Learning quickly vs "gifted?"

[truebluexf]

DD just took the ADAM-7 math assessment, and based on her results, I don't see her being some magical gifted genius at math...just a quick learner. She scored pretty much exactly where she should score based on the level of work she is doing (she is almost halfway through MM 4A, finishing 3rd grade, 8.5yo) I was all thinking we should delve into all these things...but now I think she may just catch on quickly? Doesn't that make a difference in teaching? There were a few things she tested highly in, a couple concepts, but if she hadn't been formally taught much (like measurement, bc we skipped the second half of third grade math) she didn't just figure it out.

[Crimson Wife]

My oldest is like that. She is accelerated in math, but not intuitively "mathy". She always scores significantly better on math achievement tests than she does on math aptitude tests or math contests. That's okay, because she doesn't have any particular interest in going into a STEM field. I credit Singapore Math for the fact that she does better on math achievement tests than would be expected given her math aptitude. She should hopefully have the math grades and SAT scores to make her a competitive candidate for a good college, even if she probably wouldn't make the cut at an engineering school like MIT or CalTech.

[truebluexf]

I was all worried about getting her into AoPS next, now I'm not sure LOL.

[EKS]

I briefly looked at how the ADAM reports results, and I'm pretty sure that it's reporting things differently from the way a test like the ITBS would. So, if your daughter scored at something like the 4th grade, 3rd month on the ADAM, it means that she has likely *mastered* material at that level. This is *not* the same as a grade equivalent score from a test like the ITBS. Getting a GE of 4.3 on the ITBS means that the student scored at the 50th percentile as compared to students in the 4th grade, 3rd month, and decidedly does *not* mean she has mastered material at that level. A GE of 4.3 on the ITBS in math indicates mastery at approximately the 2nd grade level and *mastery* of 4th grade 3rd month material will likely give a GE on the ITBS somewhere at the end of 7th grade level.

[truebluexf]

Right. It also tells you what topic exactly to start next on, and links it with Khan, which is cool. He has mastered operations up to 4.7, but measurement and something else were 2 something and 3.3 (and those were the topics we jumped over by skipping the majority of 3B.) I think algebraic concepts were about 4.3. But considering she is about 1/3 done with MM4, that sounds about right doesn't it? She definitely bathe on super quick but word problems are tougher for her.

[truebluexf]

Honestly I could give her a quick primer about a type of problem before the test and she could

Internalize and apply it immediately.

[Punks in Ontario]

I have at least a couple of kids that I would consider quick learners and hence, advanced, but not truly gifted. I have them work at their own pace. Neither of the olders have shown the least interest in AoPs material. I'm kind of hoping ds10 will.

[truebluexf]

Serious autocorrect issues above, sorry. Will edit when I'm on an actual computer lol.

[briansmama]

I remember reading that a major difference between advanced kids and gifted kids was that gifted kids only need 2-3 repetitions before mastering a new concept while advanced kids need 6 or so repetitions.

 

So, in my mind, if she can master a new concept immediately after 1-2 repetitions, that could be a sign she's gifted.

[truebluexf]

Huh. Well that's interesting! Fits her to a T.

[Pansen]

I'm trying to figure out where my 7 year old stands. He tested into beginning 3rd grade math, and he's finishing 1st grade. We don't homeschool very rigorously, and he only has to be shown once or twice before grasps the concept. I'm going to look up ADAM, because I have no idea what that is! I don't know if he is gifted or just a quick learner, but sometimes, aren't those one in the same?

[Dana]

You can look at the talent searches for more info as well. When my son took the Explore, it was pretty eye opening for us.

[truebluexf]

We fall under Johns Hopkins...the EXPLORE isn't offered anywhere here.

[truebluexf]

Ok they do the SCAT. Do you enroll based on the grade they are *supposed* to be in? Bc by birthday she should be finishing 2nd.

[Dana]

We're served by Duke but ds has participated in CTY and Numats.

I've always tested based on how I have him registered (we need to declare a grade in our state).

If you don't, then I'd test based on grade level cutoffs used at the local schools.

 

I got more info from the Explore than the SCAT.

Explore locations start getting posted around July/August, but some states don't have it at all.

