Does everybody test?

[beansprouts]

I have occasionally wondered whether there would be any advantage to testing my dd. Who tests, and who doesn't? What are the reasons for your choice? Are you pleased with your decision?

[Jenny in Florida]

We're not required to in our state, although it is an option for our annual reporting. Of course, rebels that we are, we test every couple of years but then don't use the results to satisfy our reporting requirement.

 

We chose to start testing just so we would have some "objective" measure of how our kids are doing, compared to the rest of the country. We also figured out that testing was the most efficient way to qualify them for the various academic talent searches, which we figured might look good on their records someday. My daughter also had a pretty serious case of test anxiety, and we decided the only way to combat it was to have her start practicing.

 

Along the way, though, testing has turned out to be helpful to us in more meaningful ways. For example, the very first time we tested our daughter, she blew the lid off pretty much every section of the PASS test, except the spelling test, which she bombed. Seeing the results in black and white made a big impression on her. We tested that year at what we estimated was her "functional" grade level, rather than her grade-by-age, and she was absolutely delighted to see that we weren't just deluded about her abilities and accomplishments. Then she saw the spelling results, and immediately vowed she was going to conquer that weakness. She did.

 

This past year, my son took the CogAT alongside the Iowa, and the results helped me to understand some things about his learning style that led to some changes in the way I planned his curriculum for this year. I might eventually have figured it out for myself, but, again, seeing it in black and white made it very clear to me.

 

There are other things, but those are the two examples that leap out at me right now.

 

And, yes, they both qualified for the talent search programs. So far, all it has meant for my son is a nice shot of self-confidence (since he goes around all the time assuming he's not all that bright because he insists on comparing himself to his sister). However, a record of good test results and talent search memberships and awards for high scores and so on was definitely a nice thing to be able to include on her application for the early college entrance program.

[Kissy]

We are required by our state to give a yearly test..we use IOWA. but if you are talking about iq testing I have not done that..it costs too much and in my area there is no way for me to get assistance. If he went to public school I would test through them but since we homeschool I just taylor his work to his needs.

[dawn of ns]

Nothing aside from the very occasional quiz that's included with a curriculum.

[JenParrish]

We are required in the state of NC starting at age 7. I started when my son was 5 just so he would be into a routine of testing each year. It is funny, I like to see how he does on the tests but I do not put much weight on them. We use the Woodcock Johnson test and my son scores well above average on them.

 

The main reason I do not put much stock in them is because I am not going to teach "to the test" or "how to test". I am not even teaching my kids what is taught in the public schools so why would I test them with the same test. It makes no sense to me.

 

I will test my daughter this year. She is doing Kindergarten. She would not be able to start school until next year if dong public school. I will test so I can "prove" she did school if we ever have to go into the system.

[beansprouts]

I should have been more specific. I was thinking of testing to identify giftedness. I would also be interested in hearing why familes might use voluntary standardized testing.

[pianoplayer]

We are not required to do standardized testing, but we do so at significant intervals in the kids' education. It's nice to know when a child moves from grammar stage to logic stage or logic stage to rhetoric that they don't have any significant gaps in knowledge!

 

Now, that being said, we often find that there is a disconnect between the knowledge being tested and what we have covered in class.

 

I haven't done a lot of testing for giftedness, since homeschooling by its nature allows me to teach to the child and keep bright students challenged.

[abbeyej]

For gifted stuff? No, not exactly...

 

I don't think it would help us particularly. I don't suspect any LDs in addition to giftedness. I know what's working for my kids, and I've never had any qualms about offering them more challenging work. And as of yet, I haven't needed any IQ-specific testing for programs I want available to them.

 

I *do* give ds the ITBS (a couple of grades above his age-grade) and this past year we gave CogAT. (Dd won't take these for another year.) ITBS and CogAT (even above grade level) have been plenty to qualify him for the Duke Talent Search, and he'll do the Explore test through them this year. Ds did hit the ceiling on math for ITBS/CoGAT, but I'm already working with him at his level of competence in math, providing lots of supplements and doing Math Olympiad.

 

I *am* glad for the insights that ITBS and CogAT have given. And the fairly in depth write-up from CogAT was certainly interesting to me.

