Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment EXPLORE Scores

Apm221 - PM'd you.

Any additional portfolio suggestions are appreciated (here or by PM). Finding a test/tester is proving to be tricky (I had started looking into this earlier "just in case" DD had the Explore scores she needed). Thanks!

Anyone have any ideas on the difference in emphasis there is on the DYS application between WISCIV and ACT Explore scores? Our 2E DS 9 scored 136 FSIQ on the WISC administered for ADHD diagnostic purposes 1 yr ago. We just got his Explore results, English 17, Math 25, Reading 19, Science 19 and Composite 20. The composite puts him in the 92nd percentile for fall 2013 8th grade students. Based on 2012-13 information, that puts him in the 95th percentile of the eligible 4th graders who took the exam. DYS guidelines say 17 composite is minimum score plus two other scores at or above stated minimums....his composite plus three of his four scores are above DYS requirements

Did they calculate a GAI for the WISC? In instances where this should be done, the GAI may be higher and may be more representative of the person's abilities, and both GAI and FSIQ are acceptable for Davidson.

I'm sure others here can tell you the when, whys and hows of calculating that.

The Explore results you reported are very high.

Also, you could submit the Explore scores and a portfolio.

JAH823,

There are 3 options.

You may submit EXPLORE test result and portfolio (instead of IQ test option). Especially he is very good in Math, you can record how he solve Math problems, etc in portfolio. I would not submit WISC IV. It may go against you. But if his GAI, PRI and VCI is high, it would be OK (because of 2 E).

Do you have the subtest scores for the WISC?

Thanks for the comments. He is closer on one of the WISC scores than on the FSIQ. As with other comments I have read from others, we have not done a very good job of creating 'portfolio' material. One potential issue with the wisc test is that it was done for diagnostic purposes...once in 1st grade, once in third. He was off meds for this last test, and I am sure that may have had a minor impact...enough to possibly cross the threshold of the DYS requirements....we will review with his doctor and possibly re-test. In his case, GAI was only slightly higher...I think 1 point. The Explore test was a real eye opener....the concept of above level testing was new to me...an interesting link from a DITD previous article on the subject http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10468.aspx
Kind of scary how well he did!

Does anyone have a great document for explaining scores to a school/teacher who might be unfamiliar with them?

OR, does anyone want to explain how they approached their school with the scores (particularly schools that might not be terribly familiar with what they are looking at)?

Thanks, again!!!

Loy58, the link below will take you to Duke's site....it is for last years test. The info shown there will be updated for this years test in May. The link in my earlier post does an excellent job of explaining the Talent Search concept....an idea that originally started to test 'precocious' math kids back in the 70's. Take the top 5% kids from a normal bell curve, re-test those kids and take their scores and create a new bell curve. I think your DD scored 18? As a 3rd grader? if so, very amazing. I'm guessing 18 would put her in the 80-85 percentile against the 8th grade students. Using the 2012-2013 info,she would be in the 87th percentile for the 4th grade testers...so few 3rd graders take it that they don't even have a column for that! Using those same figure, she would be in the 62nd percentile for all 3 grades of testers...remember, these kids are the top 5 to 10%

Be prepared for them not know how to proceed with your DD

http://tip.duke.edu/downloads/ts/46/EXPLOREResultsSummary.pdf

am traveling...don't have the sub test scores

Yes, I'm getting that response more than any other. My DD9 (age-wise a 3rd grader, but skipped so is a 4th grader) has a composite score of 21 from this year's test, and no one that I've talked to has much to suggest to me (other than extracurricular enrichment, yada yada yada), even the school district office. I shared results with her teacher who said, "What are you going to do?" (Uh, I was hoping you'd have ideas??) I will sign her up for a summer camp associated with our local talent search (WATS) and hope that she enjoys it (fingers crossed).

I don't have an IQ number for her, so will be needing to put together a portfolio for the DYS application, and really don't know what to put in that. Does it all have to be recent, or can it be from when she was a lot younger? Her TAG advisor gave me a set of problems from a previous Noetic Math competition, so I could have her fill that out and see how she does. (Looks like those can be purchased if you google "noetic learning") She's working on a song parody so maybe I can record that when she's done. Do STAR reading reports showing her advanced reading level count as a good piece to include in her portfolio?

When I talked with an admin at the school district office for TAG, she knew of DYS but didn't know of many DYS kids in our district, just a few here and there. So I don't even know that if DD9 is accepted as a DYS, if that would do us any good at all if there's little or no knowledge of what that means.