When would you do the 3rd grade ITBS (gifted homeschool)?

[pigpokey]

In GA home school students take any nationally normed test every 3 years starting in "3rd grade."  Third grade is not defined and we are not required to give a grade level when we file our intent.  Most families in my area do ITBS testing together.

Public school students would generally be in 3rd grade the year they were 8 on September 1, unless redshirted, retained or accelerated.

DD has an October birthday and is 7.  Her birthday peers are in 1st grade (9/1 cutoff).  Her math is 2nd, starting some third.  Probably reads 3rd grade level but not a big reader so who knows.  Might be higher.  Social label is 2nd grade. 

DS has a January birthday and is 6.  His birthday peers are in K.  Friends are 2nd-3rd graders.  His math is 2nd, starting some 3rd.  Reads 4th grade.  Social lable is 1st grade. Depending on his needs I could see maybe a bump his grade level lable for social (classes, etc) reasons in a year or three.  

Big picture, is it better to give them the 3rd grade ITBS the year their birthday peers are in 3rd grade?  Or the 4th grade ITBS the year their birthday peers are in 3rd grade?  Or the 3rd grade ITBS the year their birthday peers are in 2nd grade?  Or the 2nd grade ITBS the year my daughter considers herself in "3rd grade" but her birthday peers are in 2nd?

Is any of this relevant to TIP testing in 7th grade, or any other testing opportunities I don't know about?

I have no *current* plans to use acheivement testing, but I am aware that there are some camps and programs that I might consider in the future for which ITBS scores might meet admissions criteria. 

[ChristaN]

What grade they are considered by your state would impact when they are considered 7th graders by TIP.  Even as homeschoolers, if they are "registered" with the state as being grade accelerated, they would take the SAT/ACT as 7th graders a year earlier.  The only drawback to that is if they are hoping for awards.

In all fairness, I guess that it is reasonable to compare them to kids who've had the same level of curriculum not just kids who are the same age, but I know it is a bit of a bummer for my dd12, who is 2 yrs or more younger than some of her grade peers (she's in 8th and will be starting 9th before her 13th bd) when she's being compared for talent search awards to some kids who are quite a bit older.
 

FWIW, my dd still scores in the 98th and 99th percentile as compared to grade peers on grade level tests similar to the ITBS and has scores that would more than qualify her for a GT identification on above level tests even if she were further grade accelerated.  I wouldn't expect that your kids would appear not gifted or wouldn't score very highly even as compared to kids in the next grade up especially considering that they are on the older end for K and 1st.

Originally Posted by pigpokey 

Is any of this relevant to TIP testing in 7th grade, or any other testing opportunities I don't know about?

[pigpokey]

Originally Posted by ChristaN 

What grade they are considered by your state would impact when they are considered 7th graders by TIP.  Even as homeschoolers, if they are "registered" with the state as being grade accelerated, they would take the SAT/ACT as 7th graders a year earlier.  The only drawback to that is if they are hoping for awards.

In all fairness, I guess that it is reasonable to compare them to kids who've had the same level of curriculum not just kids who are the same age, but I know it is a bit of a bummer for my dd12, who is 2 yrs or more younger than some of her grade peers (she's in 8th and will be starting 9th before her 13th bd) when she's being compared for talent search awards to some kids who are quite a bit older.
 

FWIW, my dd still scores in the 98th and 99th percentile as compared to grade peers on grade level tests similar to the ITBS and has scores that would more than qualify her for a GT identification on above level tests even if she were further grade accelerated.  I wouldn't expect that your kids would appear not gifted or wouldn't score very highly even as compared to kids in the next grade up especially considering that they are on the older end for K and 1st.

HAHA, well when I did TIP my utter failure of a public 7th grade signed me up but barely told me what it was and told me not to prepare, thus, I'd had no exposure to algebra or geometry whatsoever and missed the cutoff for services by 20 points.  Losers.  I wonder if they'd ever had a student before they considered signing up.

We don't register a grade with the state at all.  I give them a grade level for other reasons, like filling out forms for gymnastics registration or to get into a cartooning class, or to tell people when they ask.  So that's not an issue.

[moominmamma]

I have always had my kids' standardized testing done with their age-peers. We homeschool in order to be free of all the silly school measuring-against-norms hassles. If we have to deal with them I want them to be as trivial and non-intrusive as possible. If that means a kid doing algebra 1 as a homeschooler is asked to list all the factors of 12 on a 3rd grade math test, so be it.

Miranda

[Roar]

Originally Posted by pigpokey 

HAHA, well when I did TIP my utter failure of a public 7th grade signed me up but barely told me what it was and told me not to prepare, thus, I'd had no exposure to algebra or geometry whatsoever and missed the cutoff for services by 20 points.  Losers.  I wonder if they'd ever had a student before they considered signing up.

Actually they were doing exactly what talent search advises. If your goal is to use it for "out of level" testing to get a measure of aptitude it isn't suggested that students prepare beyond knowing how to use a bubble sheet.

[ChristaN]

My kids have never prepped at all either.  I had a hard enough time even getting them to look at the sample questions sent from the testing company so they were familiar with the test format.  I'm not parenting the world's most cooperative kids!

Originally Posted by Roar 

Actually they were doing exactly what talent search advises. If your goal is to use it for "out of level" testing to get a measure of aptitude it isn't suggested that students prepare beyond knowing how to use a bubble sheet.