 

But these tests are inexpensive and easy to administer. I'm not sure it's worth it to me to spend a great deal of money on something more that really isn't, I don't think, going to give me some great insight into my kids. ITBS can tell me if they're performing well across the board at the grade level where *I* think they are. Given annually or biennially, it tells me if my kids are making more than a year's progress each year in each subject. The scores are enough for most of the Talent Searches, etc...

 

If there were another program I really wanted to get one of them into, and it required individual IQ testing, I wouldn't be against it. If one of them were really struggling in some area and I couldn't get a handle on it, I would probably test.

 

But right now we're just boppin' along... ;)

[mcconnellboys]

I test when it's convenient for us to do so. I don't stress about it in years where we can't arrange it. It's not required in our state.

[Jen500]

I should have been more specific. I was thinking of testing to identify giftedness. I would also be interested in hearing why familes might use voluntary standardized testing.

 

I had my older boys tested when they were in ps. Their results qualified them for 'gifted services', which we aren't using at this time, but may in the future. A side benefit was that the testing really made my dh understand the need to educate ourselves on giftedness and everything that can go along with it.

[Sarah CB]

Basically, the IQ number can open doors so if there's a chance of using the IQ to open a door for your child then the IQ is valuable. I found that the IQ test and the WIAT were not valuable to me, as an educator. However, if you're wanting to test to identify specific areas of giftedness and you're wanting a more comprehensive evaluation that will give you specific help in how to really meet your learner's needs then I highly recommend the SOI test.

 

I posted more about this below and am pasting here:

 

I agree that testing doesn't help. We had the WISC and the WIAT and all we got was data - no help at all. However, those results may help you open door later. I just applied to a gifted program for homeschoolers and I think we may be able to access some funding to pay for a math tutor/mentor for dd. The test results have definitely helped us in that regard.

 

The one test that did actually offer strategies and resource recommendations was the Structures of Intellect test.

 

The biggest advantage with SOI is that it doesn’t just give you the test results and then leave you to figure out how to develop a program to address learning needs. SOI provides booklets with specific exercises in them to address each developmental process that the tests pinpoint. So, if the child had trouble with short term memory, that child would complete the memory modules that would strengthen his memory. SOI also includes in the test results a list of games, activities, and exercises that the child can do for fun and for further development. And it gives advice on how to further develop areas of strength.

 

It's much more comprehensive than an IQ test and it gives a lot more information as to how to move forward.

 

If you need a number, take an IQ test. If you need some support and ideas, take the SOI test. And, especially, if you suspect a hidden learning issue, take the SOI test.

[Harriet Vane]

At the elementary age, we test primarily to get my kids used to the format. I want them to be confident testers for the ACT and SAT someday.

 

I also test so that I have some "official" record of progress. It's not really an issue in my state, but if we ever moved to another state that requires more paperwork, testing would come in handy.

 

Some people test to prove to their in-laws or naysayers that the kids are fine. I don't test for this reason. I do not share my dd's scores with anyone, nor do I even say, "She did well." It's none of their business, for one thing, and for another thing, if there she ever tests poorly I do not want to give those naysayers fodder for urging us not to homeschool.

[Storm Bay]

We don't. My eldest had a bunch of testing when she was in PS K, but on one test she decided the whole thing was boring and goofed off. She aced the one with flexibility and flabbergasted the tester in several areas. But she's NOT pg.

 

I had one done when I was a child and the only benefit I might have reaped, other than a useless gifted pull out class (where we learned to write bibliographies at age 9--big deal). I could have used it to join Mensa, but was never really interested. Kids were not told their scores, and I don't even know if parents were told more than percentiles (it was done through the schools).

 

Since we're not going to be putting our dc into any programs requiring the results, we haven't done it. It's a large expense, my side of the family is not a problem since there's enough gifted to pg spread through my dad's and mom's sides of the family that they accept it. Dh sees no point--he's not impressed with high IQs so much as what kind of people dc become.

 

I think it can help if you're getting a lot of resistance, if you suspect hidden LDs, or want your dc to get into a program where the results are necessary.

