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I am new here, and have a daughter who is starting middle school. She has had a medical DX of Aspergers, and just recently an educational DX of AS. She also has anxiety/OCD, sensory processing difficulties and fine motor delays. We are meeting with the school in August to discuss the results of her testing and we have some concerns that were not addressed in the FIE.
Academically, she has always mastered things easily with the exception of handwriting. She has been recieving accommodations for writting for the last few years under a 504, but will be moving to an IEP for middle school She also stuggles to recall multiplication facts quickly and any timed math test or worksheet is a nightmare. On our state assement in math she scored a 54%, but when they gave it to her again, without the pressure of time she only missed one.
She always has A's with an occasional B in math. She was nominated for the GT progam every year and all of her teachers felt she was gifted, but she did not get in until 5th grade. In 4th grade the GT teacher said she had never had a student be nominated that many times and not make it in. Her tests from year to year were inconsistent, for example one year she would test in the 97% for NNAT and the next year 72%. One year, 92% for SAGES-2 reasoning, and 42% the next. Cogat showed similar irregularities with scores of 55%, 89% and 96%. Once she scored a 42% on the GT reading, yet she is classified as hyperlexic (she was reading independently by age 3 and read copious amounts per week.
She was tested at the end of this year for the GT English and GT math. Since she was admitted to GT English, I did not get those scores (they only give scores if you didn't get in). For math she scored: 96% for COGAT/OLSAT 93% NNAT 96% for ITBS Math Achievment District Problem solving test - 1 (scale of 1-4;4 being high) Commended TAKS Math: No (but she was very close) Math Grade average: 89 percent.
Since she did not get into GT math, they put her in AP math. My understanding is they both follow the same content, but AP has more repetition i.e. homework). Homework is a big problem for her, since she arrives home exhausted, and something that should take 10 minutes can take hours. GT also uses science as a base to teach math - science is her best subject; she only missed one on the state assessment.
We requested the FIE in the spring of 5th grade and we recieved the results of the testing, by mail this summer; we are meeting with them in August to review and I would like to have a strong understanding of what they mean before I go in. She qualified for an IEP with services in pragmatic speech for the AS, but they didn't bring up the extreme scatter in her scores on the WISC. I'm also suprised her Achievement tests were average - does this mean she should not be in the gifted English or AP math?
Our educational advocate is concerned about a possible LD in math that was not addressed in the report as well as the significant anxiety and depression on the BASC scores. I'm concerned the WISC points out possible viusal processing issues and/or fine motor problems. I would appreciate any insight or information and apologize for the long post.
I would like to know what target your school is looking for when they designate someone 'gifted.' This can vary tremendously - some schools want their 'top 20%' in the gifted program, other schools want the 'top half a percent.'
It sounds like you think she would do better in the GT Math. I would suggest that you ask. For homework, you can ask for a reduction of numbers of problems needed in either class, having the teacher designate the 5 hardest problems, and allowing her to avoid the repetition if she gets them 100% right.
Here is a good paper that describes the subtests in more detail
Ditto to what Grinity said. I'll also add that the relatively low scores in Block Design, Coding, and Symbol Search could point to a visual challenge, so prior to your meeting in August I'd suggest having your dd's vision screened by a developmental optometrist.
I'd also go ahead and request (in writing) a copy of your dd's complete file from your school district so that you can have a copy of the complete set of scores from her previous gifted program testing. As Grinity mentioned, I'd also find out what the requirements for gifted programming are in your school district.
polarbear
The one gotcha I can see potentially happening with your upcoming meeting is that the school could say her ability and achievement test scores don't support inclusion in the gifted program (or honors or whatever). Yet your dd's performance may very well indicate she belongs there, so it's helpful to think through what all the info means carefully before the meeting, as you're doing. I tend to look at achievement testing such as the WJ-III and WIAT as a snapshot of very specific skills rather than showing broad achievement in a real world classroom situation, so even though the scores may look "average" if your dd is excelling in school I'd push for her to stay in the gifted/honors program including math. One potential gotcha in understanding the achievement scores is any test labelled "fluency" - those are timed tests requiring written responses - so if your dd is challenged by handwriting, she may test artificially low on those subtests. If she's got some type of vision challenge, she might also be making errors in math problems requiring calculations that are due to copying rather than not understanding the math.
Was the FIE administered by the school district or an independent psychologist? Can you go back to the psychologist to ask specific questions?
Last thought - I'd also request a draft copy of the school district's recommendations prior to your meeting so you have a chance to review them prior to the meeting.
the relatively low scores in Block Design, Coding, and Symbol Search could point to a visual challenge, so prior to your meeting in August I'd suggest having your dd's vision screened by a developmental optometrist.
I second this. My son had very very similar score to your DD's in these same subtest. I watch him take the test and realized that he wasn't seeing things right. I took him to a pediatric developmental optometrist and sure enough he has a vision disorder that we are now treatign with vision therapy and occupational therapy.
Good luck to you and your DD! Let us know how it all works out.
I went through vision therapy in first grade. This was back in 1981. I absolutely hated missing Sat. morning cartoons, but my parents and first grade teacher all felt it made a big difference.
Thanks for all the information. The middle school GT program is subject specific, so I doubt they will pull her from GT English, especially since her teachers have all said they feel she is gifted, vs high achiever. I haven't ever had an inkling the school felt GT wasn't a good fit, and that includes her the GT teacher. Still, dealing with the school system has crushed my rose-colored glasses, so the heads up is appreciated. Math is harder to argue and I don't want to put her in the wrong program.
Fluency is definitely a concern. Our educational advocate feels she may have a Math LD. We meet with her in a couple of weeks to discuss her thoughts.
Her IQ/Achievement testing was done by our school LSSP. I'm also troubled that her her fine motor delay (she can't tie her own shoes at age 11) has been affecting her tests. I will make sure to request the draft copy - great advice! I'm sure my advocate will recommend it as well, but this way I can say I'm already on it and impress her.
I did wondered about a visual issue. When my daughter was being dx. one of the doctors we saw used a QEEG and said the results showed (among other areas) abnormal waves in the area associated with visual processing.
Thanks for the link! I've combed the net trying to understand her scores, so I appreciate the information. I know the school will review the testing with me, but I've found it's best to be as informed as possible when dealing with the system.
In elementary, GT requires a teachers recommendation,(I think parents can also request, but not sure) and the majority of all scores 95% or better. She did get in for 5th grade, so must have been a good day.
For middle school, they offer GT English/Lit and GT Math. In 8th grade they also have GT Science and Social Studies. It's the same testing requirement as elementary, but they add in grade average for that subject.
