Would a difference of a few percentiles look that stark at the upper end? What must an average child look like, then? I don't think that I've met many average children if this is what MG looks like.
In my limited experience, I do think there is quite a wide range of kids with different abilities / capabilities towards the upper end of these tests, this is because the tests can not really differentiate well at the high end.
re: Tests, I look at my dd who isnt a super mathy kid, she took the SB 5 and did do very well on the verbal section of the SB 5. Do I think she would do any better on the WISC, probably not, as she doesnt like being timed. Could she score better using a WISC GAI than her current numbers on SB 5, my guess is probably so.
Really, these tests arent necessarily telling us the full picture and arent factoring things like personality, interests, intellectual drive etc. I am glad that my dd's school isnt just using cut offs to determine placement, but instead looking at each individual child and using tools like portfolios as well as interviews.
Personally, I am looking forward to DD doing Explore next year, because I hope that is going to give us a more accurate assessment of her abilities, than what we presently have.