[truebluexf]

Ok, so why would I want to test her? I doubt I'll be paying for the gifted classes anytime soon. :p Can I sign her up for the test without paying all the money for the talent search?

[Dana]

I don't know about doing the test without the talent search...hopefully some others can help with that.

As to why test...test if you want a question answered. Here, if your question is whether your daughter is gifted or if she's a fast learner, that's why you might want to test. I've gotten some of the most useful testing info through Numats with the comparison between other students at the same grade level.

[truebluexf]

Huh. After looking at Duke's program, she already qualifies based on her CAT scores last year!

[truebluexf]

Do you have to live on their area to do their program? I'm close enough to the NC border to probably find an EXPLORE test later.

[Crimson Wife]

Do you have to live on their area to do their program? I'm close enough to the NC border to probably find an EXPLORE test later.

 

My understanding is Duke TIP does have geographical restrictions but I could be wrong about that. Carnegie Mellon C-MITES does not have a geographical restriction so that is what my DD went through to take the EXPLORE. Someone on this forum mentioned that Northwestern NUMATS does not have one either.

 

Belin-Blank can arrange individual administration of the EXPLORE, but you would need to get a certified teacher to proctor it.

[truebluexf]

Argh, you are right. My state is not on their drop-down menu (VA.)

 

Carnegie Mellon doesn't seem to offer a whole lot unless you go there for a residential program, but I guess it would get the test done? It's ironic that I'm probably closer to Duke than either Johns-Hopkins or CM, lol.

[truebluexf]

I think my lazy DS is qualified too. I'm going to make him actually not rush through the CAT this year...

[kohlby]

I don't know anything about the ADAM, but I do know it's possible to be gifted and not score gifted on standardized tests. Learning quickly can be a sign of being gifted. My middle child is a magical sponge. She's always been this way. My oldest struggled with memorization unless there was meaning. He can learn some things quickly but not all. He was the kid who couldn't count to 20 outloud at 4. Yet he taught himself how to add decimals with carrying on an abacus that year. He finally learned the days of the week last year, while he was doing AoPS Intro to Alg - and still doesn't know the months of the year in order - he's finishing up 4th grade and just turned 10, so behind on that! He can look at a problem from many different angles. He's a figure-outer while my daughter is more of a parrot. Both are gifted, but not in the same exact way. My oldest is doing AoPS and it's a great fit for him. My daughter will likely not do AoPS. She's extremely trainable but gets too stressed to look at problems from different angles. It doesn't mean she's not gifted just because AoPS won't be a good fit for my daughter likely. It just means she has a different learning style. She'll likely continue with Life of Fred instead.

 

*My oldest did 6th grade SCAT in 4th grade. And though his very easy qualification in math was not a surprise at all, I was surprised that he qualified in the reading portion too. My daughter hasn't had any testing done. I'll wait until 3rd grade as a minumum, maybe later. She has some anxiety issues at times and is a perfectionist so a test could be more stress than it's worth. (Meanwhile, my oldest zipped through making several careless errors and actually enjoyed the testing experience. He took less than 10 minutes for each section and told me he even checked his work. He still qualified, but it does make me wonder exactly where he is. My daughter on the other hand, rarely makes a single error on anything).

[JumpyTheFrog]

What grades are these talent search tests for? Tigger is 7 and doesn't have the maturity to do a test without me prodding him yet. He gives up way too early and would probably get results far below his actual ability. Did anyone here choose to wait a few years because of maturity issues like this?

[Dana]

CTY starts in 2nd grade.

NUMATS in 3rd.

Duke TiP in 4th.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Argh, you are right. My state is not on their drop-down menu (VA.)

 

Carnegie Mellon doesn't seem to offer a whole lot unless you go there for a residential program, but I guess it would get the test done? It's ironic that I'm probably closer to Duke than either Johns-Hopkins or CM, lol.

 

Once you have the EXPLORE scores, you can use those to apply for distance learning courses through any of the talent searches. The various talent searches do give priority in enrollment to their own students but from what I can tell, most courses have space available for students who are participants in other talent searches. So you could test through C-MITES but still apply for courses through TIP. Not sure how it works with the in-person classes/camps because we've never had the budget for those.

