Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment NWEA scores and frustration

First, is NWEA really an accurate way to decide if a child is gifted? Here are her scores the last two years:

Second Grade
Reading: 214 (95%ile)
Language Arts: 218 (99%ile)
Math: 226 (above 99%ile)

Third Grade
Reading: 333 (above 99%ile)
Language Arts: 220 (95%ile)
Math: 235 (above 99%ile)

Considering the very limited curriculum, I think these scores are amazing.

Her report cards don't give grades, but she is marked "Above Grade Level" in all subjects all year long. There is no gifted program, and her teacher acts as though her desire to learn more and do her best is annoying. If she is gifted, I don't know what I should be doing about it. Her best friend is even more advanced, and she moved up to the 4th grade a couple months ago, but she is also 10 1/2 months older. My daughter is one of the youngest in the class, so I would never allow her to move up a grade if it was an option. I think there is a gifted program in the high school, but what should I do until then?

The only NWEA tests I'm familiar with are the ones our school gives the students about 3 times a year to check on how they are progressing (NWEA-MAP). These are computer based tests and the questioning gets harder as the student progresses through the test until they basically top out at their level of knowledge. If that is what you are referring to then your DD does have strong scores, but those tests are not going to really tell you if your child is gifted or not. That being said, if you have a kiddo that consistently scores above level on these tests then it might not be a bad idea to get some further testing done (IQ and achievement)or request the school do some further testing.

There is a chart that explains more about the NWEA tests and shows what level your DD is at - NWEA chart

If you do a search on this forum for NWEA you will also find many different posts to look through.

Even if your school doesn't have any gifted programming until high school there are still other options they could put into place like a 504 or "SIP" (school improvement plan) that would be beneficial to your DD. You should look into your school policies to see what those options might be. I would also talk to the friend's parents and find out how the school went about accelerating her a grade level (was there testing done, teacher recommendation, etc.)

You can always give your DD some enrichment at home. Even if the school does offer some acceleration, differentiation or whatever, you will find you still need to do enrichment.

I'm sure some others will have additional information for you - good luck!

That report on MAP scores is quite complete, but takes some time to wade through. I eventually made a summary of the %ile charts for myself based on Appendix B from that file, page 51. Here are your DD's 3rd grade scores as percentiles compared to fall scores in various grades. Are your scores for fall, winter, or spring?

Reading: 333 (That is off the charts I have, which top out at 264 for 99th percentile in 11th grade. Could the score be 233?)
233 98th, 4th grade; 96th, 5th grade; 92nd, 6th grade; 88th, 7th grade
Language: 220 97th, 3rd grade; 91st, 4th grade; 82nd, 5th grade
Math: 235 99th, 3rd grade; 98th, 4th grade; 94th, 5th grade; 84th, 6th grade

The general wisdom I received from others on this board is that a child will be comfortable working at the grade level where they are about 90-95th percentile. So if you are looking for enrichment/afterschooling materials, these scores would suggest 6th grade reading, 4th grade language arts, and 5th grade math as a starting point right after the tests were taken. If that was several months ago, she may be another grade up by now; have her tell you if she knows the material already before you buy. Sometimes you can get free placement tests online that will help.

There is also a debate about how much reading instruction you need to provide to a child who has passed out of the elementary-level reading ability. At some point it becomes more important to focus on interesting books that you can discuss the themes of, and less important to read books that are just at a more difficult reading level based on sentence structure and vocabulary. I won't enter the debate about where that line is.

My personal opinion: giftedness is a label we apply to part of a spectrum. Sometimes it's helpful to understand that your child fits into a label because you can find out information about the label that might apply to your child. But whether your child is gifted or not, the important task is to keep them happy and learning at their own level and pace. MAP scores tell you little or nothing about giftedness, but they do tell you something about what your child is ready to learn next.

Welcome and good luck!

Well said!

Remington, those are very strong scores! Your DD would have met some of the criteria to allow her to take "further testing" for our local gifted program with those scores.

Oh, sounds like a bad teacher match for your DD! Can you meet with the principal before next year so that your DD gets a better match? A teacher who perhaps does not find her desire to learn more annoying? (Seriously, should ANY teacher find the desire to learn more ANNOYING? Ugh!!!)

My DD8 is young in her grade, too - so I understand where you are coming from about the fear of moving her up. But, I'd say - never say never! Does the school provide differentiation, or perhaps subject acceleration?