I actually got a similar letter back in February. I'll toss in my experience, even though it is a bit different so as to help folks trying to put together a better stategy for their kids' applications.
We didn't actually have qualifying IQ scores; he had a GAI on the WISCIV that was over 145, but they don't accept that. And he had an SB5 that was just shy of 145 and a comment from the tester saying that he felt the scores were all an underestimate because DS had hit hard ceilings on half of the subtests; we had started testing when DS was 9 and the tester thought he was probably too old to be testing with these tests. I *thought* we had a qualifying WJ3 score, but DYS had revised their criteria and no longer accepted the subtests we had (and the tester hadn't done the tests they did accept). So I thought I had one qualifying score and one score that was a smidge low, but I counted on them to take the comments from the tester and the GAI into consideration. I really don't think they did; I think when they realized neither score qualified, they were done. It was only when I contacted them a few weeks after I got the letter, that they pointed out my mistake with the WJ score.
Since I really thought DS was a solid Ruf level 4, and I thought I had given them plenty of data to show this, I naively thought we had a good chance. When I asked them about the IQ scores (and the underestimate based on the ceilings and the GAI), they said that they had plenty of kids who met the score requirements and they wanted to make sure they kept their cut-off appropriately high.
I'm not saying that there is a problem with anything that happened--heck DS didn't have a single qualifying score; they're providing a free service and they have every right to do what they want. I just think *I* had false expectations about how flexible they were about the testing standards and their willingness to look beyond the numbers when there was other data.
I still think that DS is a good candidate (based on his developmental history and where he is functioning in school), but I didn't want to chase any more scores. DS will be taking the ACT in Feb and I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will have scores well over the cut-off (he did on the practice test he just took) and then we can consider applying again. Now I'm wondering, though, if it will be worth trying since I don't ever plan on repeating the IQ tests so, at most, he would only have one qualifying score.
The bottom line for me and this whole experience (and all the learning I did about testing in the process) is that I appreciate what a hard job the DYS people have. The tests just aren't all that precise at the high ends, some very smart kids have bad test days, and DYS wants to make their program meaningful by limiting admission to the highest levels. It's all totally fair, but it's still no fun to get the letter!
