Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WIATT-III results Age or Grade base

Our DD took the WIATT-III achievement test this last weekend and I haven't gotten the results (they are supposed to come tomorrow) but I was wondering if she will be assessed according to her age or her grade? She is 7 years 3 months so technically she is a "First Grader" however she skipped First Grade and is now becoming bored in 2nd grade. Someone mentioned that her results for the WIATT-III will be according to her grade not her age but that doesn't seem right? I am not sure how this all works but cannot find the answer anywhere.

If we are applying to DYS will she be assessed a whole year ahead as far as her percentages? That seems unfair or to be penalized for grade skipping. Wouldn't it then be easier to get into DYS if we didn't accelerate her?

We had her take the achievement test so that we could apply to DYS. Her WISC-IV was GAI 154 and after taking it DYS was recommended to us by her educational psychologist. I would hate to think that she is going to have a harder time getting into Davidson because we chose to accelerate.

Can anyone help find some answers?

Thanks in advanced,
Allison

Hi Allison,
Looking at my son's WIAT results and it specifically shows "Age Based Scores" right before reporting the subtest scores. Then the scores throughout the report show Grade and Age equivalents. If they give you grade based scores, they should also be able to regenerate them as age based.

I don't think grade acceleration really matters for DYS as long as you have the scores that are required. It was not a factor in my DS's case. He took the WISC at 7.6 and was technically a first grader but already a second grader - he has a similiar GAI and became a DYS about 9 months after his WISC.

OK great. Someone had mentioned that they thought that DYS had only looked at them according to their grade not age. That didn't sound right, but then I got nervous that she might not do as well as she would have before the grade skip.

THANK YOU everyone for clearing it up. Hoping to get our application in as soon as I get the results this week! If I am submitting qualifying WISC and WIATT is it necessary to also provide portfolio or is that over kill?

Yes, but the trick is how the scores are reported (and maybe normed). For example, the qualifying scores on the Explore are grade-based, not age-based, so you could be at a disadvantage if you had a kid that had skipped a grade. That said, if we had scores that would qualify on an age basis but not a grade basis (say, an 8-year-old 5th grader with a composite score of 17), I would submit them anyway, with an explanation that while my child was actually enrolled in 5th grade, s/he would have been a 3rd grader if not skipped and so the score should be considered to be qualifying.

ETA: alliesebas, my DYS9 had qualifying IQ and achievement scores, and we just submitted them without any portfolio items. They were accepted with no problems. I wouldn't bother.

I almost included your point Elizabeth as my DS just took the Explore as a 4th grader (but technically 3rd).

Also, alliesebas, I thought after I originally posted my DS did the WJ Achievement at exactly 7 and still a 1st grader - I submitted those scores for the achievement part. So they considered his achievement scores at 7/1st grade and WISC scores at 7.6/2nd grade - no portfolio.

I thought (and I could be way off) (and I don't know this about the WIAT, I am just familiar with the WJ-III Achievement test... but I think they are somewhat similar and might be scored in a similar way)... so here goes, for the WJ-III: I think that the raw and standard scores are based on a student's *age*.... and the report you get back that has all the gobs of data on it listed in different manners includes grade-equivalents, but it doesn't matter for DYS what those are, because the DYS criteria is asking for the score that is based off of age - and that's the "number" that you get as "the number"... ok, sorry that's not a technical (or clear) way to describe it at all, but the gist of what I'm trying to say is - whether or not the grade equivalent on your report is listed as your dd's current skipped grade or the grade she would have been in if not accelerated, it's the "number" (not grade equivalent) that counts, and that's tied to age.

Again, my kids have never taken the WIAT so I might be totally incorrect! And could be incorrect about the WJ-III too - so I would ask the person who administered the test if you have questions about it.

Good luck!

polarbear

ps - the "number" I'm referring to is the score listed on the Davidson criteria page.

For the WJ-III you can get a report with age norms or grade norms. Age norms should be used unless the student has been retained. We were initially given a report with just grade norms but all I had to do was ask the tester for the age-normed report and she printed it. The standard scores/percentiles were all different between the two reports.

Thanks everyone! UPDATE: The administer did them age based (And grade based for our own records)

Good news: She scored 145 in Reading (99.9%) and 144 in Math (99.8%) So I am going to send in the application today. With the WISC 154 this should qualify her according to everything on their page?

If those are the broad reading and broad math scores, then yes, with the GAI, the scores should qualify on their own.