do have it OR go to the school district or university and see if they would become a test center (I have had NO success with this, but have asked nonetheless). The really frustrating thing is that all the 8th & 9h graders in my town!!! take the EXPLORE, but the district is not registered as a test center so my talent search kids can't sign up through the district. The EXPLORE takes longer--about 2.5 hrs with a break and it's definitely harder--a mini ACT.

Hmmm...Maybe the SCAT is the way to go for us. I had been thinking about the Explore, but I haven't been convinced that DS7 was ready for an 8th grade test yet!

OTOH, I'd love to see how he does on a 6th grade test. A 4-year spread between his age and the test's intended age seems about right.

Hmmm...Now I have to go back and re-read this thread with that in mind!

Thanks, Dottie!

Hi Kriston,

My DS7 (after all this time I'm finally realizing our kids are the same age!) is not testing this year (as of now). He did the SCAT last year and loved it. This will be the first year he takes state tests in Spring (our state doesn't do them until 3rd grade). I'll probably have him do EXPLORE next year or maybe just upper level SCAT. His older brother took EXPLORE at age 9, and I was worried he was so young.

LOL! I didn't realize it either, Cym. Shall we just say we're deep but not fast! I like that better than the big DUH I'm feeling!

My problem with the SCAT is that we're not in JHU/CTY territory, so it may wind up being a bigger hassle than it's worth.

My other issue is that I'm supposed to do some sort of standardized testing for homeschooling to prove to the school system that I'm doing my job. (I could do a portfolio review, but that's a bigger hassle to me, frankly, so I choose the testing.) I'd love to do one above-level test that I could also submit to the school system that he's doing fine, but it has to be close enough to his level that I KNOW he'll pass it! So there's quite a tug-of-war there.

NUMATS--our Talent Search provider--only offers Explore, not SCAT, and if I went that route I would have to do in-grade testing, too. I'd rather not!

Or maybe like you, we'll skip this year, too, and test with Explore next year. It would certainly be easier!

How did you access the SCAT last year? Through a talent search?

Dottie: I'd sign him up as older and go for the 6th grade test. Since it's not through our Talent Search group, he's not eligible for any awards and such anyway. There's no risk there, I don't think. (Unless CTY reports their kids to NUMATS...)

Kriston,

We signed DS7 up for the JHU CTY talent search, even though we're out of region, using IQ scores (since we didn't have standardized test scores). They gave us an access code for taking the SCAT at a Prometric Testing Center. If you look up Prometric Centers, they offer lots of tests, which might be helpful to you as a homeschooler having to do "standardized testing" (Maybe they offer a good national achievement test like when I was a kids--we took California Achievement Test even though I was on the opposite coast). I wish wish that the one thing stupid NCLB would accomplish is a NATIONAL achievement test because if each state has a different test, what does it all mean?...small rant for today.