These are excellent questions. A few pieces of perspective, first:
1. formal test scores are not really considered fully stable until about age 8 or 9, due to the highly variable testability of young children, as well as the wide range of healthy development possible. So the scores at age 7 could have been low estimates, for many unexceptionable reasons.
2. formal testing captures only certain aspects of development relevant to school and life success. 120+ is generally considered to be the range where factors other than pure cognitive ability become more significant in affecting an individual's outcomes. Among those factors that have been discussed in the research literature are: "grit" (determination, resilience to failure), executive function (organization, planning, follow-through, etc.), emotional intelligence.
To your question of what 145 means that 125 does not: There really is a significant difference in rate of learning between individuals legitimately at those respective levels. This does not necessarily translate into a difference in real life function, in either direction. As with any other inborn gift or trait, much lies in how it is developed, the opportunities encountered through the vagaries of life, and what the individual's other traits are.
To your question of why your son should be excluded: any program that has entrance criteria will unavoidably have to have applicants fall on either side of the line. At some point, doing away with entrance criteria would also do away with the ability to be significantly beneficial to any of the applicants at all. (Note: I have no children in DYS, nor have I had any particular urge to apply on their behalf. We have not even had them cognitively tested (though as a professional, I have a fairly good idea of where they would score). This has not prevented them from accessing the education we believe to be most appropriate to each of them.)
I should also point out that, clearly, access to DYS has not impaired your child's educational success in any noticeable way. And FWIW, I have known people with obtained scores very close to your son's who were able to enter college comparably early.
Last edited by aeh; 03/04/19 06:50 PM.