 

Be forewarned that CTY will not accept EXPLORE scores for students who have taken the SCAT but did not qualify for a particular domain (e.g. if the student didn't score well enough on the math/verbal portion of the SCAT, it won't matter what he/she scored on the math/reading portion of the EXPLORE). They'll tell you to have your student re-take the SCAT.

[Crimson Wife]

What grades are these talent search tests for? Tigger is 7 and doesn't have the maturity to do a test without me prodding him yet. He gives up way too early and would probably get results far below his actual ability. Did anyone here choose to wait a few years because of maturity issues like this?

 

My DS is like this, and I probably will have him take the EXPLORE no earlier than 4th even though he is actually farther along in the Singapore Math curriculum than his big sister was at the same age. She had no problem taking it as a young-for-grade 3rd grader (she's got an October birthday). Unless DS makes huge progress in the next 18 months, I can't see him doing as well on it as he could based on his grasp of the underlying material.

[crazyforlatin]

DD just took the ADAM-7 math assessment, and based on her results, I don't see her being some magical gifted genius at math...just a quick learner. She scored pretty much exactly where she should score based on the level of work she is doing (she is almost halfway through MM 4A, finishing 3rd grade, 8.5yo) I was all thinking we should delve into all these things...but now I think she may just catch on quickly? Doesn't that make a difference in teaching? There were a few things she tested highly in, a couple concepts, but if she hadn't been formally taught much (like measurement, bc we skipped the second half of third grade math) she didn't just figure it out.

 

Is this the site to purchase one assessment for $20?

 

https://www.letsgolearn.com/shop/store/product/adam-k-7-adaptive-diagnostic-assessment-of-mathematics/

 

 

[FairProspects]

What grades are these talent search tests for? Tigger is 7 and doesn't have the maturity to do a test without me prodding him yet. He gives up way too early and would probably get results far below his actual ability. Did anyone here choose to wait a few years because of maturity issues like this?

 

We're going to wait for the Spatial Battery in 5th for the same maturity reasons. Frustration and 2E issues do not mix well with standardized testing.

[taffnus]

I was reading this thread and wanted to throw out some info I just received. We live in SE Va and are served by CTY but Duke is so much closer. I contacted them today and they said that they have participants in nearly all 50 states. She encouragd me to enroll. They have a spot on the online form that tells you the code to use for homeschoolers. Hope that helps!

[kwg]

I was reading this thread and wanted to throw out some info I just received. We live in SE Va and are served by CTY but Duke is so much closer. I contacted them today and they said that they have participants in nearly all 50 states. She encouragd me to enroll. They have a spot on the online form that tells you the code to use for homeschoolers. Hope that helps!

 

 

That is interesting.

 

 

Where would your child take the Explore test? Is it offered in Va?

[taffnus]

 

That is interesting.

 

 

Where would your child take the Explore test? Is it offered in Va?

 

I'd imagine it is not offered here. My parents are an hour from Duke so we could go there relatively easily if we choose to do the test. I know that the SCAT is offered locally so that would be convenient as far as entrance to the CTY program.

[taffnus]

The reason I was looking into this, honestly, is that I've just discovered this as an option and we can't make the June 30th cutoff date for the SCAT. My dd would have to qualify for this new grade year if she were to test in July. I figure I'd rather giver her the year before attempting it. I then started looking into TIP because they accept Stanford, which is the test we used this year.

 

One thing I don't know is if there is a restriction on the number of programs we can participate in. It looks like CTY offers more than TIP so I'd consider going for CTY when dd finishes 6th grade. I don't see us doing lots of classes or even camp now anyway. It's more of an exploratory step for us.

[Dana]

My son is in TiP, Numats, and CTY. No issues with being in all. I don't recall having to provide proof of qualification scores to sign up and take the Explore or SCAT.

[taffnus]

My son is in TiP, Numats, and CTY. No issues with being in all. I don't recall having to provide proof of qualification scores to sign up and take the Explore or SCAT.

 

 

Thank you! That's all I needed to know. I've enrolled dd in TiP and will consider CTY in the future. What a road!!

[truebluexf]

Thanks for the info! We could enroll in Duke then, and take the explore when/if we choose. After doing the CAT again this year, I just can't put her through a test again right now. She freaks out. She can't handle that she doesn't know all the answers, and she works slowly so can't always finish. I think I'd like to gt her enrolled so the opportunities are there when she is ready, though.