Sorry for all the questions, but I've had SCAT on the brain lately (I know of bunch of kids who just took the test).

Does anyone know the range of scaled scores, and in particular, what is the maximum scaled score that you can receive?

Thanks.

I can see that logic is not going to get me anywhere!

What I'm trying to do is to use the SCAT scores as a proxy for other achievement tests so that I know whether to encourage friends to pursue further testing in the hopes of getting into DYS. Perhpaps that's asking too much from a 44 minute test!

Do SCAT scores tend to correlate reasonably well with SAT or WJ-III or WIAT? Or is it too limited a test for that?

Forgive my continued musings on this, but I find testing quite interesting, although from everything I've seen it seems a terribly inexact science.

I wonder how much above level the SCAT really is. At least from the sample tests (and from guaging the results that I know of), the questions do not seem that advanced compared to the typical curriculum in a good school district or private school. (And it's not as if I think the typical curriculum is particularly good.)

I'm thinking that the EXPLORE may be a more useful test for mid- and upper-elementary grades.

The SCAT is useful for qualifying for CTY programs and i believe that's its intent. I don't think it tells you much. Some kids do well, others don't do as well, regardless of how they may do on the WISC/WIAT or some other combination of tests.

This first time post. My son got V.433, Q. 463. He is in grade 2. From above post, 477 is the highest score. Anyone knows about the grade 2, state 1st/2nd place scores for Q?
thanks.

I'm not sure that you could really predict that as the top place scores will vary by state and by year, and won't be known until the testing season is over.

But perhaps someone knows if they tell kids in advance if they are getting a special award, or if they have to show up to find out?

I don't think the sample tests are a good representative sample of what's on the test according to my son. He had fun taking ALL the sample tests at all levels and took the 2nd to 3rd grade test. These would be similar to perhaps the easiest questions. It's only to introduce the format, not to really challenge. He did well and did qualify for awards, but not mind blowingly so. He breezed through the samples though without any problem.

But I do agree, for older kids the Explore would be a more informative test. The SCAT scores mean very little as they are presented. It's nice to qualify for an award and know you are in those top percentages for cheap skates like us that haven't done full testing. We'll probably do the Explore next year.

I believe the state and national awards are a surprise from what I gleaned at the awards ceremony this fall. You can tell right away if your DC qualified for regular awards, although formal notice does not come for quite some time. And they have both fall and spring awards ceremonies now, so it doesn't matter when your child takes the test.

Just received SCAT results for DS8 (grade 4)
99% for quantitative 482

Poor DS is youngest and Mom didn't even realize he had strong math ability.

Wow Cym - amazing!

He was funny because he used up almost all of his math time and came out saying it was "really hard, but I figured it out"--I was a bit worried, but then I understood when I read it's a math reasoning test.

Awesome score, Cym!

Just for my data, what was the raw score for that?

40/50 believe it or not

Interesting! My DS got 41 out of 50 and he was at the 90th percentile, I believe.

Was he 4th grade? Was it this yr? I just received the report. Raw Score 40/50, Scaled Score 482, 99th percentile compared to Grade 6. Level IY2. I don't know any more than that.

He did score 12.9+ on Star Math but I won't have anything else to compare till he takes EXPLORE in January

Ooops - DS tested as a 3rd grader, so no comparison!

I really wish we would have signed up for Explore. This was our first experience with standardized testing and DS did better than I expected. He definitely knows his stuff, just tends to be a bit too fast and a bit sloppy yet. Ahhh ... next year.

P.S. DS 11 took SCAT in 3rd grade (he was 7), raw score 45/50, scaled score 460, 93rd % compared to 5th grade. Differerent test/form (eY1)

Is it too late to sign up for the February EXPLORE test date?

Excellent kcab!

Deleted post full of misinformation. Thanks Dottie!

Ah I get it. Thanks for the clarification! So it's only looking at the charts ie comparing DC to OTHER gifted kids which took the test the previous year, where DC lands might change from year to year depending on the cohort for that year. Now it's coming back to me lol.

