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Q & A for Parents My child received a note on his/her ITBS score report about the BESTS program. What do I do now? Congratulations! Your student is eligible to participate in the Belin-Blanks Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS) program. Please take a few minutes to read the information below to learn more about BESTS and how it may benefit your student. What is a talent search? The goal of a Talent Search is to discover, via above-level testing, students who need further educational challenge to fully realize their academic talent. Above level testing is an educational procedure in which a test developed for older students is administered to younger students. What is BESTS? The Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS) is a program initiated by the Belin-Blank Center in 1992 for students in grades 4-9. Since then, over 65,000 elementary and middle school students have been successfully identified and their parents and educators provided with more specific information about these students' academic needs. Why should students take above-level tests? Students who do well on a grade-level test have correctly answered most or all of the questions on that test. This tells us what they know, but doesn’t tell us what they are ready to learn. The results of an above-level test can tell us what students are ready to learn. When are the above level tests given? Click here for information about test dates. Which test should my student take? The Belin-Blank Center uses tests developed by ACT Inc. and the College Board. Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 take EXPLORE®. EXPLORE is designed as a test for 8th graders. It is multiple-choice and measures academic development in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning Each section takes 30 minutes to complete. The total time involved is approximately three hours (this includes testing and breaks). Students in grades 7, 8, and 9 take the ACT® or SAT®. The ACT and SAT are tests for college bound high school students and take approximately three hours to complete. The ACT is multiple-choice and measures academic development in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. The SAT is multiple-choice and measures the critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills that students need to do college-level work. What are the selection criteria for the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search? If your child is in grade 4 through 9 and scored at the 95th percentile or above on one of the following sub tests of a grade-level standardized test such as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), s/he is eligible for participation in the BESTS program: Core Total Language Total Maps & Diagrams Math Concepts Math Problem Solving Math Total Reading Science If your child does not take the ITBS, but does take another standardized test, such as the California Achievement Test or Stanford Achievement Tests, the same requirements apply. If students in your school do not take standardized tests annually, scores from the most recent testing may be used. If your child is slightly below the 95th percentile, and you and his/her educators strongly believe that your child is a good candidate for above-level testing, they may receive the registration materials. However, we typically discourage exceptions to the 95th percentile guideline. What if my son or daughter only scored at the 95th percentile in one area? Will s/he still benefit from the above-level-test? Yes, although, if the student shows high achievement in one or two areas and has markedly lower (not just lower) scores in other areas, it may be an indication that the student has a learning difficulty. This may affect either their regular study in those areas or how they take the test, specifically. If a student does exhibit this score pattern on their grade-level test, it is something that should be investigated further. For students that do have documented learning difficulties, the test companies will more than likely make accommodations for the test. For those students who qualify in one area and simply have lower scores in others, the above-level test should still be a challenging and enjoyable experience. What do students who have participated in BESTS say about their experience? A survey of BESTS students that asked how they felt about being identified to participate in the talent search, found that over 95% said they like it or liked it a lot. When asked why they were taking the test, 50% said they thought they would enjoy the challenge of the test and 42% wanted to know more about their talents. Will the test be to challenging for my student? Half of the students who take above-level tests do as well or better than the average for the group the test was designed for. Since 1993, we have analyzed the scores for over 65,000 elementary and secondary students. Fifty percent of these students have done as well or better than the average 8th grader or 11th/12th grader, respectively. In addition, when asked about their talent search experience, the vast majority of students responded that the test was challenging, but not frustrating. How do I help my child prepare to take the above level test? We do not suggest practices such as cramming. Certainly, we would encourage our students to familiarize themselves with the format of the test if they are testing for the first time. All three tests provide practice items so students can do this. What we do not advocate is studying for the test. The and can add undue pressure to perform “well” on the test. No one can fail an above-level test. Whether a student gets the lowest score or the highest, we still get useful information about their relative strengths. Does my child have to take the test every year? There is no need for a student to take an above level test each year. The main goal of BESTS is to provide useful, objective information to parents and schools so that the level of challenge in the classroom can match what the student is ready for. This can be achieved with the results from a single above level test. We also want students to know what kinds of opportunities