Are this year's CogAT scores age-adjusted or not?
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Anonymous
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Can someone tell us with certainty? How can we find out?
I am asking because if the CogAT scores are not age-adjusted this year, it makes a HUGE difference in how they should be used and interpreted during the selection process. |
Anonymous
| It very well may make a difference. However, does Fcps care? |
Anonymous
| NO, they are not. Confirmed with testing services yesterday. They offered to retest my child next year. Which does us no good for this year. But they confirmed that there is absolutely no adjustment in % for age. |
Anonymous
FCPS should care, after this year's fiasco. Or if they don't, someone should make them care... There is a reason that people smarter than FCPS decided that these tests should age-adjusted, especially at the age of 7 or 8. How can FCPS not see how flawed the process of testing becomes if scores are not age-adjusted and what kind of precedent (regarding redshirting or prepping) it creates? |
Anonymous
What a moronic thing to do! I guess no one expected this to cause a problem, right? 
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Anonymous
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Yes, I agree with all these concerns.
But if FCPS truly wants the best kids in the class, regardless of age, it takes the top 5%. It's just another way to look at it. As it is currently in most FCPS starting from 1st grade, reading groups, math groups, and word study groups are all grouped according to performance on an assessment, not "potential". This is the same thing, just on a bigger scale. |
Anonymous
| Look people. FCPS has no data to even adjust this test for age. Its possible for fcps students, no age adjustment is needed. Its also possible, the younger kids dont keep up as well with the older kids in aap. AAP does not grade adjust based on age once the kid is in aap. In the end a lack of age adjustment would only affect a very few kids that are near the borderline of making the auto pool and certainly not worth any wholesale fuss. In the end the auto pool (95%) kid gets the same look as the referred kid. Its been said, historically that 30%-40% of the slots go to referred aap pool kids. Thats a lot. Stop complaining. Considering the auto pool threshold was harder to make this year for cogat, that increases the chances of the self referrals as there should be less overall total kids fcps will have to sift through assuming they keep the aap numbers at a similar current level. |
Anonymous
Or, it is entirely possible that there are ample younger summer birthday kids who are scoring exceptionally high on the test that there is a balanced age spread between the youngest kids in the pool through the red shirted kids. If the numbers are balanced then there is really no need to adjust for age if they just want the top 5% for the grade. |
Anonymous
| Its kind of funny you bolded one sentence of mine yet the very sentence before says exactly what you said. How did your kid do in verbal? |
Anonymous
Because I was only responding to one specific sentence in your post, and had no disagreement with the other things you posted 
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Anonymous
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I think Yes. There is a reason the month and year of birth is on the letter.
Regardless, I don't think age makes a difference. If kids are a little older it doesn't automatically mean they are going to do better. It's funny how people want to brag about how their 3 year old is reading Harry Potter but then jump in with the "It's not FAIR" banter when it's convenient for them. If your kid is gifted it will show in more ways that one and in more ways than just the CogAt. If your child is prepped, again it should not matter because they should do well if they are smart AND prepped. It makes a lot more sense to take the top 5% of the all the second graders as they are ALL vying for the coveted 3rd grade AAP placements and if your child is not in the top 5% Cogat + low NNAT scores + low GBRS scores than maybe your just wishing a bit too much for that age based scoring to make a difference. |
Anonymous
Yes, it is not like this one test is the only thing that gets them in the pool. If they are young, and "gifted", then they would have gotten in through one of the tests, or will get in through parent referral with the help of a good gbrs. In this case, there are several roads to the same destination. |
Anonymous
FCPS has no data to even adjust this test for age. How can you say this? The know the pool scores, they know the individual scores, and they know the age of each child. Of course it can be age normalized. The national test is, as is the NNAT, this is just a smaller sample, but surely large enough to age normalize. Its possible for fcps students, no age adjustment is needed. Its also possible, the younger kids dont keep up as well with the older kids in aap. Why is no age adjustment needed in Fairfax County, but it is common practice in national tests (NNAT) and IQ Tests as a rule. How do you know that younger kids do not keep up in AAP. My August young son, now in AAP grade 4 is doing great, and is in the highest math group out of 4 classes. Are you trying to say that this is an intentional method being used by the County to weed out younger kids who cannot match scores with those one year older? In the end a lack of age adjustment would only affect a very few kids that are near the borderline of making the auto pool and certainly not worth any wholesale fuss. Whether or not it is worth a fuss is your opinion. The test is flawed and it cuts both ways. Younger kids who are on the cusp may not make the pool, and older ones who edged in with 95% may be out of the pool if age adjusted. If the total is held at 5%, then some have to be out when others qualify in under age normalization. How can you surmise how many are effected? Age adjustment may affect the upper quarter of kids (oldest) down and lower quarter of students up (youngest). That could swing a few hundred in our out of the pool across the entire county. Its been said, historically that 30%-40% of the slots go to referred aap pool kids. Thats a lot. Stop complaining. Not sure how many will go to referred kids this year, as they are apparently trying to lower the number. Regardless, many who are referred in by parents need to show some level of testing that demonstrates they meet the pool group. Most frequently it is with a WISC under the appeal. This is expensive for many families and a process that many parents may not know. It is additional work and expense that should not have to be incurred in the County would have simply, and properly normalized the scores in a proper way. These people should have made the test more fair, not less by now creating yet another controversy in the selection process. Not sure why you need to be so condescending in your tone. Considering the auto pool threshold was harder to make this year for cogat, that increases the chances of the self referrals as there should be less overall total kids fcps will have to sift through assuming they keep the aap numbers at a similar current level. First of all, I thought the consensus is they are trying to lower the total level, not keep it the same. Second, I am not sure, but how many kids qualified for the pool based upon CogAT scores? Was it greater than 5% last year as you imply? You make a very poor case for those screwed out of the pool due to their young age. |
Anonymous
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Age is irrelevant in testing for AAP.
FCPS is not looking to identify who is gifted and who isn't. They are looking for who will succeed in AAP. There is no need for age adjustment to find the kids who are scoring in the top 5% of FCPS second graders. Kids who are ready will stand out regardless of age, an even regardless of the Cogat score. |
Anonymous
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Don't attack me but is it possible to approach the second grade teacher and offer them remuneration for good GBRS? How much has anyone had to pay before to get high GBRS?
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