Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment KTEA-II Grade Equivalents and my 4-year-old

Hi, everyone -
My daughter did a screening test for a local summer enrichment program (CTD at Northwestern, for those familiar.) She took this screening test the day after she turned four, which was the minimum age they needed to screen.

When my son did this same screening, he got precentiles on both the KTEA-II and the KBIT. But he was 4 1/2 when he did it. For my daughter, they gave grade equivalents for the KTEA-II instead of percentiles because (according to the printed results) grade equivalency is used for students 4 years 0 months to 4 years 5 months (something like that).

I'm not very familiar with this type of test result, although I can pretty much figure out what they mean. In reading she was about 2.9 and math was about 1.5. I assume that means she reads like an average 2.9th grader, and does math like an average 1.5 grader?

Her KBITs were at 99th percentile. Can anyone tell me if this looks like her KTEA is likely 99th percentile as well?

Is the KTEA grade equivalents the sort of test that can help us determine if (further down the line) she would benefit from grade skipping? She qualified for the program, which was really the only purpose for the screening, but of course I want to better understand what the scores really mean.

Thanks for any insights!

The KTEA-II age norms begin at 4-6, so they could only give her grade equivalents.

GEs are a statistically-derived measure that indicate that she got the same score on this test that the average 1.5 grader got on it. It does not mean that she necessarily can be instructed in math at a mid-first grade level.

Those are impressive scores for a just-turned-four-year-old. Even so, I would be cautious about basing any placement decisions that are a few years away on what is essentially a screening assessment. The KBIT is only a cognitive screener, not a comprehensive instrument, and these KTEA-II scores are not solidly norm-referenced, as they are out-of-level. Not to mention, preschool scores are notoriously unstable. I would wait until this decision is closer, and then re-examine her classroom performance, social-emotional development, updated comprehensive psychoed assessment, etc. to make a holistic decision at the time.

Thanks for your response! She is only in preschool right now and will be starting pre-K next year, so I am definitely not making any kind of placement decisions at this age! But I just wondered how valid these scores were in terms of see what might be coming in the future.

She has an older brother who is one grade ahead of her. He had to do an IQ test for kindergarten entry. I can't remember all his scores off the top of my head, but he did have 150 (+) on the verbal IQ of the WPPSI IV (I only remember that since it was a qualifying score for Davidson - not sure yet if we will apply).

My daughter seems light years ahead of her brother - in reading for sure, and in overall maturity. Since they are so close in age, I worry about her skipping a grade and being in his same class, or even skipping ahead of him.

Yeah, I know... way to early to think or worry about such things. But, it's what mothers do. We'll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.

(PS - sorry if this post doesn't make much sense... I've got the flu today and I'm kind of out of it.)