Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Iowa Acceleration Scale for Subject Acceleration

I've been tryng to advocate for a subject acceleration in math for my 6 year old for a while. Last fall, they tested her, and used the IAS. She was at the beginning of first grade at the time, scored 99% on the end of first grade exam, but scored 69% on the end of second grade exam. They denied her, because they said the IAS requires a 75% on the second grade exam (which seems unfair, because she would still be bored if she knew 75% of what they were planning on teaching her).

My point and question is this. I was just doing some research on the Iowa Acceleration Scale to further advocate for next year, and realized that it is a WHOLE GRADE ASSESMENT. If she scores 34 or fewer poins, a single subject acceleration should be considered (and is what we are going for). They are ruling single subject acceleration out because she did not score above 60 points, presumably because of the 69 on the achievement test.

Has anyone had experience with the IAS and know what exactly the scale for the AAAA is? And has anyone had it used for single subject acceleration?

Our placement option plan calls for getting 10+ points on the AAAA, can anyone tell me how that breaks down? I requested a copy of her file, and the scale is not in there, nor was I ever asked to participate in the scale, which I believe is part of the criteria for the scale (that a parent be on the "team").

IAS comes with a wonderful 'manual' that is worth ordering and keeping as a reference.

Most of what you are saying makes no sense, which could be that you are confused, but could easily be that the school folks who are using the scale are confused.

Don't know what the AAAA is,

As far as I can tell, this is totally untrue.

I mean logically, if your child is scoring 99% on an end of year test at the begining of the year, then nothing fancy is needed to bump her up to the next level.

I would try to put on my least hostile face, and head back to the school and ask them to answer every question you have until it starts to make sense.

Keep posting and we'll try and help. Buy the manual, it's a great little book!

Grinity

Oh yeah - it's coming back to me now!
So did they even do above level testing or an individual IQ test? Hard to score on AAAA if the school hasn't done all the possible testing, yes?

Grinity

Yes, I know I make no sense, but I promise its of no fault of my own. I had unsuccessfully argued that since she scored 99%, there was no reason for her to remain in first grade. But they insist that she has to score a 75% in the grade level she would be placed in, so that she is successful and doesn't struggle. Trust me, I know it makes no sense, you are preaching to the choir. She has to stay at the grade level where she is bored in, and can only advance if she will be bored there, too.

The AAAA is the Academic Ability, Aptitude and Achievment part of the Scale.

The other parts are the
School and Academic Factors
Developmental Factors
Interpersonal Skills
Attitude and Support


The "official criteria" for subject acceleration for my district says:
------------------------------------
Academic Ability, Aptitude and Achievement (AAAA) Subtotal score <10 points and/or Grand Total score<60 points

Components of this score include:
Quantitative:
-Full Scale IQ =115+
-Two years above grade level on achievement test in reading and/or math in subject(s) to be accelerated with a score of 75 percentile of higher (ex: a 2nd grader would take a 4th grade test and score in the 75% or higher.)
-On grade level achievement test score of 95 percentile or higher in subjects to be accelerated.
-------------------------------

No, the <10 points is not a typo, that is how it is written there. I am trying to figure out if the people responsible for educating my children don't know the difference between a < or > or if its actually <10 points, because the criteria for Whole Grade advancement is 10+ points.

http://aig.ucps.k12.nc.us/documents/plan_standard4.pdf
page 46 of 66 "k-8 services acceleration option"

First, Thank you so much for all your help. I am gearing up for a meeting next week, and want to have all my ducks in a row.
-testing is less than a year ago,so still current (last 12 months) but not really applicable since now we have to test for achievement in other grade levels.
-Apparently, they DID NOT do any aptitude or ability test. Because (from email sent minutes ago):

The first step in evaluating a student for AIG acceleration services is to do an achievement test on grade level. **** met the criteria for that, so we proceeded with the next step--an above-grade-level test. However, she did not meet the critieria on that level so we were unable to continue the process. Because both of these tests are necessary components of the Iowa Acceleration Scale, we were unable to proceed further. That is why there are no Iowa Accerlation Scale results in her folder, only the scores of the first two rounds of her evaluation. I hope that helps.

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-from the way I read the district criteria, they probaly did mean <10 points, because it is in the section for subject acceleration, whole grade level does require >10 points. On the calculation on the IAS, it says "....(if) the AAAA subtotal score is <10, do not consider whole-grade acceleration". Which then leaves the door open to subject acceleration, as a Grand total of 34 or fewer points actually recommends the consideration of single-subject acceleration.

-so from my understanding, they never did an IAS, as the district requires. they simply did a "component" of the score, and ruled it out based on that. Is this what you both gather???

-

The scale says "do not consider WHOLE-GRADE ACCELERATION"... as the whole manual and book is written to determine whole grade acceleration, not single subject. We don't want whole grade.

but I gather that you are reading my district's policy to read that IN ADDITION to the IAS, they require a full IQ of 115+ (which would be no problem) AND a 75% of the accelerated grade level achievement...... ok, I can see that.... sort of.

I was reading it that they were merely explaining that the IAS would involve those factors, as they stated "Components of this score include"..... and then also include developmental factors, interpersonal skills, etc, but do not indicate what they have to be, but imply that the IAS will score that.

This is their GT program.... I realize math in elementary isn't supposed to be challenging, and I have 2 older ones in the "normal" GT program, that always needed but lacked "challenge". But this is different... she can help the older two with their homework.

I'm not too worried about her making a 75% this year. Everything she had known she had absorbed, nobody had really taught her. But there were things she wasn't exposed to, such as geometry and measurement, that she couldn't possibly have known. this year I made an effort to exposed her to a little bit more of that, so I think she will do fine. Now I am going to go for a 2 year acceleration. I know she could do it if I sat with her for two days and taught her the material.... just seems so counter productive to have to teach her math when all i want is for the school to actually teach her.

Yup - that's what I read. I don't agree with their critieria for the above level test, and I would guess that it's based on a misreading of IASmanual of some kind. Will you be able to convinse them that their policy is wrong? Seems like an unproductive tack to take. Buy the manual, read the manual, understand the manual, then slowly guide the school.

In the meanwhile, this is one of those situations where I would be sorely tempted to 'have some fun learning Math' with DD so that when she is retested she scores as high as possible. They aren't playing fair, so why should you?

I do agree with Dottie, that getting an IQ test, from school or privately from someone who can act as an advocate, is a great next step.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Looks like our posts crossed!
Anyway - if DD is helping the older gifted sibs with their homework (even in jest) you might want to think about IQ testing and a full grade skip even more.

Check out - http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_gifted.htm

Have a great weekend,
Grinity

Oh! Oh!
Look around your district's website for something called 'scope and sequence' - basically a list of what they expect their x grader to know.

Or just do a weekend with Aleks.com
Smiles,
Grinity

Agree. What finally drove us to outside testing was the juxtaposition, within a short time, of learning that DS5 had been helping a fourth-grade girl with her math homework, and hearing from our K teacher that DS5 was "just where he needed to be" (I don't fault her at all for an honestly held opinion, and our son likes to fly under the radar at times, but that was pretty much the triggering event for us).