132 Composite-- CogAT

[Anonymous]

I am not sure why some posters think younger kids are at a disadvantage on the COGAT scores. It seems really clear to me on the score sheet, that the score used (e.g. - against 132 cutoff) is the Age Based Score. In fact for Local and Grade Based, only the percentiles are provided not a score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would the pool be based on a 132 composite score compared to needing a 132 in any one section? I already have an AAP kid so this has zero to do with my own family, but I am wondering why the change.

Where are you finding the score benchmarks? I cannot find them on FCPS website? And, our counselor is being inundated with calls/emails.
I know she made the pool, as that's what the letter says, but it doesn't say the benchmarks for the two tests.

It's in the third paragraph of the deadline announcement - http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/spotlight.shtml

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would the pool be based on a 132 composite score compared to needing a 132 in any one section? I already have an AAP kid so this has zero to do with my own family, but I am wondering why the change.

Where are you finding the score benchmarks? I cannot find them on FCPS website? And, our counselor is being inundated with calls/emails.
I know she made the pool, as that's what the letter says, but it doesn't say the benchmarks for the two tests.

It's in the third paragraph of the deadline announcement - http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/spotlight.shtml

Sorry, yes, I found them. Luckily, I'm not in the pool for consideration this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Jack of all trades master of none, that's really stupid

I completely agree with this! There are some very bright kids who are well rounded. However, there are also children who are brilliant in a specific area. These children should not be overlooked. They are the ones who could make a real difference in the world someday (technology fields, etc.).

Also, most of the kids who are "well rounded" with very balanced scores are the ones who have been prepped by their parents. They have seen tutors, attended test-prep classes, or at least completed a few practice ones. They have been put in every extracurricular activity possible since the age of one. In my opinion, a well balanced score simply indicates that a child has prepared for the test. A score that is not as well balanced shows a child's true abilities.

Correct, gifted is never well rounded which would defeat the idea of gifted. They screwed this one up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Jack of all trades master of none, that's really stupid

I completely agree with this! There are some very bright kids who are well rounded. However, there are also children who are brilliant in a specific area. These children should not be overlooked. They are the ones who could make a real difference in the world someday (technology fields, etc.).

Also, most of the kids who are "well rounded" with very balanced scores are the ones who have been prepped by their parents. They have seen tutors, attended test-prep classes, or at least completed a few practice ones. They have been put in every extracurricular activity possible since the age of one. In my opinion, a well balanced score simply indicates that a child has prepared for the test. A score that is not as well balanced shows a child's true abilities.

Correct, gifted is never well rounded which would defeat the idea of gifted. They screwed this one up.

I wouldn't say "never." My child scores in the high nineties in terms of percentiles whenever he takes aptitude/intelligence type tests. Math scores tend to be higher (he's at TJ, so math is his thing), but reading and verbal scores tend to be only slightly lower. All his SAT scores were over 750, for example, with the math beig 800. No test prep, he's too busy and didn't have time for that. He's a Natuional Merit Semifinalist, and I would say the kids on that list are all in the gifted range and pretty well-rounded, since you have to have high scores on all three parts of the PSAT. I realize that this thread is about the CogAT and NNAT, but kids who do well on those tests will tend to do well on tests throughout their education. It's entirely possible to be gifted and well-rounded.

[Anonymous]

On the age adjusted scores, 129 composite is the 97th percentile and not in. So well under 3% of the test takers would qualify.

Either they are trying to drastically shrink the pool or they have a more nefarious agenda. I wish there was more (at least some) transparency.

[Anonymous]

I sure hope the score they considered is age-normed, since my August DC is the youngest in class with 20% of the classmates at least one year older than DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sure hope the score they considered is age-normed, since my August DC is the youngest in class with 20% of the classmates at least one year older than DC.

sorry, the "local" scores they paid extra for are not age adjusted. It's too small a population to be statistically significant if the stratify it further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Jack of all trades master of none, that's really stupid

I completely agree with this! There are some very bright kids who are well rounded. However, there are also children who are brilliant in a specific area. These children should not be overlooked. They are the ones who could make a real difference in the world someday (technology fields, etc.).

