testing where they are

[lisamarie]

I want to have my DS tested this year to see just where he is academically and to make sure he doesn't have any major gaps due to teacher error.:D I know that he is gifted, but have no clue if it's just moderately or more than that and I really want to find out. What would be the best way to go about doing that? Have him take the SAT? Some other test? He is age wise a 2nd grader.

[Farmgirl70]

With all respect, why do you want to see where he is? I have always felt that ahead or behind, we just take the next step and try to give them the best education for them. Kids at this age are so diverse in their development. Some who are "behind" may catch up and some who are ahead may not be so far ahead in a few years. Either way, I always figured my course of action would be the same. It seems that testing would be more useful in a group setting where you could not see so intimately what each child has mastered or not.

[justasque]

Testing to see if your ds is gifted is different than testing to see where he is academic achievement-wise. One is about achievement, the other is, for lack of a better word, about aptitude. They are different kinds of tests.

 

There are quite a few tests available to the homeschool market via mail-order, some of each kind. Honestly, the achievement ones are pretty much multiple-choice worksheets, and probably won't tell you much you don't already know. I have a page listing several at my web site - see the testing page - and some of the same test providers also offer IQ/aptitude tests. My list is specific to the tests required in PA, but it should give you a starting point.

 

The SAT taken by college-bound kids is not appropriate for a second-grader for many reasons, but there are tests that would work. (There is another test also called SAT - not sure which one you mean.) You might want to check out the JHU-CTY program or its equivalent for your area; they use various tests to screen for giftedness at various ages.