We are trying to find the right school for our son. (Whom I adore!-- total sweetheart.) He's about 4.5, an only child, and is just on the cut off (depending on the school) for K. He's been attending a preschool 3 days a week.
One school we are considering for next year, which bills itself as exclusively for gifted kids, required testing. So, he took the WPPSI-IV, administered by a psychologist consultant affiliated with the school. I understand that they are looking for a score of 130 or higher (although they say they will consider a student who is close.) But, we got two composite numbers back, an FSIQ and GAI, and I am now not sure which one they consider.
So, on to the results: FSIQ 129, GAI of 139. Quote from the report: "X's highest scores were obtained on Block Design and Matrix Reasoning, on which he obtained the highest possible scaled scores." But, there were some areas that were not exceptional, and in fact, one is low, really low-- his picture memory was only 16th percentile.
I'm not familiar with these tests, but the difference between FSIQ and GAI seems to be quite large. So, what does this mean for my kid? We want the right fit for him. If he will flounder in a program designed exclusively for gifted students, that's no good. Is this GAI score just a number trick to convince us to send him to their school? Our other option is another fantastic private school that can tailor their program to each kid's strengths and weaknesses, and turns out fine kids, too. While they may not be exclusively for gifted kids, they seem to be able to handle them with success. I am not desperate to get him into the "gifted" school. I want the right school for him.
Thanks in advance for your thoughtful input.
