AboutCarol Bainbridge Expertise I can answer most questions on parenting gifted children, from infants on. Questions can be about parenting, advocacy, and support and I can provide suggestions for toys and books gifted children love. I can even help you determine whether your child is gifted or bright, and I can point you to more information you might need. I can answer some questions about programs for gifted children, but can`t help much with information on colleges. Visitors wanting to know if their children are gifted might want to read the article "Is My Child Gifted?" before asking a question.
Experience I am the parent of a gifted child and have been working with other parents of gifted children for 13 years, helping them find support and providing them with information. I founded a local gifted organization and helped organize a parent day for a national gifted conference. I have been an active member of my state's gifted association since 1999 and created and maintain their Web site. In addition, I have created a website for parents of gifted children who are looking for toys and books for their children: www.giftsforlearning.com.
I am also the Guide About.com Gifted Children Site.
Organizations National Association for Gifted Children. Board member of state gifted association.
Question Hi Carol,
My daughter is in Kindergarten. She was given the CogAt at school as a part of the admission process for their gifted program. I wasn't given a composite score but her subtest scores were 150, 150 and 145. It is my understanding that the test ceiling is 150. She has had no other formal IQ or achievement type tests and I am wondering if it can be assumed that her IQ is at least 150 based solely on the CogAt or would it be wise to have further testing done (possibly the WISC). She is currently testing at about 6th grade level in reading (as per the school independent grade level testing)and we are looking into subject acceleration for her for 1st grade so I feel it is important to get an accurate picture of her abilities before pushing for acceleration. Should I consider the CogAt accurate enough or would you recommend we test further?
Thank yu,
Jamie
Answer Hi Jamie,
No, you can't assume that your daughter's IQ is at least 150. The CogAt is not actually an IQ test, for one thing. It is a test to determine if a child has the abilities that will enable him or her to be successful in school. The scores look like IQ test scores, but they aren't. The CogAt was not developed to measure intelligence.
If you are looking for testing to get an accurate picture of her abilities for school use, the CogAt scores should be enough, particularly since the CogAt is the test chosen by the school to assess children's abilities. Further testing would be expensive and possibly not even accepted by the school.
Instead, you might want to go to the nation deceived Web site (http://nationdeceived.org) and order or download a copy of the research on acceleration for gifted children. It's free and has plenty of research to support the various kinds of acceleration for gifted kids, including subject acceleration.
