Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Do these MAP scores call for an IQ test?

DS in first grade got the following scores on his Fall NWEA MAP:
Reading 219 (99th 1st; 99th 2nd; 97th 3rd); math 198 (99th 1st; 94th 2nd). DH and I are trying to determine whether to spend the $1000.00 to have him IQ tested. We only want to do this if it will provide him additional opportunities in the future.

Anyone with scores like these end up with an exceptionally gifted IQ score?

Thanks!

What type of opportunities would you be hoping to have if his IQ scores came out in the HG-PG range? FWIW, my oldest whose MAPs scores looked like that in 4th does not have high enough IQ scores to qualify for DYS, for instance, but another child with similar scores might. It is anyone's guess when you are dealing with achievement scores that high -- the kid might be HG; he might be PG.

Those scores are definitely high, but to determine if you should get further testing it would be important to think about whether your DS is happy with school as it is right now, what the level is at which your DS's classmates are performing, whether there is anything that concerns you about your DS's behavior or emotional state, etc. What kinds of things are you seeing at home and at school? $1000 is a lot to spend, so if everything is a-ok right now then it would be fine to wait, but if something is not right then ability and achievement testing could help you get a clearer picture of your DS and might help you advocate for a change, if necessary.

99th percentile in achievement testing doesn't really tell you much about cognitive abilities, because achievement is a combination of cognitive, exposure, and effort.

My DD scored in the 99th percentile for reading and math on the Woodcock-Johnson achievement tests. Cognitively, she's in the moderately gifted range overall, with visual-spatial abilities just shy of the highly gifted range cutoff.

As for cognitive testing... have you spoken to your child's school?

I would say that at this age, DYS doesn't have much to offer (let me rephrase: "as much to offer as it does to older children"), so that's not a reason to test. If you don't have any idea what resources it would open up locally, it's not a reason either-- especially because some programs are picky about what tests they'll accept anyway. You might feel silly having spent $1000+ on decent testing only to have a program administer a group test which is required for admission. Regarding DYS, later on you may find it easier and much cheaper to use a test like Explore to gain entry.

Looking at your posts from February 2011 combined with this one, though, I do see some good reasons to test. The drop in scores experienced back then might indicate some learning issues, and at least indicates that the educational fit probably isn't the greatest (which impressions are heightened by the fact that despite his superior scores in math, he increased only 8 points in 3/4 year, which is slower than expected). In addition, a verbal score increase in 3/4 year of 25 points is much more than expected, and definitely not due to anything the school is doing with him. Testing could well help you in advocating for acceleration at school, and help you understand more about your son.

Looking back at your post from February, my son has similar scores for kinder (winter math 197 winter reading 179). We did do IQ and achievement testing over winter break. For us, we are trying to figure out what to do with ds. He is far above his peers in math (the principal called him an outlier) and slightly above in reading. He is not DYS but we do need to do things different for him at school. We didn't pay much for testing as our insurance (BCBS) covered it.

hth
Sheila

Wow, thank you for all of the advice. My husband and I alternate between let's "just let him be a kid" and "something MUST be done." He took the MAP test again today and grew slightly in reading (6 points, to 224), but gained 17 points in math since this fall (215). The teacher has tried to accommodate him but it never seems to be enough. This is his issue as well, as he feels strange being the only first grader reading Harry Potter or doing the 3rd or 4th grade math workbook. He is happiest when being challenged and learning new things, but doesn't want to be different, which we understand.

We've scheduled a meeting with the principal, G/T coordinator and teacher tomorrow. We'll see if there's anything else that can be done.
We also have a meeting scheduled with the psychologist who specializes in G/T.
I really appreciate all of the suggestions -- it's impossible to find someone to talk to about these things without sounding ridiculous. We want him to have meaningful work and continue to grow...we're afraid if we leave things as they are, he will be miserable in a few years, if he isn't already.
I think we probably should pursue testing at some point-- perhaps the school district will conduct it? I suppose it never hurts to ask.
Thank you for all the advice -- it helps to feel like I have all my ducks in a row!

A

I sympathise, but in what universe does 'just being a kid' mean to sit in a classroom where they already know all the material being taught in a subject, and all the material that will be taught next year as well?

DH and I also looked for ways to feed our DS's curiosity without stealing the thunder from the teachers. All that effort and DS was still a poor fit for a regular classroom! Some kids just are born that way, it's no ones fault.

Try singing this whenever that 'just let him be a kid' thought pops back into the head, ok?

BTW - Lady Gaga was a CTY kid.

Love and More Love,
Grinity