[K&Rs Mom]

We don't. I did have K do an online "reading level" assessment last summer, just for my own curiousity, but didn't take it too seriously. We considered a few testing options, but concluded that the results wouldn't change anything so there's no reason to right now. Our state doesn't require anything either, so obviously that makes a difference. I find out by talking to people with outschooled kids about what their age-peers are doing, and some of our curricula are labeled with a grade-level, so I have some idea how far ahead they are in each area, and for now that's plenty. If it was required to enter a specific program, we'd do it at that time.

[Paintedlady]

We don't test. I know what my kids know. It would only serve to make me feel proud if they did well or defeated if they did poorly.

[Jenny in Florida]

I should have been more specific. I was thinking of testing to identify giftedness. I would also be interested in hearing why familes might use voluntary standardized testing.

 

We've never done IQ testing. We really wanted to when our daughter was younger, partly out of curiosity (as in, "Good grief! Is it possible she's as smart as we think she is?!?!?") and partly to create a record, just in case it might ever come in handy. Unfortunately, at that point we could not afford the kind of testing I was convinced would be necessary to be meaningful. And, by the time we had enough disposable income to consider the possibility, she had aged out of the optimum window for testing.

 

The good news is that, by that point, she was also capable of proving her ability by performance-based rather than potential-based tests. So, we had her do some "out of level" testing, which gave us a better idea of where she really stood and how much she could really do.

 

I would really have liked to do formal testing for my son, since he was always more of a puzzle to me when he was younger. However, in the hustle and bustle of the last couple of years, he's pretty much aged out of that optimum window, too. And, since I seem to have found my footing and come up with an educational approach that works for him--and knowing what I know now based on our daughter's experiences--the only reason to IQ test would be curiosity. Now, I'm honest enough to admit that I would LOVE to "know," but it's not something I care enough about to invest the funds necessary.

[GSMP]

Our state requires that we test and now offers the option of portfolio. I would still test even if it wasn't a requirement.

 

Simply because I would have something to gage what and where they were at.

 

I order the CAT through SEATON. There is no time limit on how far ahead you can order and it is only $25/child.

 

You will get your results back in almost the same week of mailing them off. I usually have them emailed to me while I wait for the hard copy.

[RJH]

We IQ tested DS in 1st grade to see just what we were dealing with. It was then that I took him out of PS and never looked back. Our state requires yearly testing, and we use the CAT. We needed the IQ score to qualify him for some of the gifted programs that he has participated in.

[Laura Corin]

I have occasionally wondered whether there would be any advantage to testing my dd. Who tests, and who doesn't? What are the reasons for your choice? Are you pleased with your decision?

 

He was in school and we wanted to get accommodations. He has LDs as well, and we wanted to get a full picture.

 

We haven't tested Hobbes: as we are now home educating, I don't think that we would be told anything by it that we don't already know.

 

I used to use the Texas standardised tests each year, but have decided they are not worth it. I did the UK standardised tests with the boys last year, but they are not yearly, so I won't use them again for about three years.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[PeterPan]

Abbey, what's the best place to order the CogAT?

[abbeyej]

Abbey, what's the best place to order the CogAT?

 

I've used BJU for both ITBS and CogAT, and been happy with them. I've handled testing for our local group home school group (completely optional) for the past two years, and even with some last minute changes / additions, BJU has been helpful. ... I know someone posted another source I hadn't heard of before on the Curriculum board the other day, and said they had had a good experience there too...

 

I gave some kids the ITBS + CogAT, and that was nice, because it included a (very) little information about how those matched up -- whether there were any areas where a child's achievement was particularly above or below what the CogAT results would indicate could be expected. The kids who took the CogAT alone didn't get that, but they did get the raw number results from the CogAT which was also interesting... Going to CogAT.com and entering their score profile was the most useful part though -- it gives a pretty detailed report on kids' based on the complete set of results...

[PeterPan]

Thanks Abbey! :)

[klmama]

I have occasionally wondered whether there would be any advantage to testing my dd. Who tests, and who doesn't? What are the reasons for your choice? Are you pleased with your decision?

 

We tested this year with ITBS and CogAT. It reinforced what I already knew, which was helpful, as I was going through some personal doubts. The most useful part, as Abbey said, was the online CogAT info when I plugged in the profile scores. Those were very insightful. They explained a few things I had seen in each of the dc but didn't know how to interpret. It was a lightbulb moment.