CogAt or Fairfax Test?
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Anonymous
And that is the way it should be. +1 to the school and the parents there who keep it that way. |
Anonymous
I was told they changed the name to emphasize that it is an academic program. Apparently, people thought that "gifted and talented" meant that the program was meant for children who are talented in other areas besides academics. People wanted children who were highly talented in say, art or music to be included even if they were average in terms of academics. |
Anonymous
| I heard they changed the name because they wanted the test to accommodate better for ESL kids by having more of it non-verbal. |
Anonymous
I was told they changed the name to emphasize that it is an academic program. Apparently, people thought that "gifted and talented" meant that the program was meant for children who are talented in other areas besides academics. People wanted children who were highly talented in say, art or music to be included even if they were average in terms of academics. http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/aapac/gtac/GTAC2006-07AnnualReport.pdf Changing the name of Gifted and Talented Programs Background As part of one of the three recommendations presented by GTAC to the School Board in May 2006, the Committee suggested developing a framework for creating and fostering a positive school climate in schools which currently have a GT Center. We recognized that administrators and teachers must promote respectful interactions between center and noncenter students. Finally, we recommended that schools should integrate GT students into the total school community through team building and improved communication, as well as provide parents a better understanding of the GT curriculum or Level IV service. The Committee recognizes and commends the ongoing efforts by the School Board and its staff to respond to these issues. * * * During the course of the GTAC discussions this year, the question was raised about the name of the program itself. We know that the State of Virginia requires Fairfax County Public Schools to provide gifted services, but it does not designate the name of those services. Several choices were discussed and, while some members did not support a change, the majority of the Committee membership approved of a name change from Gifted and Talented Services to Advanced Academic Programs. It was felt by the Committee that this name change emphasizes efforts to put a label on the service being offered and recognizes the academic nature of the program. |
Anonymous
Why do they make the program so big? If 5% of kids are in the program, I would not feel bad at all if my children are not in it. But if nearly 20% of kids are in the program, well, my kids definitely should be in the top 10-20% 
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Anonymous
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I think the program should be based solely on the CogAT, NNAT or the IQ test. Older kids can join in when they have strong academic records. But for 2nd graders, parents' referral should be dismissed if not supported by the IQ test score that meets the cut value.
To identify the kids who truly need AAP (assume the program only admits 5-7% of kids), the CoGAT needs to be more difficult. If the difficulty-level for 20-30 questions are at 10% (only 10% of kids can answer them correctly), then the scores will have a great spread. It will be much easier to differentiate kids on their cognitive thinking abilities to put them in the right education rooms. For kids who do not test well in a group setting, the psychologists' administered IQ tests will do the work. This is from an education site about the difference between the bright and gifted. Do you think if they make sense? The Bright Child The Gifted Child Knows the answers Asks the questions Is interested Is highly curious Is attentive Is mentally and physically involved Works hard Plays around, yet tests well Answers the questions Discusses in detail, elaborates Is in the top group Is beyond the group Listens with interest Shows strong feelings and opinions Learns with ease Already knows Needs 6-8 repetitions for mastery Needs 1-2 repetitions Understands ideas Constructs abstractions Enjoys peers Prefers adults Grasps the meaning Draws inferences Completes assignments Initiates projects Is receptive Is intense Copies accurately Creates a new design |
Anonymous
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So my child finished the FXAT today. It sounded just like the CogAt. Does anyone know what the difference was?
I'm not holding out hope that DC gets in to AAP (weak NNAT). I just find the whole thing fascinating. |
Anonymous
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Finished already? My son said they had verbal, math and nonverbal today. He also tested yesterday. Not sure if they will test again tomorrow.
He could not recall any questions
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Anonymous
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I'm not holding out hope that DC gets in to AAP (weak NNAT). I just find the whole thing fascinating.
Don't give up! I heard they give more weight to CogAT than NNAT. |
Anonymous
| DD said the book name was Cogat. She wrote it down for me. |
Anonymous
That is interesting! I asked my son if there were difficult questions and he said "no". He said all questions are easy. |
Anonymous
| Same for my DS. He recalls there is only one difficult question out of all three days of testing. Others are "too easy". DS is not genius, just bright (got 142 on NNAT last year). So I wonder how many students will flood the pool this year. |
Anonymous
| Most kids will say the questions were easy, very few will score in the 98 percentile, even fewer in the 99 percentile. Easy is a relative term. Post back in January and share your DC grades, since it was easy for them! |
Anonymous
| I agree. I don't think the test was easy. They picked an answer so they assume they got it right. I think the test had to be much harder this year since it's a customized test that the county wanted. |
Anonymous
| I'm starting to wonder if the only thing that makes it a FxAT instead of a CogAT is the way they will score it. |