Davidson Institute and the Explore Test
When oldest was in First Grade, and we still hadn’t wisened up considered homeschooling, we started the application process for the Davidson Young Scholars Program. We felt we needed help advocating in the public school setting and Davidson would be the best, and it would be free. The people there were amazing, but they wanted further evaluation performed before they determined if she qualified for services. When we were told this, my grandfather had just passed away and we were so fed up with the school that we had made the decision to homeschool, and the idea of arranging more testing(and paying for it) was just daunting. I am sorry to admit that I was just done fighting the fight. We never did it.
Fast foward a few years, and our Homeschool program thru a public school district is offering one of the tests that Davidson accepts for free. While I didn’t really have time to prepare Emily, I figured “What does she have to lose?” Practice at fill in the bubble testing is not a bad thing, and since its free, if she happens to fall in the range Davidson wants….well, it would open up a lot of doors for her.
So today, I sent my kiddo to her program with 3 sharpened pencils, a calculator, and encouraging words to take the Explore Test. I”m curious to see how she’ll do–I don’t have an expectation of this fulfilling Davidson’s requirements, as I don’t think this kind of testing is the best indicator of potential, ability, or knowledge.
But if it does, there’s something I can check off my list, and there are some great services for her until she’s 18.
My younger dd is taking the EXPLORE through WATS this year as well and my oldest, 11 y/o, is giving a shot with the hs tests — ACT/SAT. Good luck to your girl! My oldest took the EXPLORE when she was 9 and I think that it was worthwhile even, if like you say, the results aren’t the be all end all of the child’s innate ability or aptitude. Dd came out crying and convinced that she had done horribly b/c she wasn’t used to having a test where she didn’t know all of the answers. None the less, she did quite well. I am finding that coming across hard stuff occassionally is a good thing for her regardless of how she does, though.
BTW, you do know that Davidson requires both IQ and achievement scores so you’ll have to spring for more testing should her EXPLORE scores meet their requirements?
We had the IQ test done while Oldest was in Kindergarten when we were applying to a gifted magnet school(it was a requirement for the application). The scores were extremely high, and because she hit the ceiling in many of the subtests(and scored the requisite 99.9% on those), her overall score was most likely lower than it should have been(missed out on their cutoff by .1%), which is the reason they requested additional testing. I think I blogged about it way back when in 2007, but I don’t remember completely.
Thanks for sharing about your children’s experience. DD said she didn’t finish the last 4 questions in Math, and of course I have no idea how that will affect overall scores.
Ah, got it
. If she was that young, she probably took the WPSSI. I don’t know if that has a GAI, but Davidson is now taking a GAI at 99.9 even if you don’t have a FSIQ of 99.9. The WISC (older kid IQ test for ages 6+, I believe) allows the psych to combine the perceptual reasoning and verbal subtests and get a “general ability index” (GAI) if the speed and memory subtests are a lot lower than the verbal and perceptual tests, thus lowering the FSIQ.
Actually, it was the WISC III(which I don’t think they take anymore, but I am assuming we “grandfathered” in).