Parent Guide
Where Aarna stands for Option B. Cobb's Option B needs 3 of 4 areas: Mental Ability (96th percentile on an approved component or composite score), Achievement (90th percentile in Total Battery, Total Reading, or Total Math), Creativity (90th), and Motivation (90th). Her 97th-percentile CogAT already clears the Mental Ability bar, so she needs two more — and Achievement is the one practice can move. A rating scale may count for only one area, so plan for the achievement test to matter.
Yes, there is an Iowa test for 1st grade
The Iowa Assessments (Form E) start in kindergarten. First graders take Level 6 (fall) or Level 7 (Grade 1 spring – Grade 2 fall). Cobb's gifted specialists review IOWA and/or CogAT scores at 1st grade. Level 7 includes:
| Iowa subtest | What it checks | Practice here |
|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary | Word meanings, often read aloud | Reading & Words: same/opposite, word meaning in a sentence |
| Word Analysis | Sounds, rhymes, vowels, word parts | Beginning/ending/vowel sounds, rhyming, syllables, compound words, prefixes |
| Reading (Parts 1 & 2) | Sentences and short stories | Every ELA quiz ends with a passage and 2 questions |
| Listening | Understanding spoken questions | Turn on Auto read-aloud and have her listen without looking |
| Language | Spelling, capitals, punctuation, grammar | Spelling, sentence-correct, end marks, nouns/verbs, plurals, past tense |
| Math (concepts & problems) | Place value, word problems, time, money, shapes, graphs | Math quizzes, slots 3–10 |
| Math Computation | Add & subtract | The first two questions of every math quiz |
How the quizzes are built
- Content follows Georgia's K-12 Mathematics Standards (grade 1: numbers to 120, add/subtract within 20, tens and ones, time to the half hour, coins, shapes, halves and fourths, data) and Georgia's K-12 ELA Standards (phonics, vocabulary, conventions, reading literature and informational text).
- Quizzes 1–15 are warm-ups, 16–35 are on grade level, 36–50 stretch into early 2nd grade. A 90th-percentile score usually means being comfortable with some above-grade items, so the Challenge band matters.
- Answer choices shuffle every time she retries, so she can't memorize positions.
A two-week plan
- Days 1–4: one Math + one ELA quiz from Warm-up each day. Note any question type she misses twice.
- Days 5–10: Grade-level quizzes, one of each per day. After each quiz, go through the red ✗ items together using the explanation.
- Days 11–13: Challenge quizzes. Try one session "test style": she reads alone, no hints, then review.
- Last day before the test: rest, or one easy Warm-up quiz for confidence.
Test-day habits worth practicing
- Listen to (or read) the whole question and all the choices before tapping.
- For word problems: "Am I putting together, taking away, or comparing?"
- For reading questions: go back and find the sentence that proves the answer.
- If stuck, cross out the choices that are definitely wrong, then pick.
Sources: Tritt ES / Cobb Advanced Learning Program · Iowa Assessments Form E level schedules (Riverside / BJU Press testing) · Georgia K-2 ELA Standards (Cobb copy) · Georgia K-12 Mathematics Standards (GaDOE). Always confirm details with your school's gifted specialist.