exist for them in and out of school. On the Interpretation Guide we provide a lengthy (but not exhaustive) list of resources – some for parents, some for students, and some for both. If however you feel that your child’s academic needs have changed, you may wish to take an above level test in subsequent year. (Note: each student may only take the above level test once per calendar year.) How will my child benefit from the Belin-Blank Center Talent Searches? Registered BESTS students become members of the Belin-Blank Center. Taking the EXPLORE, ACT, or SAT enables students to demonstrate unusual academic strengths by taking an academically challenging test that is not typically available to them at their grade level. Above-level testing information may be used to determine appropriate curriculum modifications and programming. Outstanding individual scorers will be recognized in a formal recognition ceremony at The University of Iowa. All BESTS students are eligible to participate in Belin-Blank Center precollege programs. The Center offers summer programs for students in grades 3-11 as well as an academic-year program that takes place on selected Saturdays during the fall and spring semesters How will my son or daughter benefit from BESTS? Each student will receive the score report and an extensive, written interpretation of results. This interpretation will include recommendations for curriculum readiness. NOTE: Individual score reports and interpretations are sent only to families. There is an option to have the scores sent to the students school -- but only if parents select the option on the registration form. Families will be informed about a variety of programs and services available through the Belin-Blank Center. Additionally, families will have the opportunity to participate in research to help us further understand and assist gifted children. How do I help my child prepare to take the above level test? We do not suggest practices such as cramming. Certainly, we would encourage our students to familiarize themselves with the format of the test if they are testing for the first time. All three tests provide practice items so students can do this. What we do not advocate is studying for the test. The and can add undue pressure to perform “well” on the test. No one can fail an above-level test. Whether a student gets the lowest score or the highest, we still get useful information about their relative strengths. How will my child benefit from participation in Belin-Blank Center Talent Searches? Students benefit from BESTS by receiving: individual results and interpretation from the Belin-Blank Center; a more specific and comprehensive picture of academic readiness; year-round precollege program opportunities; and opportunities for talented students and their teachers. I got the scores from my child’s above-level test, what do I do with them now? Please be sure to visit our website www.education.uiowa.edu/belinblank/interpThere you will find our comprehensive interpretation guide. The interpretation guide is designed to be as useful for teachers as it is for parents. The interpretation guide will provide an extensive, written interpretation of results. This interpretation will include recommendations for curriculum readiness. Please make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher or guidance counselor to discuss the results and suggested curriculum recommendations provided by the interpretation guide. Please also consider attending an ICN session to learn more about the application of the scores. Our family just moved to Iowa or has not yet taken the ITBS can my child still participate in the BESTS program? Yes. Test scores from other standardized grade level tests may be submitted for review. In some instances there may not be standardized testing information available for students as young as 2nd/3rd grade. In such cases, teacher nominations based on classroom observation and performance will be accepted. What if my school cannot utilize these scores, what can I do to assist my child? Results from the above-level tests offered by BESTS provide an objective indication of what an academically talented student is ready for. If your child’s school is unable to assist you and your child, you can consider things outside of the classroom that will foster your child’s strengths and interests – for example mentors, competitions, and camps just to name a few. The options for acceleration are many and are discussed in detail in the publication A Nation Deceived: www.nationdeceived.org. Another important point to keep in mind is that, no matter how useful the information one can get from Talent Search scores, they are only one piece of the puzzle. It should function as another tool to better describe what certain students are able to do academically. Talent Search scores, as is true for any test score, should not be used in isolation when making decisions about students. We also strongly encourage all of our parents to use the Web-based BESTS Interpretation Guide to generate an individualized report for the student’s scores. This report summarizes how the student did compared to the group the test was designed for (the national norm group) and to other talented kids in the same grade. It also provides a long list of local, state, & national resources. Do you have Summer/Fall programs at other location? Yes, the Belin-Blank Center works in conjunction with Iowa State University, Stetson University in Florida and University of Northern Iowa. Typically, Fall/Summer programs are offered in the Des Moines area, at Iowa State and at Stetson. Please visit our homepage for additional programming information. What are the costs? There is a registration fee for the Talent Search, which covers the registration costs. In addition, there is a fee for the test. BESTS (grades 4-9): $30 Talent Search registration $25 Test fee $55 Total registration fee Who may I contact for more information? Nicholas Colangelo, Ph.D., Director Susan Assouline, Ph.D., Associate Director Damien Ihrig, MA, Talent Search Administrator Belin-Blank Center, The University of Iowa 600 Blank Honors Center Iowa City, IA 52242-1529 Phone: (319)335-6148 or (800)336-6463 FAX: (319)335-5151