Also, most of the kids who are "well rounded" with very balanced scores are the ones who have been prepped by their parents. They have seen tutors, attended test-prep classes, or at least completed a few practice ones. They have been put in every extracurricular activity possible since the age of one. In my opinion, a well balanced score simply indicates that a child has prepared for the test. A score that is not as well balanced shows a child's true abilities.

Correct, gifted is never well rounded which would defeat the idea of gifted. They screwed this one up.

I wouldn't say "never." My child scores in the high nineties in terms of percentiles whenever he takes aptitude/intelligence type tests. Math scores tend to be higher (he's at TJ, so math is his thing), but reading and verbal scores tend to be only slightly lower. All his SAT scores were over 750, for example, with the math beig 800. No test prep, he's too busy and didn't have time for that. He's a Natuional Merit Semifinalist, and I would say the kids on that list are all in the gifted range and pretty well-rounded, since you have to have high scores on all three parts of the PSAT. I realize that this thread is about the CogAT and NNAT, but kids who do well on those tests will tend to do well on tests throughout their education. It's entirely possible to be gifted and well-rounded.

Thank you, PP. I was coming to post the same thing and refute this notion that if a kid scored well on all aspects of tests, that it's an indication that they were "prepped." Both my kids are currently in AAP, and both scored in 97 to 99 percentile in all components of CogAT and Naglieri. I'm sorry if that bursts someone's bubble, but they are just really smart--no prepping here. And just because my kids excel in English does not mean they are somehow not gifted in math, or vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Yup, mine scored very high on all subsections with no prepping or classes or anything.

Subject specific strengths are for Level III, not IV.

And, Fairfax has an advanced academic program, not a gifted program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup, mine scored very high on all subsections with no prepping or classes or anything.

Subject specific strengths are for Level III, not IV.

And, Fairfax has an advanced academic program, not a gifted program.

That's all semantics though. The scores needed on these tests for AAP are the same as what is needed to qualify for gifted programs elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the age adjusted scores, 129 composite is the 97th percentile and not in. So well under 3% of the test takers would qualify.

Either they are trying to drastically shrink the pool or they have a more nefarious agenda. I wish there was more (at least some) transparency.

129 on the age adjusted score is 97th percentile nationally but not in FCPS. Take a look at the local percentiles to get an idea of what % of FCPS kids scored higher. But 129 is a great score and shows high aptitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the age adjusted scores, 129 composite is the 97th percentile and not in. So well under 3% of the test takers would qualify.

Either they are trying to drastically shrink the pool or they have a more nefarious agenda. I wish there was more (at least some) transparency.

129 on the age adjusted score is 97th percentile nationally but not in FCPS. Take a look at the local percentiles to get an idea of what % of FCPS kids scored higher. But 129 is a great score and shows high aptitude.

Correct, but that's the point. "gifted" is not a geographic thing, in the top 3% nationally usually meets the definition of gifted. With the demographics in FCPS 129 is not top 10% so to keep the numbers down, they set a bar based on geography. They are pretty clearly reducing the number of students who test into the pool.

But you can refer in and it you are the type of student that meets the unpublished subjective criteria you can still get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup, mine scored very high on all subsections with no prepping or classes or anything.

Subject specific strengths are for Level III, not IV.

And, Fairfax has an advanced academic program, not a gifted program.

which would be best for my "9B(Q+)" boy who actually gets Bs in math?

V 128
Q 139
N 129
C 138

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup, mine scored very high on all subsections with no prepping or classes or anything.

Subject specific strengths are for Level III, not IV.

And, Fairfax has an advanced academic program, not a gifted program.

which would be best for my "9B(Q+)" boy who actually gets Bs in math?

V 128
Q 139
N 129
C 138

Is is a question you should ask of teachers and counselors who actually know your child, rather than strangers on the internet.

That being said, as a perfectly qualified stranger on the internet, I would suggest waiting to see if he is identified for AAP and then go to the orientation, talk to teachers and then decide.