CogAT vs FCPS CogAT

[Anonymous]

OK, this is kind of a convoluted question and strictly for my own understanding.

We referred K2 for Level IV and I just got a copy of the screening file from the AART. I noticed that one of the forms filled out by the school, the "LEVEL IV SCREENING TEST DATA SHEET" has two different tests listed:

"Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)"

and

"FCPS CogAT, Custom Form (from Fall 2012-2013 administration to 2nd grade students)"

Does that mean the ONLY time they used the custom test was in 2012-13? That was the year K1 took it and I remember how much agitation there was over that test and how it was supposed to alleviate concerns about kids being prepped for the CogAT. I heard stories about kids who had actually seen some of the questions on the 2011-12 test because of earlier versions being passed around in the prep classes.

So what changed? If it was that big a deal, why did FCPS use a custom test for only one year? And what are they doing now to weed the kids who have been prepped? Is requiring that kids meet a benchmark VQN instead of any one of the subtests somehow supposed to make it harder for prepped kids to get into the pool?

[Anonymous]

FxAT was used last year and a 132 in any one subset of the test was grounds for being "in the pool."

[Anonymous]

The CogAT normalizes score for:
1) all kids who took the test
2) by Grade
3) by age (rounded to month)

The Form (version) of the test FCPS uses also normalizes by
4) all students in FCPS that take the test

For extra money they can compare FFX kids to other FFX kids, otherwise, it's the same test.

It's the same test, scores are computed differently depending on what they want to measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, this is kind of a convoluted question and strictly for my own understanding.

We referred K2 for Level IV and I just got a copy of the screening file from the AART. I noticed that one of the forms filled out by the school, the "LEVEL IV SCREENING TEST DATA SHEET" has two different tests listed:

"Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)"

and

"FCPS CogAT, Custom Form (from Fall 2012-2013 administration to 2nd grade students)"

Does that mean the ONLY time they used the custom test was in 2012-13? That was the year K1 took it and I remember how much agitation there was over that test and how it was supposed to alleviate concerns about kids being prepped for the CogAT. I heard stories about kids who had actually seen some of the questions on the 2011-12 test because of earlier versions being passed around in the prep classes.

So what changed? If it was that big a deal, why did FCPS use a custom test for only one year? And what are they doing now to weed the kids who have been prepped? Is requiring that kids meet a benchmark VQN instead of any one of the subtests somehow supposed to make it harder for prepped kids to get into the pool?

There are tons of Prep classes that exist. When you drive around in Herndon/Reston/Chantilly you are likely to see ads for these. Also I know of some neighbors who used to send their kid to the library where they do the Prepping classes/lessons for NNat and CogAT