The SCAT scores have been a surprise for us, too. My DS hates math, claims he's not good at it, but both years his math scores outshone his verbal scores. Last spring, he got award levels in both, but his math was up there. Go figure... I think we're done with the SCAT, although I like how easy it is to get it done. He heard about the STB at the awards ceremony though and asked if he could take that one. He actually WANTS to take that one. So we'll go for it when he's old enough.

Kcab, I've seen several people mention that the scores were "up on-line already." Our son took the SCAT this week... where "on-line" do we find the scores?

This is his first SCAT... so we do not have a CTY login yet -- it that what I am missing?

I got our CTY login in the mail previous to getting scores in the mail. I think it took about a week after taking the test to get the login info.

Thanks for the info.

I guess I'm waiting patiently for either the MyCTY login info or the scoring report -- whichever comes first.

btw, I think the top score on the math SCAT the year my DS took it and at his level was 50/50. Not sure about the verbal. Also, I'm glad this thread was started. I never bothered to really look at the info they sent with the scores (I just wanted him to qualify for courses) and all this time I thought the scores showed the percentile compared to national norms for typical kids two grades up, not percentile compared to other CTY talent search kids. Guess I never really thought about it. Although now that I know, I'm not sure it changes anything.

I thought so, too!

So, "xx percentile compared to Grade 5" means that the score was compared to the scores of 5th graders who participated in the CTY talent search in the past? Not the typical 5th graders?
I'm sorry, I'm still little confused..... My DS whose math score was 50/50 certainly didn't get his abilities from me!

I think it's compared to CTY third graders who all took the same 5th grade test. But what do I know, lol?

My understanding is that the percentiles DO compare the student to the norming sample of regular kids, two-years ahead of the student, and NOT to the talent search participants of the same grade. This raises the interesting question of when the test was last normed. I suspect that this may be part of the cause for the excessively high percentiles. At least in math, many subjects are now covered (at least superficially at an earlier grade level).

Also, while they don't have percentiles comparing the student to the other CTY talent search participants of the same grade level, you could sort of figure it out from the charts. This wouldn't be completely accurate, however, because the charts are for the CTY talent search participants from a PREVIOUS year. Still, it would give you a general idea of where they would fall.

And please, everyone, correct me if I'm wrong about this stuff.

Ah! I see! It makes sense now. Thanks.

It all confuses me. The only thing I do know is that my DS hates math and thinks he's no good at it, all evidence to the contrary. Sigh.

The bottom line, IMHO, is that the SCAT reporting seems to be confusing, if not misleading, and the percentiles that they give are probably of very limited value.

The main reason to take the test is to qualify for CTY offerings. Other than that, I suppose you could use them to mark progress from year to year, but with such a short test it's probably better to use the EXPLORE (or something else).

While waiting for my son to finish the SCAT, I met a mother whose 3rd grade son was also taking the SCAT, as well as another father there with his 4th grade daughter.

The boy is the same age as ours -- within days -- but because his school has a robust GT program, he's in a self-contained classroom with similarly bright 3rd graders. They are working, however, on 4th thru 6th grade material, based on individual student abilities. The girl attended the same school as this other boy, and like him, was the typical age for her grade, enrolled in a 4th grade GT classroom.

My son, in contrast, is in a regular 5th grade classroom (after a mid-year skip) because our district has no GT program to offer due to lack of funding.

The other boy registered with CTY as a 3rd grader, while my son (same age) had to register as a 4th grader (CTY looks at grade enrollment as of September).

Multiply this across the country and I don't see how the report can make any sense at all if they are comparing grade-level results.

Hocus-pocus, indeed.

Hopefully he will qualify for the summer program -- he looked through last year's course selection and saw a few items of interest.

I agree that there is a certain unfairness in testing by grade level, and it works to the disadvantage of kids who have been grade skipped.

However, while it seems unfair to those kids, it does make sense. It's the kids in the same grade level (and NOT the kids of the same age) whom they are going to be compared to when they apply to college. Unfortunately, that's one of the disadvantages of grade skipping. By doing so, you are acknowledging that from then on your child will compete with, and be compared to, the children in their new grade.

Excellent point, NJMom. I'd never before considered the
effect of skipping in terms of testing for college. That almost makes too much sense.

