x/p Recommend a Test for DD please?

[frugalmama]

x-posted in Accelerated learners.

 

I want to get dd academically tested with something like a CAT test, but I'm unsure as to what test will work best for us and give me what I want to know.

 

I need a test that gives a rough grade level in subjects - English, Science, Math, Social Studies, etc, Identifies potential weak areas or missed areas, tests on materials above grade level if grade level shows a complete mastery, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

Can anyone recommend a test that does those things or most of those? I'm primarily using it to decide placement test dd in science and math prior to choosing new materials.

[angela in ohio]

To get something with *real* grade levels (not just grade equivalencies, which tell you little,) you need something other than the ITBS, Stanford, or CAT, which are the most common tests. Dh used the Woodcock-Johnson wiht our dc, but it will cost more than the typical tests to get someone to administer it.

 

It might be cheaper to just give the ITBS or Stanford at grade level, then based on that score, test out-of-level again if needed. It won't give you an exact level, though. If you just need help with math, you can use the placement test for whatever program you will use.

[frugalmama]

To get something with *real* grade levels (not just grade equivalencies, which tell you little,) you need something other than the ITBS, Stanford, or CAT, which are the most common tests. Dh used the Woodcock-Johnson wiht our dc, but it will cost more than the typical tests to get someone to administer it.

 

It might be cheaper to just give the ITBS or Stanford at grade level, then based on that score, test out-of-level again if needed. It won't give you an exact level, though. If you just need help with math, you can use the placement test for whatever program you will use.

 

That's my problem - our math program {MCP} doesn't do placement tests. :glare: And neither does our science program.

 

I may have to give her one of the common tests like you said, and then go on up to find her threshold.

[Dana]

That's my problem - our math program {MCP} doesn't do placement tests. :glare: And neither does our science program.

 

I may have to give her one of the common tests like you said, and then go on up to find her threshold.

 

The science tests on the CAT and ITBS really don't give you any info that's useful.

[catz]

Peabody K-12 Achievement is oral and much like the W-J with a lower ceiling (12th instead of post grad). We have a local tester who does both and she prefers the Peabody for kids who have not hit the ceiling yet (warning - my oldest was done with it as a 4th grader in a some areas).

 

I think if you do a test like this, you need to take the numbers with a grain of salt. But it is certainly more interesting than a grade level test.

 

The other thing we've done with my oldest is the EXPLORE, which is an 8th grade normed test through a Talent Search. This is actually more challenging than the Peabody or WJ which tends to ask pretty straight forward questions orally. And it requires time management, fill in the bubble test skills so it can be good prep for SAT or ACT later (which many GT kids start somewhere between 6th and 8th grade).

[Starr]

Science won't be accurate unless you've been teaching the same sequence as the test. And just because one tests high in a particular area it doesn't mean you should jump up a grade. Mostly I find testing, which we do, tells me what I already know but isn't all that helpful. We've used PASS and CAT tests.

[wapiti]

For math, I would look carefullly at the scope and sequence of the new curriculum, and compare that to the major skills your dd already has, to know where to place her within the curriculum. I think this is the best way in any event.

 

Even if an achievement test gives you a grade level, that would not apply to a particular curriculum.

 

Personally, I prefer NWEA's MAP test, though that's not necessarily easy for homeschoolers to come by (it's used by our school district both in schools and for homeschooler testing). It is possible to take the score and find the corresponding place within a list of major topics.

 

I don't think you need a placement test for science.

[frugalmama]

For math, I would look carefullly at the scope and sequence of the new curriculum, and compare that to the major skills your dd already has, to know where to place her within the curriculum. I think this is the best way in any event.

 

Even if an achievement test gives you a grade level, that would not apply to a particular curriculum.

 

Personally, I prefer NWEA's MAP test, though that's not necessarily easy for homeschoolers to come by (it's used by our school district both in schools and for homeschooler testing). It is possible to take the score and find the corresponding place within a list of major topics.

 

I don't think you need a placement test for science.

 

That's the trouble - we pretty much have unschooled with sporadic lessons on the PC this year, thanks to major upheaval - 2 deaths in the family, a foreclosure, plus major health problems and caring for my elderly mother who is blind. So I really am not sure where DD is at all, but I suspect she is higher in math and science than she is letting on. DD has suspected ASD and tends to hide her knowledge to not appear as smart as she is, so it's hard sometimes to figure out what she really knows and what she is just parroting back since she has an excellent memory. Add into that she is a science fiend and it is making it really hard to figure out what to use with her in the fall.

 

From looking at curriculum, I had to go to 5th grade science before it was anything she hadn't already been exposed to and shown at least a general knowledge of. I am hesitant to skip her to 5th grade science, even a toned down version, without something to back me up.

[wapiti]

That's the trouble - we pretty much have unschooled with sporadic lessons on the PC this year, thanks to major upheaval - 2 deaths in the family, a foreclosure, plus major health problems and caring for my elderly mother who is blind. So I really am not sure where DD is at all, but I suspect she is higher in math and science than she is letting on. DD has suspected ASD and tends to hide her knowledge to not appear as smart as she is, so it's hard sometimes to figure out what she really knows and what she is just parroting back since she has an excellent memory. Add into that she is a science fiend and it is making it really hard to figure out what to use with her in the fall.

 

From looking at curriculum, I had to go to 5th grade science before it was anything she hadn't already been exposed to and shown at least a general knowledge of. I am hesitant to skip her to 5th grade science, even a toned down version, without something to back me up.

 

 

Science is very different from math at the elementary level in that it's about content rather than skills that build upon themselves. I'm quite sure that most 5th grade science programs have no particular prerequisites. If that level would work for reading comprehension for your student, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. With a child of that young age, however, I'd probably prefer to do occasional science projects (to greater depth, using library books, etc.) rather than to use a regular curriculum.