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Anonymous September 17, 2009

ITBS & COGAT test prep materials

Anonymous
Can anybody advise on good materials that can be used for ITBS and COGAT test preparations? My SIL has been told that her son might qualify to take the exams end of this year (to see if he falls into the Gifted and Talented programs) as he seems quite bright for his age. He's in 1st grade now. She's looking for materials to help him with the testing and found a lot of resources online. But is not sure which one she should buy. Any advise or ideas?
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Parent Answers to "ITBS & COGAT test prep materials"

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healthy11
healthy11 September 17, 2009
My personal opinion is that trying to do "test prep" for G/T testing is unnecessary, and puts unnecessary stress into parent's lives, as well as that of the young students. Most children do well if they've had a hearty breakfast and a good night's sleep before school testing is done. If kids have grown up in an enriched environment, where they've been exposed to books and experienced a variety of family activities (ie, trips to the park or zoo, helping with cooking, gardening, etc) they will likely do very well on the tests.
For example, what I mean is, it's far easier for a child to understand 1/2 + 1/2 = 1 whole, if they've cut a pizza, or used measuring cups before. Or if they're presented with a picture of a kitten, and a baby, and then a picture of a cat, and an adult person, can they make the association of young versus old? Probably. I wouldn't go out and buy flashcards to "cram" for any test of this nature, but just see how the child does on their own. (If a child's test performance is "artifically inflated," but they're going to struggle to keep up after getting into a G/T program, is that really what a parent wants?)
busymomto3
busymomto3 October 21, 2009
www.mercerpublishing.com has great practice materials for the CogAT exam and, I believe, are the only materials in the format of the exam. The ITBS is an achievement test and tests those things your child would have learned in school - reading, grammar, math. Practically any workbook could be used.

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