Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment IQ Testing Question

If you are in the Detroit area, Roeper School has a list of testers who evaluate gifted kids. If you download an application from their website it lists their names and locations. I think your price quotes are high for Michigan. There are some really active parent groups there, including Gifted in Michigan and Mensa Kids. If you are near FH, the Stepping Stones School for the Gifted might be able to recommend someone.

If you are on the West side of the state, it seems like there is a pretty active organization called the GT Resource Network. It is a group of parents and kids that get together once a month. They coordinate some advocacy, enrichment activities, and just social things. I bet they could recommend a tester. Or you could take a train to Chicago for testing at Northwestern CTD.

You should never have to feel like you have to justify reason for wanting to have her tested to anyone. For us it was the best thing we could have done as well. In our situation it was never a question weather he was gifted, but rather to what degree. I was so confused trying to understand my son. After finding out he was PG, it all made so much more sense and I feel I relate to him so much better. Being in the dark was hard.

It is not about a "number", it is about knowing where your kid is on the spectrum to be able to support his needs. Not just academic, but most importantly, his emotional needs. Good luck!

Your daughter seems bored and is ready for more. The school's achievement testing appears to back it up. Honestly, I'd start from there. Speak to the teacher again, and move up from there if you meet more resistance. If the school can't meet her needs and you start thinking about private school, then do so. You have evidence of achievement. I would start there -- IQ aside, the test scores should make it clear that she should be able to handle more and that grade-level instruction is not well suited to her needs.

I am in the metro Detroit area. The two psychologists I contacted were names from the Stepping Stones website. Option #1 said she used to work for Roeper and still does a lot of testing for Roeper. I will call Roeper directly, though and see if they provide testing for less money, because that certainly would be nice.

Geofizz, I am beating a dead horse at her school. I took in her NWEA results to the conference. It took me 4 years to come to the conclusion that we are on our own in the public school system. That is where I am at today, just starting this journey on my own. I thought that when she got to 3rd grade they would start acknowledging the huge achievement gap between her and the other kids within our district, but they seem to only want to use the NWEA results to identify the children who are falling behind. That is fine, I just need to figure out where my daughter really stands as far as giftedness so that I can move forward on her behalf, even if that means switching to a private school that acknowledges the gifted kids. I figure if I can get her giftedness level determined (or lack of giftedness if it ends up being that way) then I can combine the IQ results and the NWEA scores and approach a private school with more eggs in my basket.

If you have the money to spare, I don't see anything wrong with getting an IQ test. GT and bright kids seem to enjoy it, although you did mention something about anxiety. If the anxiety comes with testing, then that might be something to consider. I would recommend telling her that you are going to do some tests to see how her brain works and how she thinks.

I can relate to several of your comments. I remember before I found this discussion board, I had stopped talking about my kiddo's achievements to other parents. It is very isolating to not have anyone to talk with, and I hope you feel comfortable sharing anything you want here. Many of us probably share your experiences.

Also, I remember wondering what in the world I was doing testing my then-4yo, but DH and I felt like we didn't want him to have the same kind of school experience we had when we were kids, and DS seemed even more advanced than we were. It turned out that we have been able to use the scores and the report to advocate for our DS and help us decide what type of school situation would be best for him. (By the way, I recommend option 1 with the report/meeting).

But as others have said, even without an IQ test, I think it is a good idea to use what you have -- the MAP scores and other info showing what your DD can do -- to try to advocate for more challenging materials. Since the teacher is not receptive, it may be good to try to gather samples from advanced stuff your DD does at home to show what she is capable of. If you give specific examples of areas where you think your DD needs more on another thread, folks here can probably give some helpful suggestions (sometimes just sending in different worksheets is a quick and easy fix).

ETA: posted this before seeing your response above -- if your school is completely nonresponsive, then my suggestions re: advocacy may not help....

I think you already know what you need to know... your daughter is significantly ahead of her age-peers, and she's not learning anything in school. Since the state has no requirements to provide learning opportunities to gifted kids, and since it appears your local district has not volunteered to provide them anyway, it's pretty clear at this point that some solution that does not include public school is required. Whether she's gifted or "just bright" (not sure that's even a useful distinction), you already know that something has to change.

I do think testing first, and inquiring with private schools later, is a bit of putting the cart before the horse, for the simple reason that they may have totally different requirements. For example, you don't feel like you need achievement testing, but the school of your dreams might... in which case, you're going back to option 2, and spending even more time and money.

I'm not saying don't test... I'm just saying it may be worth your while to explore your educational options further before deciding how to test.

Now that MON mentions it, I forgot to mention the price. We paid over $1000 for testing and a report, and it was worth every penny. You have some great deals to consider.

A PTC is the wrong place to talk about something like this. The teacher has an agenda to get through and there's not enough time to consider. Now is a good time of year -- classrooms are rolling along and the teacher isn't thinking about report cards. Make an appointment to talk. Read up around here about good ways to run this conversation. I have had good luck with questions like "what are your goals for DD this year?" "What is happening in the classroom so that DD makes a year's worth of progress?"

If the conversation comes up bupkiss, then move up to the principal. Ask for a meeting and lay out the test scores, report cards, and frustration with getting an appropriate education for your child. If the right solution is a grade skip or a subject acceleration, then more testing might be necessary, but the school should do it. Either way, and acceleration will require the principal's involvement.

Part of the reason I'm advocating against getting the IQ test is that I'm a little concerned about your approach in using whether or not she's actually above some IQ level to advocate for her needs. She's got needs and I think they are clear to you and they clearly show on the test results.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. If you haven't gone beyond a parent-teacher conference so far with advocacy. Teachers have a certain amount of information they plan to discuss, and there is no time for additional discussion. I do not remember your story of who you've spoken with so far.

Thank you for all of the support and feedback,it has given me a lot to consider and I appreciate the input. I can relate to the stories shared and that is reassuring.

Regarding PTC not being the time or place, I agree. I have also met with the teachers outside of PTC and the response does not vary. I did speak to the principal once (awhile ago) and got much the same response. I do need to speak to the principal again but I want to make sure that I have all of my information in hand. They seem to not take parent observation as reputable authority and when they look at her NWEA score they tell me she is smart and does well, but remind me it is just an achievement score and not an indicator of actual intelligence.

I am moving forward with the testing. It is the first time I feel really confident in a decision that I am making regarding her education. Intuitively I know that this step is necessary right now. I am not worried about her taking the actual test as she loves taking the tests at school (she thinks they are fun) and only has anxiety afterwards (over how she thinks she did on them) which I reassure her that I am happy as long as she gave it her best effort.

The curriculum at her school is very competitive to other schools I have researched, but there does not seem to be room for exception. I would like to be able to explore all of my options and find out what is available for her and I guess I simply feel I can't honestly do this without figuring out where she falls on the spectrum first.

As far as what she is actually capable of doing right now, it is difficult for me to say since she is locked into the same curriculum as every other 3rd grader in her school. Her reading level is high, she can read long chapter books (like Harry Potter) and comprehend them. They are currently learning multiplication/division in class and she can do her math facts quickly and accurately. She loves geometry and measurements. We are working on fractions at home, as well as reviewing multiplication/division. She loves story problems/logic problems. I purchased a math workbook that is 3rd grade math for the gifted student and the night I first gave it to her she couldn't stop working on it, she did 20 pages in one night and loved it. Her writing and language usage is very good (probably her strong point). I have read through a lot of the posts on this board and bookmarked many helpful resource pages to worksheets or videos or math blogs. She enjoys extra stuff like that and it helps fulfill a math requirement for school (doing extra math at home).