Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment HELP! WPPSI-IV & KTEA-3

I am so lost. My daughter who is currently 5 years and 8 months took the WPPSI-IV and KTEA-3 in December (so, at age 51/2). We knew she would score within the gifted range and we have her GIEP meeting coming up, but I have so many questions on what the scores mean and what accommodations we should be advocating for.
First the WPPSI-IV: What does it mean to hit a ceiling? What are the ceilings on the WPPSI-IV? Does it really matter if we get her "true IQ" so long as the accommodations are appropriate? I only ask because she scored a 17 in three of the categories and depending on where you get your information it may or may not be a ceiling.
KTEA-3: I guess this is the achievement test they will be using for the PLEP section, how do you determine what she needs based on these scores? I just get the impression that they are going to offer her the schools pull out program and some "token differentiation" in the classroom and I don't think that will be enough. She is reading well above grade level and truthfully i don't think she's learned a single thing since school started.

Thank you for the quick response. There is so much to sort through! Her composite score on the WPPSI was a 134. the subtests were 17 in information and similarities, 16 in matrix reasoning and 12 in block design (though I have heard that mental rotation doesn't develop in girls until later in life? - so maybe that's why there is such a gap there?)
How would I know if she answered enough questions on her test? Is that something the report would indicate or something I should ask about? -- though like I mentioned before, I'm not sure that it really matters since she passed the 130 mark to qualify for the program.
My real confusion comes from the KTEA-3 and how that will support her needs for accommodations. My biggest concern is that according to the schools curriculum, she has already mastered all of the material for kindergarten (by the end of the first semester) so, I am just having difficulty seeing how the teacher will be able to offer her higher level work within the same classroom. It seems to me that, especially at the early grades, acceleration would have to happen -- and compacting the material (the first grade curriculum looks like a really great program for her second semester, but I'm sure she'd breeze through the work in half the time).
I guess I just don't understand the options available. A pull-out program certainly won't cut it-- what is she supposed to do the rest of the time?

Welcome!

You've received great advice above.

If the scores indicate your child is in the 99.9th percentile according to the information provided on this webpage, you may wish to apply to the Davidson Young Scholars (DYS) program.

To prepare for your GIEP meeting, you might want to read this post of buzzwords and their meanings, especially looking at pull-out groups and differentiation as you mentioned that this what you anticipate may be offered by the school.

In general, many parents find that their gifted children are not well-served by the government school system, which is focused on closing achievement gaps and excellence gaps (therefore may cap the growth of students at the top to accomplish this gap closure: equal outcomes is their goal).

What is the downside of a child not being challenged in school? Students may grow unmotivated by lack of an academic challenge worthy of their potential; They may stop learning and "level out"... They may find ways to entertain themselves in class and be labeled as class clowns or disruptive...
- This old post summarizes ten key points made in the linked article: What A Child Doesn't Learn.
- This old post discusses excerpts from a linked article on the downside of having a poor educational/academic "fit".

Armed with the knowledge from these links, during your meeting you'll want to take notes, and ask gently probing questions.

Here is a link to a post which contains a roundup of advocacy tips.

Thank you for the links!
I have about 20 pages open in google lol.
I am concerned that the school will not be meeting her needs, which is why I am looking to figure out what would be a reasonable expectation going into the meeting. I don't want to seem pushy, but I also don't want to sign off on a token program either. I have been very patient in the evaluation process (6 months so far!) but she needs to start learning eventually!
Does anyone have experience with a differentiated program? How does that work?

The 12 catches my eye too - especially since the other scores were so high. My guess is that it is mostly to do with lack of exposure. She is highly imaginative and prefers to spend most of her time playing pretend and reading. She loves crafts, but mostly cutting, gluing and creating she has never spent much time coloring and her penmanship is lacking. She only started writing in August and has made great strides, but its just not something she focuses on. I know nothing about the tests other than what the report prints out.
So by answering all the questions -- she didn't hit a ceiling?
Before school started, I warned her that people learn at different rates and that she needed to patient with her peers and so far she has been doing great, however I have been seeing the silly's creep in and at home her listening skills and temper tantrums have really taken a turn for the worse, which I think is because she doesn't need to exercise them during the school day. She knows she can skate on the material without paying attention.

The Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) recommends use of these types of assessments:
- ability
- aptitude
- achievement

A list of specific test instruments is found in this old post.

For some reason my replies aren't showing up so forgive me if this winds up being a duplicate
Indigo - thank you for the links. I am concerned that the school will be hesitant to meet her needs based on previous interactions and I want to go into the meeting with a good idea of what I would like to accomplish. It's just that I'm not a professional! I know she has mastered everything kindergarten has to offer, but I'm not sure how high her knowledge goes, how to interpret the tests, or what a reasonable accommodation is and how it would be implemented or determined. Does anyone have experience with differentiation and how has it worked for your kids?
Portia - the 12 caught my eye too - especially since she scored so high in the other areas. My guess is that it is mostly from lack of exposure. She's much rather read than color. Are you saying with a score of 17 that she did not reach the ceiling? As for what she does the rest of the time -- before she started school warned her that people learn at different rates and that she would have to patient with her peers, so far that has worked, but I have noticed the sillys creeping in. I also know that since school started her listening skills and temper tantrums at home have really taken a turn for the worse. I believe its because she has learned she can skate by through school without listening and she has a hard time when we try to hold her accountable at home. If more was expected at school I think her behavior at home would improve as well.

How does grade skipping work exactly? I am sure that she is able to do all of the work presented in first grade (as well as some second), but she would have to "catch up" first. How do they place her where she belongs and address the material she missed?

aeh is our local volunteer test score interpretation expert on the forum... hopefully your inquiry will be noticed and responded to by aeh.

Problem 1: Lack of challenge shortchanges the child. See the thread "What Kids Don't Learn".
Problem 2: The child not being engaged can be misinterpreted by the school as lack of maturity, ADD/ADHD, poor social skills, etc... when disengaging may actually be a normal childhood response to lack of challenge.

So far her primary teacher recognizes her gifts and has been great at putting her with students that she can "mentor" so most of what would be misbehavior has been channeled into mothering the boys in her class lol. But obviously this is a short term solution and not where she should be spending her energies.