Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WPPSI Test Scores and Davidson Scholar Program?

My child has and IQ of 90 and Adaptive Behavior Composite score of 65. What do these numbers tell me?

You might want to start a separate thread to get more specific information regarding your situation. Why did you have your child tested, how old is s/he, and do you have any information other than those numbers (subtest scores, the tests used, etc.)?

In general, an IQ of 90 would be in the low average area -- somewhere around the 40th percentile. I don't know much about the Adaptive Behavior score and what that means.

Sunshiny,
I would apply with those IQ scores if you have achievement scores that are at qualifying level. YSP doesn't require good fine motor skill, but there isn't anthing like a GAI (general abilities index) for WPPSI as there is for WISC. GAI takes Verbal and Performance IQ together, and IF WPPSI had such a score, you son's would undoubtably be over the 150 mark.

Obviously I can't guarantee that YSP will see it that way, but with supporting Achievement Data, I think your kid is a shoe in. (Dottie has more experience with actual numbers, so if she disagrees then I back down.) The whole point is to find kids who 'test so high that the tests can't really measure it' and that's what I see when I look at your son's test scores.

Do you have achievement test scores?
Smiles,
Grinity

And I have no basis for saying this other than my personal opinion, but I'd totally agree with Grinity especially given the achievement level you are describing. That sounds like a solidly PG kid to me.

Yep. The way I see it you could do a couple of things. Get your video camera ready and start saving everything he is doing so that you can start working on a portfolio. Or, you could do achievement testing which would most likely be at the >145 level and then send those two together.

The worse thing that can happen is for them to say that they need more information.

Thank you all for your replies! Grinity - We haven't done any achievement testing. Do you think this is something that we should do now, or wait a little bit? I don't know much about this kind of testing! I have read before that if your child has many 17, 18 or 19 subset scores on the WPPSI, that they would probably get a higher score with the Stanford Binet L-M. Do you have any experience with this test? Is this something we should consider? Thank you again!

The GDC in Colorado is one of the few places where the SB-LM is still in use. It is an outdated test and its continued use is not withouth controversies. I remember reading a lot about the advantages of it when we tested for the first time a few years ago.

I think achievement testing (regardless of the application) is a nice complement to the IQ test. It is also something that schools might understand better than the IQ scores, particularly people who still have the sense of the older tests with the higher ceilings.

The most widely used AT are the WJ-III and the WIAT (I think they are in version III now?).

My dd loved doing AT.

I'd argue no on the considering the SB-LM. The SBLM will likely give you some really impressive numbers. Unfortunately, they are on an outdated test last normed in 1972, often available on ebay for private purchase. I really cannot figure out why any practice still uses this. The SBLM uses a different model of intelligence without valid current norms. It can generate big numbers for parents, but has no real purpose otherwise. In my experience, schools have a hard time understanding valid current tests, let alone controversial ones.

The whole point of IQ tests is to compare one child's performance to another's in order to give you a sense of "where is this kid?" (unless looking for LD, etc.). If there are no current norms, you are comparing your child's performance to children from 1972. Needless to say, some changes have happened since then. K is the new 1st grade and much more academic. Vocabulary, different social mores, computers, etc., have changed the cultural and intellectual landscape. What good does a comparison do to kids from the 1970s? How can that help you figure out what educational needs your child has in 2011?

If you are looking at DYS, the LM also won't do you much good. It isn't a test they take. They will, of course, be happy to have any data you submit but I don't think that a super high LM number would increase his odds of getting in. You could do the SB-5, the current version, and that could be of use in a DYS application.

In addition to what kaibab said above, if you aren't familiar with the Flynn effect, you might also want to google that. It will give you more info on why the use of such an outdated test doesn't tend to provide useful, accurate info.

My guess is that you were told that about the Stanford Binet V (five), which would have been a better choice for your child in the first place, but fewer tester are certified to perform it.

I think that the scores you have show a child who is 'mighty unusual' so I wouldn't recommend either SB-LM, or SB-V at this moment, perhaps around age 7 or if a reason comes up. If you are looking at the overall scores and not believing me that your kiddo is 'mighty unusual' ask the tester how often they have seen either score for verbal or performance, then ask how often they've seen a kid with both. Mighty unusual would be my guess.

I like the idea of getting the camcorder out, and I would suggest you go ahead and schedule the achievement test. It doesn't really give info on grade placement, but it's the go-to test to answer the question: 'pinch me - is what I'm seeing on the IQ test really true?' Which given your child's scores it the 'correct' reaction to be having. If you pick an achievement test that will also qualify for DYS, that's a great side benefit, and if you are going to apply, you may as well get it over with and done, before the IQ tests are old and out of date. Trust me, time flies and it's easy for these kinds of concerns to drift back into denial. Not that the behaviors or needs go away, it's just that we sort of forget that we already know the answer, often because the implications are so yucky - it means we have to tell all the local experts that they are just plain in the dark about our kid - yuck!

Yes, just spend the money, get the achievement test, and pray that 'whatever's best' will be the case. If the camcorder idea seems onerous, don't bother, but if it seems like what you'd be doing anyway - go ahead. Afterall, you owe it to your child to have some thing to share when the grandchildren start acting outside the norms, and the grown children what to know 'where did this come from? Have you ever seen a kid like this, Ma?'

Love and More Love,
Grinity