Do Test Scores Change With Age? "Ask Paula", January 2012

Happy early New Year! We're kicking of 2012 right with a brand-new installment of "Ask Paula", where CTD Director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Ph.D, answers your questions about gifted education. Q: When my child was in 1st grade, she was tested for participation in CTD and she qualified in all areas. She has enjoyed her many CTD experiences since then. She is now in 4th grade, and her CogAT scores were far lower than those considered in gifted range (she was in the 70th-80th percentile). I know last month you discussed the definition of gifted, and I’m wondering if giftedness changes over time. Also, should we continue taking advantage of the CTD opportunities, even if her school considers her to be far from gifted? -Shannan Y. A: Something to keep in mind is that children are not consistent test takers. Younger children are especially prone to fluctuations in their test scores as they are more easily affected by fatigue and environmental factors. There is some error in all test scores and statisticians assert that it is more accurate to view "true" test scores as lying somewhere within a given range of scores rather than a single point.High test scores are not a fluke; they indicate that a child has exceptional ability or knowledge, depending on what the test is measuring. Low test scores, especially when they were previously higher, may not be representative of a child's ability. With regards to testing, gifted specialists like to say there are no "false positives" (children who obtain high test scores and are not gifted) but there are "false negatives" (children who obtain low test scores but are gifted). If your child is thriving in her placement, I would not worry about one test score. I would look at other indications of her learning such as performance on achievement tests or school achievement or even those things she does at home (e.g. what she reads or projects she initiates). The CoGAT is a group test and the test that your child took in first grade through CTD was individually administered. Some testing specialists believe that group tests underestimate gifted children's ability. Also, as children develop, their abilities tend to differentiate, meaning that they tend to show relative strengths and weaknesses across different areas, e.g high mathematical reasoning ability and lower verbal reasoning ability or vice versa, and this means their abilities may not be apparent in global ability tests scores. So, tests that measure sub areas like mathematical reasoning and verbal reasoning (such as the EXPLORE, the ACT and SAT) are more helpful in terms of giving information that is useful for appropriate school placement. For now, I would recommend that you view the CoGAT score as one piece of the puzzle and gather more information as your child progresses though school. I would also recommend you continue to enrich your child through CTD or other outside of school programs and at home. Do you have a question for Paula? Post it here in the comments section, or on our Facebook page.