I'll try not worry about age v. grade comparisons any more. At least until the Explore!

Thx,

Dandy

Actually, I think it's fair to test at grade level, as it's an out of grade level test. If a child is two years accelerated taking the SCAT at the typical age appropriate grade, the SCAT won't be an out of level test. Right? Again, I see the SCAT just as a means to qualify for CTY programs (and I'm not at all sure why they even require it other than as a revenue generator). I see the whole system as a bit of a rip-off. For example, I understand having to pay the test center for another test a year later or whenever, but why does CTY charge another full registration fee for kids already in the system?

So I suppose I should quit worrying so much... he qualified for the summer program (our goal) and will receive a certificate (bonus).

The scores were posted this afternoon:
Grade 4 - Form IY1 - Norm 6S
Verbal | Raw:39 | SS:457 | PR:91
Quant. | Raw:37 | SS:474 | PR:95

FYI:
I called CTY/JHU this morning and received the myCTY login info over the phone... and was able to access the site to receive his scores. No waiting. That was a plus.

Congrats Dandy. Hope he enjoys CTY.

Do you have certain classes inmind yet?

What is a certificate?

Would you like to share why you choose CTY/JHU. My DS is probally going to do Northwesterns GLL this summer.

Nope. The course catalog just got posted at CTY, so we'll be looking through them with DS this week.


1.) Locations for Summer Program. They have residential programs at a couple of universities within driving distance. [We can put a man on the moon, but I can't convince my wife to let him fly unaccompanied. (Apparently thousands of children are lost by the airlines every year, but we never hear about it. Or something like that.)]

2.) Distance Learning. CTY has a more robust course offering than EPGY for K-6.
http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/courseskt4.html

Thanks, kcab. I had thought he did well b/c he was actually one year up in math by the time he took the test, so it wasn't that much of an out of level test for him. If the SCAT is accurate, I guess I should be more patient for the math interest to kick in ... And I guess in general where he messes up in math is with computation - sloppy errors, refusal to write things down, going too fast (to get it over with), etc. I guess I'll get a better picture of his math abilities as time goes on. I was rather surprised by his SCAT scores, as all I hear are complaints about how he hates math and how he's not gifted in math.

Our DS, now 12, has done both kinds of summer programs through CTY (day program at 9 and 10 and residential at 11), and loved them all. The residential program made a huge difference for him - aside from the social stuff, which was more apparent and important to him than at the day site, the experience this past summer also really increased his desire to be accelerated. Compared to other summer science programs he has done CTY is so far ahead, they don't even really compare. I hope your DS enjoys it! If you'd like info about the So Cal sites PM me ...

Was he the same age as the others in his grade? Assuming he gets accelerated in school (and that this means a grade skip) would he mind being the youngest -- by a year or more -- in the residential program?

Our son just completed his 2nd skip and is planning to attend a CTY residential this summer as a 5th grader... but in a 3rd grader's body.

My DS was not accelerated so was with similar-aged kids. I asked him his thoughts about sending a younger child that is accelerated and he is iffy about it and reports that he wouldn't have wanted to do it. Some of what we thought was valuable about the program could be lost on a younger kid. Not because of the content but because a large part of what is attractive about the residential program vs the day program is the pre-teen/teen aspect of it - they have dances and things like that, and the RAs are college students so it feels like an older environment. I don't recall seeing any obviously-younger kids when we visited, and DS was not aware of any either. The kids live in dorms with roommates and common areas, so perhaps if you could find a similar-aged kid they could keep them together.

For my DS it was a real growing experience - he seemed so independent when he got back (and that has really stuck with him). It's like having a mini-college experience, where they live in dorms with RAs, go to the dining hall to get meals (DS's favorite part of the program), do their own laundry, etc.

My DS was not super tall or mature at 9, so maybe it would be different for a kid who meshes better with kids a couple years older.

Hi Grif,
Which science CTY residential course did your DS take in SoCal? I also have a DD11, 5th grader interested in science, just got the SCAT results back, thinking of the residential program in CA - Stanford would be our first site choice (closer), but may consider SoCal depending on courses.... And when you say "so far ahead", are you speaking in terms of the rigor or content of the classes? thanks.