Testing before entering K

Anonymous
Is there any benefit to having IQ testing done before entering MC schools? I am debating just to have an idea of what we are dealing with. DS has been reading since just turning 4 but will be almost 6 when he enters K.
Anonymous
I think more useful is making sure the school does more extensive assessments of the child as necessary. (E.g., if reading is a particular strength, the reading specialist can do additional assessments.) In our case, it seemed that the school would find their own sorts of achievement tests most useful because they are more practical. My guess is that the school doesn't really care how high of an IQ score a child can receive but how he or she is doing on reading and math assessments, because that will determine placement, acceleration, etc.

We had private testing done before 1st grade and shared some of the achievement test results with the school but not the IQ scores, since there didn't seem to be any point. In some situations there might have been (e.g. underachieving child whose scores were surprisingly), but not in our case (so far)--we were more concerned with proper placement in reading and math.
Anonymous
Mine started reading at age 4 and entered K this year. We took a quiet, work-within-the-system-and-be-patient approach. What I mean by that is that I first talked with the teacher about his abilities, but in a nonchalant kind of a way. I waited for him to officially "be adjusted" per the teacher and then kept asking about his reading assessment and what it showed. Again, not pressuring, just asking. There were some issues with the assessment, so I talked with the reading specialist to have her check it so he could be placed properly. In the meantime, on their own and b/c of the reading specialist, the school first moved him just for reading and then to a different classroom where he's being grouped with a couple of others like him.

Compare that to the family who came in and demanded their child be moved to first grade. The school refused and the family left.

My son and I had to wait longer than I would have liked, BUT he's now getting what he needs. I know that my school would not have cared about some outside IQ test. Even when I tried to talk with them in the spring about his reading, they wouldn't listen. They have a strong sense of needing to assess and decide for themselves.
Anonymous
OP here. Thank you both for the excellent advice!!!
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