Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Gifted status "undecided" at DS' public school

Yesterday, I received notification from the school that the status of DS' gifted eligibility is "undecided." He "passed screening and requires further IQ testing by the school psychometrist to determine whether he/she is eligible for gifted services." I will receive a letter of final determination by September 1.

DS is in second grade. In February, he was pulled out with about half his class to be tested. I think they used the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. A score of 97%+ allows automatic entrance into the G/T program in this state. A few weeks later, DS told me that the gifted teacher pulled him out alone. I don't know what test he was given, but he says that he was asked to repeat a series of numbers backwards and she asked him to define "xxxeditedoutxxx." He didn't remember anything else but he says she asked a lot of questions. By his estimate (he missed the math lesson) he was gone about 40 minutes. He also says he didn't think that he did well because she was writing a "0" or "1" when he answered each question and she wrote down mostly "0".

Anyway, I'm just looking for others' thought. I tend to over think things, and September 1 seems a long time to be in limbo. Any BTDT? Do you think he will be given an additional test or are they waiting the results from the individual test? [When I requested that he be screened, I submitted two of the rubrics I had from the courses he recently took at the gifted program at a university (which is in a different state). I didn't submit the original test results (done at the university) because they are almost 4 years old]. School starts here at the beginning of August, so would they wait until the beginning of 3rd grade to test/gather additional information?

You may wish to write a letter to the school (e-mail will do).
- Addressed and distributed to all names/titles on the letter and on previous correspondence regarding gifted testing.
- Acknowledging the letter which you received.
- Asking for copies of all test results. (Search for FERPA online or read a parent-friendly summary here, at wrightslaw.)

You may also wish to begin a binder of advocacy documentation at home, gathering pertinent information including correspondence with the school, notes taken during any phone calls or in-person meetings, test results, work samples, letters of recommendation, your child's detailed description of the testing process, print-outs of the school policies (often found in the school's website) and your current State Laws regarding education.

Like you, I also would not have offered the prior test results. I think the school may choose to dismiss them (as IQ scores tend to stabilize around 8 years old).

You might want to edit out the specific word he was asked to define, as it may expose a question for an IQ test. The set of questions he was asked sounds like it may have been one of the IQ tests, but I can't tell which one on the basis of the information offered. (aeh may know on the basis of the specific test item mentioned - if you do edit it out, you might want to also PM her if she hasn't weighed in yet.)

If it was an IQ test, the tester is really not supposed to write down the results of each question in sight of the testee for obvious reasons. I might complain about that. I don't think it necessarily invalidates the test, but I wouldn't like it. I would also request that they tell you what test they gave him, as you need to know what assessments he has already had if you do any further testing privately.

In addition to the above, the obvious question to ask is why the determination is going to take so long - what additional information needs to be collected, what process needs to be followed, what the bottleneck is, etc. I think that the time lag is the bigger question right now. It certainly doesn't take that long to score/get results from any test that I'm aware of.

Unless the external rubrics you mentioned were actual, well-known broadly accepted IQ tests, I doubt they will have much weight. Nor is a test 4 years old likely to have much influence.

We weren't in the situation in terms of a delay, but our school did seem to go out of their way to find the one result of the 4-5 different tests to keep DD6 out of the gifted program. We had to pay for an independent SB5 test which got her admitted. As she's now DYS/SET/etc, I've provided feedback that their screening process might need to be tuned a bit.

Thank you all for your responses. I edited out the word that my son mentioned he was asked to define on the test.

ElizabethN, I didn't like that DS could see what was being written either. He can sometimes have test anxiety and from the way he described his experience, I could tell he was probably very nervous.

September 1st Is the deadline given by our state department. According to my letter, "Referrals resulting from 2nd Grade Child Find must be processed, eligibility determined, and students placed n time to begin 3rd grade pull-out by the September 1 deadline."

I don't know if it will necessarily take that long. When I asked that he be screened in February, I was told that I would get "notification of the results by the end of the school year." This was in the email that I received from the GT teacher.

Thank you, indigo and Cranberry, for the idea of my sending an email acknowledging that I received the letter and asking what additional information needs to be collected and copies of all tests results.

I am keeping all my correspondence (which thus far has been through email and letters sent home). I will start an advocacy binder so that I will have everything in one location.

Also, the rubrics I mentioned are just used as performance evaluations at the university's gifted program. I included them with the "Notification and Consent for Gifted Screening" that I had to complete and return because it asked that we "list any activities your child is involved in...or any other information that you think should be considered."

Child Find refers to special education services. Might there be a reason to suspect any learning disability (LD)? Alongside giftedness, this would give your child a "twice exceptional" or 2e label.

Resources for 2e include:
- 2e newsletter,
- Understood.org (focuses on the LD)
- wrightslaw.com (focuses on disability and special education law)

Actually, in some states, GT is serviced under special education law, and thus has some of the same due process requirements.

Yes, gifted education falls under special education services in my state (AL).

I think that legally (federal) you have the right to know every test administered to your child and the results of each - I forget the name of the law at the moment.

Also, before you lose further sleep over this do you know that the letter that you received wasn't a stock letter sent to the parents of all GT program participants?