Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment huge discrepancy between WISC and reading level

In our school, the vast majority of assessments are only given to determine whether your child is at grade level. These tests are designed to demonstrate NCLB compliance. They don't look at whether your kid is beyond grade level.

I see this type of testing as imposing a ceiling on high ability kids instead of a floor. No one looks at what the kid really can do, i.e. read two, three or four years above grade level, and thus they have no idea whether your kid actually progresses during the school year. The gifted kids can be completely stagnant but for the purposes of NCLB, they're good.

Ok. I just looked at 10 of his last books. 8 books were 6th grade, 1 was 4th, 1 was 5th.

In early grades our school only allows teachers to assess DRA up to one grade level above current grade. For example, when DD was in second grade at the end of year, her teacher tested her to end of year for third grade. However, the same teacher verbally explained to me that she was confident DD could have gone several grades higher if she had been allowed to continue. As I understand it, this "one grade higher" policy is quite common.

Definitely get some answers around the policy at your specific school. Luckily in third grade our school has given up DRA and guided reading levels altogether for kids that aren't struggling readers.

We've seen the same thing with our son. A lot of it has had to do with his verbal communication skills (not great) versus his actual ability to comprehend (excellent). The school has him somewhere around 5th grade reading level (he's finishing 3rd grade now) but testing has shown he's actually closer to 7th or 8th grade. It probably doesn't help that if given the choice he'll spend his days reading comic books and Big Nate, lol.

A couple of things come to mind. First, WISC VCI doesn't equate to a reading level. My dyslexic ds20 would be a prime example of that. He scored quite well despite his reading levels. For example, the comprehension subtest is measure responses to general ideas or social situations. In no way represents what most people think of comprehension.

DRA has been a nightmare for us. My dd6 scored grade level most of the year. The school stock to the party line of "it is a comprehension issue." They tested her on WIAT & WJ the comprehension score was >99.9 %tile. She was not giving them enough of a response on the DRA. If she is bored she will give responses like "it's about a dog." Which on an assessment like DRA is a score killer. I measure her reading by the books she reads at home and how well she can answer questions about them. When she loves a book I hear endlessly about it. She finally scored somewhat closer at level 28 in March, still off because its now written responses and she has some difficulty with writing in general. Add salt to the wound, the school wants to take credit for her growth from a level 4 in Sept to 28 in March! She was reading level 28 at home in Sept, Sigh...

this has been our experience. the teachers said DD5 was a "non-reader" at the beginning of march, since she wouldn't read anything for them. apparently boring books + desire to blend in = a refusal to participate. (go figure!)

when she understood she'd have to humour the system to get beyond it, she blew through 11 levels in one day. we know she could have kept going for about 30 more, but she's in Pre-K - and so they just stopped the process. the readers that have been coming home ever since have not progressed. she's irate; i'm irate, but she's clearly beyond grade level, so they've decided to keep her "levelled". in every sense of the word.

boggles the mind.