Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Non-verbal scores drastically different on 2 tests

My son is almost 7 (in August) and was in an "accelerated/gifted" kindergarten class last year.

Earlier this spring his class was given the Otis Lennon School Ability Test to see who might be recommended for the 1st grade gifted program.

When we received his scores we were quite surprised. What we are most concerned about is drastic change in the non-verbal scores from the Kaufman Brief Intelligence test in spring 2009. On the Kaufman test he scored in the 98th percentile on the non-verbal portion and this year he scored in the 21st percentile on the non-verbal on the Otis test. This extreme drop in score is a bit of a red flag to me. As far as I�m aware, the non-verbal scores should be a bit closer in range from year to year regardless of what has been learned in class.

Could the Otis method of testing--in class in a group setting--really produce accurate results for squirrely kindergartners? I'm confused how the results could be so drastically different in the span of one year.

The school has agreed to test him again in August but I'm interested in hearing any thoughts you'd care to share about this issue.

Even on an IQ test, my dd9's perceptual reasoning scores have varied wildly. At 7.5, her PRI index was at the 99th percentile, the next year at 8.5, it was at the 75th. On the CogAT, nonverbal was around the 89th or something. I have a really erratic child whose test scores seem to vary depending on her confidence level and other factors, though. Her achievement scores do the same thing -- 99th+ or high avg depending on the day.

There was a study on the OLSAT that said that it had a negative correlation with IQ for gifted kids. It is old and probably isn't available online anymore, but you can find some info about it here: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests_tell_us.htm Scroll down about half way to the section entitled "intelligence tests."

When my son was in Kindergarten, we had him screened by the school district to see if he qualified for the 1st grade gifted class. I believe the school used the KBIT. His scores on the screening test were so low that I decided to pay for a private psychological evaluation. He then tested as highly gifted (99.9%) on the SB-5 IQ test. Several of my son's gifted classmates also failed the screening test and later qualified for the gifted program after obtaining qualifying IQ test scores through private evaluations. I highly recommend that you have your son tested by a private psychologist. By the way, I never figured out why my son tested so low on the screening test. His teacher thought the questions on the test may have been too easy (my son is easily bored).

Thanks so much for the comments! It's helpful to hear about your experiences.

The teacher did mention that my son seemed to drift off and lose focus during the OLSAT. I imagine he was quite bored by the whole thing.

I'll check around and see if I can find a resource for private testing. I work at Purdue University and imagine there has to be someone available to help.

Thanks again! I appreciate the insight!

Sounds like a private tester is a good idea. Check with your school to see if they recommend anyone in particular, or if your child can get into the gifted program if certian tests that are given individually. Some school accept outside testing, some don't. Some are a bit suspisious of outside testers. It's potentially embarassing to the school that they are using a test that isn't working so tread gently. "Every kid can have an off day" might be a diplomatic way to approach the school.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

It's normal for IQ to change from number to number, and, as Grinity said, people may have bad days! I'm pretty sure that his real IQ is higher than the first or second time he took it.

I have been told (and read) that the Otis should not be used to determine IQ but only as a screening tool and it does fluctuate greatly, however, over time it averages out. The WISC IV or similar would give a much more accurate reflection as possible for this age group. With this said, however, at an early age, results may significantly fluctuate with these tests as well. In most, albeit not all, situations the child's true abilities/IQ will be determined around the fourth grade (the third grade is known as the great equalizer). By the third or fourth grade you will better appreciate your child's innate abilities with regards to giftedness - unless you have a prodigy on your hands.

Good luck! (I am struggling with similar issues)