Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Iowa Test - Is it easy?

My DS10 just took the Iowa test for the first time. I was shocked to see how high his scores were. Does anyone have experience with the Iowa? If yes, would you say it is a pretty easy test?

Background: My son's last IQ testing put him between 140 and 150. He has an average processing speed. Normally he tests higher than most kids his age, but on the Iowa, his average grade was 9th (while he was in 4th). And, he scored 12+ in many areas. If it weren't for his math grades, which were around 6th grade level, he would have averaged being a typical 11th grader.

The ITBS is one of those tests where the grade equivalencies given have to be taken with a grain of salt. A 4th grader who gets a score that says he is at 11th grade equivalency scored as well as the average 11th grader (a kid who is at the 50th percentile of 11th graders nationwide) would have were he given that same 4th grade test.

My oldest took the ITBS only in 3rd grade. What I found more meaningful than the grade equivalencies were the percentiles which told us how she stacked up with kids in her grade: 3rd. She was in the 99th percentile as compared to 3rd graders on every section of the test except math, which was still in the 90s, and the composite score was also 99th. FWIW, she wound up skipping a grade shortly thereafter and that seems to have been a good choice.

If your ds is also coming out in the 99th in many or all areas, which sounds like a good possibility, I'd certainly want to know what type of acceleration or other options he has available.

When my children have taken the ITBS I have insisted that it be given at least two years above grade-by-age level. You can use the ITBS (as a guide) for placement if you do this by finding where the kid scores between the 90th and 94th percentiles, which indicates mastery of that level's material.

Unfortunately, 99s down the line don't tell you where this happens. If your child is just barely at 99 (and wouldn't also earn a slew of 99s on the next level up), then he likely would be at the 97th-98th percentile for the next grade up and in the low 90s in the grade beyond that. At least that's how it's worked out for several years around here (for two kids over multiple levels). The thing is that it is important to confirm this with higher level testing.

The grade equivalent scores they give you simply mean that an *average* 12th grader (at the 50th percentile) would get the same score your son got. This says more about the achievement of average high school students than about your (or my) son's abilities. Average high school students are not mastering high school level material--more like upper elementary material.

Thank you so much for the responses. DS is currently homeschooled, so I am looking at the test in terms of finding the right curriculum fit for him. I am wondering if I've been teaching "too low."

Based on your recommendations, I went back and looked at his percentages. His scores were mostly between 97 - 99%, with the exception of math (68%) and reference materials (67%). Reading 99, Language 99, Social Studies 99, and Science 99.

If your son's' IQ is in the 140s, even with average processing speed, he is probably ready for input 2-3 grade levels up (and possibly higher), particularly in the areas where he scored at the 99th percentile. I'm basing this on my experience with my son who has a similar profile and was homeschooled until this past spring.

Thanks, Kai. I appreciate the guidance.