An Above-Level Testing Experience
Bright students already excel on tests designed for their grade, with many topping out on the highest scores. Unfortunately, a top score only tells educators and parents that a student has mastered grade level material. It does not indicate how far above grade level their current abilities extend. Above-level testing provides helpful insight into the extent of these students’ academic abilities, creating a more effective foundation for high school planning and beyond. Students also gain invaluable knowledge and experience from taking an above-level test like the ACT or SAT—the exam that college-bound seniors take. Additionally, because the above-level testing experience is diagnostic in nature, it provides seventh graders with a low-risk, low-stress opportunity to preview a test similar to the one they will face one day during the college admissions process.
Tools to Interpret Your Scores
As a talent search participant, students receive two reports to interpret their scores: one from the testing agency, which will compare scores to recent U.S. high school graduates; and a more detailed TIP score results summary, mailed in May, which allows families to understand how students performed relative to other seventh graders in the talent search. This score results summary also provides suggestions for further educational development based on performance.