Filed under: tests | Tags: cogat test, HISD gifted talented, HISD vanguard program, houston vanguard test, OLSAT test
Well, New York City is not alone when it comes to scoring errors. Thousands of talented tots along with their parents have fallen victim to scoring errors on the gifted and talented test for entry in the Vanguard Program in Houston. HISD reports test errors on the gifted and talented exam were reported by the test publishers of the ITBS test (also known as the Iowa Test) which is quite surprising since this test has been around for decades. Although the ITBS test is only one of several factors for admissions into this competitive program there are other factors that include teacher recommendations, report cards and the CogAT test.
If you happen to live live in a suburb near Houston, there are different tests given throughout the Houston metro area. For example,
- Katy Independent School District uses the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT test).
- Spring Independent School District uses the Kingore Screener for Grades K – 3 and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT test) for grades 4 – 5.
- Pasadena Independent School district uses multiple measures of qualification during the admissions process including achievement test scores, the CogAT test, Raven’s Progressive Matrices and other IQ or ability tests that have been approved by the Gifted and Talented Instructional Specialist
IF you need practice questions for any of the tests mentioned above go to our friends at Testing Mom to start with 100 free questions.
Filed under: tests | Tags: common core test, ela test, new york ela test, new york math test
Well, it’s that time of year with the New York ELA test coming up in April! There are many types of questions on the ELA test according to Testing Mom. There is so much controversy surrounding these tests since it’s based upon the common core standards that are sweeping across the nation. According to a recent article from NY Mag we’re testing children on the wrong things. There’s so much information out there about the ELA and math test and much of it is not accurate. Theses tests are given to students in third grade through eighth grade. The twist on these tests compared to previous tests is they include open ended questions instead of multiple choice. In places like New York City, the results of the ELA and math tests in fourth grade impact the middle school admissions even though middle school starts in 6th grade. The overall results from last year’s ELA and math tests only 27% of the kids actually passed the test so that means that 63% of the kids aren’t even performing at grade level…at least according to these particular tests. There’s so much pressure on these kids starting at the age of 9 to perform well on these tests if they expect a chance to get into one of the top middle schools in the city. At this age, the kids can sense the pressure not only from their parents but also from their fellow classmates.
Filed under: tests | Tags: naglieri non-verbal abilities test, nnat test, nnat2 test
So, is the NNAT test going away? Rumors have been flying around all five boroughs asking this question about next year’s test for entry into the NYC gifted and talented program. When they introduced the NNAT2 test a few years ago the purpose was to make it harder to prep for the test although it seems that even more kids score in the 99th percentile on the NNAT2 test versus the OLSAT test. Pearson, the publisher of both the OLSAT test and NNAT test, screwed up the scoring a couple of years ago that left parents in a panic when they found out their talented tot didn’t make the cut (or so they initially thought). Luckily, thousands of parents were notified after their initial shock that there was a scoring error and their child was at least eligible for a seat into the G&T program. Although, there is no guarantee of getting a seat even with the highest score of the 99th percentile. The dept of ed has continuously tried to make it more difficult for the parent “preppers” but the parents always seem to find a way out how to prepare for these tests. After all, there is so much riding on the results of these tests that any parent with half a brain wouldn’t send their kids into these testing situations and leave it all up to chance. I know I wouldn’t. How about you?
Want to know the types of questions they ask these kids? Well, you can find out on Testing Mom along with tons of other questions for other tests out there.
NYC Gifted and Talented Program and Testing 