My child's school uses locally normed CoGat scores as the qualification for entrance into the gifted program. The requirement is 93% local scores. I have friends with children who made the program (1 or 2 years ago) with national age scores of 98%, the score my child received in both verbal and quantitative this year. This year, however, those national scores only translated to a local score of 90%. I imagine the school feels this year's test was "easier" locally and thus it is fair to exclude students who have the same scores as admitted students from years past? My initial reaction is that seems unfair, but I truly want to hear and consider other perspectives on this!

Also, am I correct in thinking the local norming is done by figuring how many local students score 99% nationally, and then, for example if it is 3%, those students all receive a 97% local score? If 6% score 98%, then their local percentile would be 91%? Is that correct? Any insight as to how the local percentile is calculated is appreciated!

Ouch. My guess is that they don't give much thought to the testing year or cohort at all- I would guess they have x spots in the program and fill the spots with the highest scores. Doesn't make sense, but I would not be surprised.

I have no idea how the local percentiles are calculated, except the personal anecdote of our daughter who had one subtest score of 96 which translated to a local percentile score of 85. I was (and still am) pretty surprised by that, especially because I don't see evidence of any kids outperforming her in the classroom, even (?especially) years later. This was, of course, a subtest which she didn't complete, so perhaps that explains some of it, but I wouldn't put much stock in these results. Unfortunately, schools don't seem to see it the same way.

Local Cogat percentile is for the children who took in their district only. The discrepancy of percentile between different schools (highly dependent on SE status or how affluent the neighborhood) is well known.

If the requirement is 93 percentile local score means that they will accept top 7 percent of local students to the program. Unfortunately, many parents (especially in NYC) are prepping their kids (thereby inflating their scores) and some well deserving students are/ will be left out in the program.

As Peter said, the local percentile is for kids in that district only. There are plenty of bright kids in our district, and many you would not suspect are really bright. Our district doesn't use the Cogat, but I have seen the national and our HS percentiles for the SAT. My eldest had a 97th percentile score nationally on the math section of the SAT, but it was only 83rd percentile for her HS. The average SAT three part score for her class would rank 80th percentile nationally.

Unfortunately, when you have a lot of bright kids, you need to make the cut somewhere. In my eldest's class, they were still letting kids into the gifted program through recommendations, outside testing, etc. in early elementary. Now I understand that most or all of those kids probably benefit from the gifted program, but almost 25 percent of the class was labeled gifted. The district now chooses the IQ test, administers it and requires a 130+ (no GAI allowed either).

I do understand that the local percentiles refer to kids in my district only. I guess it just surprised me the use of those norms would allow a certain score to get in one year, and the next, not. I was more accustomed to a specific cut off score being utilized. I do agree, a line certainly must be drawn somewhere. But NotSoGifted, to take your example if a child scored 130 and was admitted one year, then a child scoring 130 the next year ought to be admitted too is my thought.