Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment How do you do a portfolio? (also test scores now)

DS is 5th grade. Had WISC iv (and others such as woodcock johnson) done as part of three year IEP assessment (he qualifies for speech and probably for other things if we pushed.). Tester did not give an overall score as the scores were all over the place. He scored 14something (not quite 145) but I asked if he ceilinged out and had she used extended norms. She did some more work and says that yes, on one subtest (is that the word?) he did and it has increased his his score in verbal comp to 146.

Soo, how would I go about making up a portfolio? He hasn't been accelerated and tends to 'hide his light under a bushel'. He isn't doing anything that seems amazing. What would I include? He has passions but is allergic to work. He does like to read though, a lot. Seems like it will be harder to impress someone at his age.

He also scored high on the raven in 2nd grade, do I include things like that??

Help??!
Clueless in San Diego.

Can you request the full scores and report for the WISC and WJ-iii?

Once you have that information, look at the highest sub-test scores and think about things your DS has done that underscore these strengths.

If reading is a strength, perhaps video him reading a passage aloud from an out of level book, and then chat with him about what he has read.

Of course, I cannot claim to be any sort of expert as I have just submitted my DS's application and do not know if it will be successful!

Best of luck,
UL.H.

Edit: it wouldn't hurt to include the Raven Scores if they are "off the charts", otherwise they probably wouldn't add much.

thank you for the suggestions. I have the test scores. I can post them... let me go get them.

(He is 11)
wisc iv
Verbal comp -- 146
vocab --17
similarities --15
comprehension was 19 but she said he had ceilinged so used extended norms and he got --21

Perc. reasoning -- 117
Block Design -- 16
Picture concepts -- 12
Matrix reasoning -- 10
(she said on picture concepts he gave really good answers but not the ones the test was looking for so she felt the score was lower than expected on that)

Working memory --102
digit span --9
letter-number -- 12

Processing speed -- 94
coding -- 8
symbol search -- 10

WJ-III

reading
letter-word --127
Passage comp -- 108
Reading fluency -- 133

Math
calculation -- 135
applied problems -- 132
math fluency -- 95

Written
Spelling -- 125
writing samples 82 (they do not feel he cooperated properly on this, but I think he didn't really understand what they wanted him to do)
writing fluency -- 106

oh and he got 97%ile on the Raven in Second grade.

I see scores like these all the time. They do show gifted, but I don't really see them as an applicant for the DYS program, assuming that's where you are going with your portfolio question. The achievement scores in particular are very status quo.

Hi, Bee. IIRC SharonM is a gifted teacher with what sounds like some HG kids as well as MG. I tend to agree with her that your son may not have the best chance ever of getting in based on his scores, but that's what portfolios are for, and Davidson does seem to me to cast a broader net than the official criteria might indicate. I would put in some extra effort on your portfolio to come up with at least one "humdinger" item, keeping in mind that the items don't have to be examples of schoolwork. I would apply if you think that the program will help your son, even if you feel that chances are slim, since it doesn't take much effort to get the application together relative to the value of the program.

I've put together a webpage summarizing some DYS portfolio info, including links to past discussions on portfolios. Here is a list of some portfolios that have worked in the past, keeping in mind that the scores of any particular admittee may be very different in one way or another from your son's and I don't have that info:

* Samples of schoolwork, 1-2 examples of creative writing, and reading lists from homeschool classes

* Videos of explaining books or math concepts, building something complex, etc.

* For a younger child, copies of worksheets from school

* A video of a five-year-old talking about severe weather, including many minutes on tornadoes, classification of tornadoes, and famous tornadoes

* For a five-year-old, a video showing mental math, creative writing projects, worked Sudoku puzzles, and a picture of a Lego project, for a five-year-old

* For a six-year-old, workbook material, video (very short), and some reading info

* Writing, both factual and science-related as well as stories, by a six-year-old

* For an eight-year-old, copies of math tests (accelerated by two grades), a typed report written in first grade including vocabulary such as "viviparous", a video talking about the Battle of Germantown in depth, and pictures of things built with blocks, including a cantilevered bridge

* For an eight-year-old, math work samples, math doodles, and a video presentation on stress levels and stress-causing enzymes

* 3-4 pages of math homework (advanced algebra performed by a 6th grader), plus several pages of tests from a homeschooling chemistry class

* For a ten-year-old, a solar system Jeopardy game done in Microsoft PowerPoint, with a two-page doodle containing information on the solar system

I appreciate your honesty. I'm dissapointed of course because I think this is something that would really help my son (and me). He struggles to make friends in his normal social groups that have similar interests.

I really wish I had persued this earlier, I think it would have been much easier. A video of a four year old playing 'Beowulf' with his lego minifigures for instance if I had thought to do it at the time. Now I have no idea. He is a bookworm (is LOVING the "dissapearing spoon" book right now) perhaps we will think about something like that. He loves science and has been interested in black holes for several years, perhaps he could do something on that.

I think I will still try though. Thanks for your help.

Bee, I agree that it's worth putting together a portfolio for your ds even if he isn't ultimately accepted to DYS or if you don't even bother applying. It will give you a chance to think through his areas of strength and give you a record you can use when you advocate for him in other situations as the years go by - and you won't find yourself another few years down the road wishing you'd captured something he's doing now similar to how you wished you'd videotaped the Beowulf at 4. DYS is one program - there are other opportunities out there that you'll find too!

Good luck,

polarbear

eta - re the achievement scores, just a quick note - your ds' coding score is relatively low on the WISC - whatever impacted that score most likely impacted his scores on the achievement tests labelled "fluency" - so those scores may be artificially low (ie, if they weren't timed or he didn't have to answer using handwriting, he may have had higher scores on them).

Don't be disappointed. I'm nobody, and SharonM doesn't know whether your son will be admitted either-- I was really trying to encourage you but in a diplomatic way. People always seem to be nervous submitting portfolios, and your situation is no different; just go for it. The black holes sound intriguing as the basis for a portfolio item.

Thank you for your help

Polarbear, he is very slow, not just on the tests, but in general. His final IEP meeting is this week and they are going to recommend extra time. It also isn't a big surprise that his achievement tests aren't extremely high, he isn't accelerated and is lazy and is worn out by the time he gets home and rarely wants to do anything. I really want to take him to the jet propulsion lab in pasadena this weekend, it is a bit of a trek but I think he will love it. Perhaps I should take my camera just in case!