Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Testing siblings?

Now that we've tested our son, we're debating whether we should test our two younger ones, too. Knowing his giftedness has helped us a great deal in understanding him better and advocating for him. We wish that we had known sooner, so that we could've helped him (and ourselves!) better.

I've heard about "testing one, testing all", and also about how siblings might have scores that are within certain points from each other. Now, we suspect our youngest one is probably gifted, too, but she's only 5.3. So we'll probably wait until she turns 6. We're not sure about the second one. She's a bright and very creative girl. But so far, her teacher seems to challenge her at appropriate level. She's a very happy first grader in K/1 combo class, and her teacher lets a group of 1st graders work on 2nd / 3rd grade math.

My questions are these:
1. Aside from curiosity (us, the parents being curious, that is), why else should we do "test one, test all?" At this point, we don't think we need further accommodation. Of course things might change next year when she moves up to 2/3 grade combo class.

2. Is there a better time to test with WISC-IV? Our daughter will turn 7 in May. Does it make any difference to have the test done when she's 6, 7 or 8?

Thanks in advance!

I have the same question too . My son took Cogat and was qualified last year , this year he took SCAT and was qualified . I am thinking should my daughter (6) take the test .

Which test does your son take?

It sounds like a great group of kids and that the teacher is being very helpful. A great teacher can make a great year, but I would go ahead with testing due to you can't control what next year or the year after will be like. I would test as soon as WISC IV is availible because she is happy now, and things like depression and anxiety or 'blending in' pressure all depress scores.

I applied to YSP while my son was having the best year he ever had in elementray with a great teacher who told us that 'he was a bit odd, but no big deal' - I applied anyway, and am so glad I did because that year turned out to be a wonderful respite from a elementary school experience that ranged from lackluster to damagaging.

Test while they are well and cooperative - as they get older they get wiser and that can work against you. By age 7 when my son took him I got the 'well I think these scores are an underestimate due to depression and anxiety' - AT AGE 7! Can I have a 'do over' ticket to my parenting life?

Gah!
The present is so much better, it's hard to imagine that the past is really real. But it is.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

I would say that with the CogAT you might confuse yourself more than help yourself, as it's not really a good test for gifted kids. If you can't get an individual IQ test (WISC IV or SB V) then maybe not to rush into it. Do you school use it to help determine who gets into the gifted program at a particular grade level?

I do like the SCAT through the talent search as an 'out of level' test.

Try Hoagiesgifted.org for more info on specific tests and what they mean.

Love and more love,
Grinity

Our school uses Cogat and MAP tests to determine eligibility for the GT program . They actually call it Acadamically Independent Program here in New Jersey .

Are the WISC IV and SB V tests like SCAT (I mean the questions)?

www.hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm
and
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm

These tests take several hours to complete, are given one to one with a tester, and have more 'parts' than just Math and Verbal.
Hope that helps,
Grinity

Thanks, Grinity. You always give great advice

We didn't have the "dumbing down to blend in" issue with our oldest. He was bored out of his mind, though.

Anxiety and depression at 7? That doesn't sound like a problem anyone should have at 7!

She's definitely well and cooperative now, except when she's fighting with her sister

Honestly, we didn't think she would be in the same level as her brother. She's definitely more artistic and creative. We read the previous thread "Gifted Siblings", and decided to have her tested. It's better to know now, and hopefully we won't get as dumbfounded when dealing with issues later

It is very common among gifted kids who are in the wrong placement.

My son was anxious and clinically depressed by age 5 due to a very poor educational fit in Kindergarten (which had already constituted a full grade skip, as he started at age 4.) It took us a while to recognize just what was going on. We initially thought that he was just "growing up" and becoming "more mature" and less silly and talkative, naturally "settling down" with age. His school encouraged this interpretation. It gradually became clear that he was really seriously depressed, and was not spontaneously smiling or talking to us at all any more. Evaluation done mid-way through the year revealed a 2e profile that was the recipe for a perfect storm of frustration in a classroom, particularly a K classroom. We decided to homeschool. Within two weeks of letting him know that he could learn at home with us and would never have to go back to school if he didn't want to, he was back to the laughing chatterbox who had gone off to school the previous fall, and he happily resumed reading Tolkien to himself instead of suffering through "The Bob Books" in class.

I took a "test one test all" approach but mainly as I have twins and you tend to do that sort of thing with same age siblings. We were expecting one to test gifted and one "just bright" and we were both very convinced we were right--> turns out they both had matching WISCIV scores and both highly gifted but with differing personalities (which is where the confusion came in, one has a "can't be bothered" personality, the other "tries and tries until gets 100%" type approach). We tested at age 6.

And that's the best reason to test of all. If you are right, no harm done. If you are wrong - can you imagine what she'll be telling the therapist if you hadn't???

Anyway - I think there is a good enough chance that you are wrong that if there were a betting pool on this one, I'd put in 20$ ((Humor Alert))

Wink
Grinity