By pursuing independent testing, I�m hopeful the Dr. can gather enough information to let us know what the appropriate course of action may be for DS so that she doesn�t �give up� on school. Do we need to invest in both the WISC and WIAT or will the IQ data be enough to determine her needs without the Achievement portion of the test conducted as well?
Oh Tx -
Neither WISC alone, Nor WISC plus WAIT will be enough data to determine her academic needs, and if the school is a good fit. They can be helpful as part of the larger picture, but don't be innocent about how much help the tests can provide.
When you asked the prospective tester if testing would reveal if the fit was good, what did he or she say?
So what is a parent to do?
The first thing to do - IMO - is to talk to the school and see if they are seeing what you are seeing. Ask if parents have had IQ testing done in the past and what changes were able to be made to accomidate kids with unusually high IQ scores. My guess is that the school will say 'nothing' or perhaps offer gradeskip or subject acceleration in Math or English. If those alternatives are agreeable, get the WISC from the psychologist and see if the school is willing to do the achievement test, or shop around for a local person who will do the achievement test cheaper.
Here are some other ways to figure your DD out:
1) Start formally 'afterschooling' her - pick a subject or two that she loves, and see if you can restart the pilot light on her 'burn to learn' with some one-to-one. After you have more of an idea about how she learns and what gets her excited academically, visit the school and observe the classroom. See if you can pinpoint specific changes that might feed the flame. So much is trial and error.
2) Hire a tutor who is well versed 3rd through 6th grade subject material and ask the tutor to work with her and see where the learning strenghts and weaknesses and what grade the tutor thinks that your dd would best function at. Ideally this would be someone associated with the current school who's opinion would be trusted by the current school.
3) Visit the alternative schooling options and listen carefully to what they have to say after their testing of your DD.
4) Try to get a rough idea of your DD's level of giftedness:
TalentIgniter | Ruf Gifted AssessmentMay 5, 2011 ... You need to know how your child compares to others, both intellectually and academically, before you choose a school: ...
www.talentigniter.com/In the end, I think WISC and WIAT are good investments in 'getting to know your daughter' that is, overcoming the embarassment of saying 'my daughter is bright' when actually she could be well beyond bright, even beyond ordinary gifted - particularly if the tester is trustable both to you and your DH AND to the school. If the tester is willing to play an advocacy role in the school or in future school choosing discussions, that's really good!
Good for you TxB, for caring that your daughter seems to have no motivation to achieve at school, and for wanting to do something about it. It sound like your school is well above average in terms of what they provide, but your daughter may be 'a whole 'nother level' of unusally gifted, and so all the normal 'excellent programs' like jr. great books and ability grouping within grade may be leaving her cold. It happens, and if you can bear to read this form for months, I believe that there is a pretty good chance that it happend in your family.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
