Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment If testing, WHICH test?

With all the testing instruments out there, how do you decide (or do the parents get to choose?) which would be the best one for your child? Is there a best one?

And hitching another topic onto this: all you DYS folks out there, is going through testing to do the DYS program "worth" it?

DS9 took the SCAT today, and technically he's in 3rd grade. It was riduculously easy for him, and I wonder a little why we even went that route - what will it show, if he's doing 9th grade math at home? and reading at 12th grade level?

anyhoo... thanks for any response.

My thought is that which test you pursue is dependent on what the question is. What exactly do want from the testing? If you want to complete a DYS application then you need to follow the guidelines for using the tests they accept. Which IQ test you choose may depend on both the tester and your son's strengths. I'm not sure about whether the WISC or SB5 would be better but others might have opinions. I always check the section on testing at hoagies for more info!!

We tested first for the purpose of acceleration so out of level testing was important, perhaps even more important than the IQ testing. Especially because the IQ testing wasn't very accurate the first time! But the next time we tested we just went with the IQ test, to repeat when scores were more likely to be stable because we were having behavior issues and needed to know just what was going on.

So, basically I think that which test you have done depends on what answers you need!

thanks so much, Dottie and Debbie.

I didn't know there was an option for him to take the next grade level SCAT... I suppose I could have checked into that.

We are in the hinterlands of Washington state, and the only local school based assessment tools are the MAP and COGAT. So, further assessment means going to Seattle (150 miles) which just necessitates some planning.

We are actually considering moving to the Seattle metro area for reasons of work but also more opportunities for our kids, so in terms of what we're doing this for might be for that.

so, really, what does being a DYS mean in practical terms?

thanks again.

Your son and your family will have a family adviser, somebody who will help you with gt related issues. He/she can help you research the schools, find the right curriculum, talk to your son's teachers (if they are willing to do so), send information about gt to school. They can help you find gt camps and programs, talk to your child when needed. The list goes on and on.

You will have access to Davidson private mailing lists where gt issues are discussed. You and your DYS can attend web seminars. You can attend the official gathering open only to YS families. You may also attend local informal gatherings organized by parents.

One of the best things is to to be able to connect with local Davidson families which is priceless, at least for us. This is a public board and most of the people (including me) keeps their identity private. That makes meetings in real life pretty difficult. Here I could be talking to somebody living 10 minutes from us without ever finding out.

BTW you get to meet quite a few people from this board on the Davidson gathering. That itself is a good reason to join

Davidson also provides financial help if you need it.

The bottom line is you may need to pay for the testing and spend hours filling out the long application but once you are in you are set till your child is 18. All the services are free. Davidsons are very generous.

ah, thanks for the info!

I keep wondering if further assessment is really for *my* benefit - but right now he's really coasting and perhaps some objective analysis of his capabilities might be a spur for us.

*sigh*