Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment 5 std dev variation in scores on the K-TEA

Mo3, thank you for that story. The sound salad sounds a bit like what I've wondered what he hears, but maybe in an atypical way? He's also described having to replay what he hears in his head, picture the message, then respond. What I didn't mention was that he spent 4 months when 1 and again 4 months when 2 nearly deaf with viral ear infections. We're dealing with the complicated interaction of missing most of his environment in his first two years, which compounded the things we're seeing. His auditory skills have therefore been playing catch up.

I talked to the clinician on the phone for an hour yesterday:

She didn't have the report in front of her, nor did she have access to the KTEA manual (she was calling from home).

This is one of the few places in the state that specializes in language processing. They were confident he doesn't have a language processing disorder.

They can diagnose dyslexia there, but they don't seem to use a differential abilities diagnosis, they were focused on age appropriate skills. She was confident that the lower scores were a consequence of not yet having been in school (his preschool did no writing beyond the first name) and he could give a $h!t about writing, so it hasn't exactly been a focus 'round these parts. I'm going to use the fact that the clinician doesn't have the manual available until the quarter starts again (end Sept) as my in to go sit with the new vice principal (former intervention services specialist) to get the grade level equivalents. Whooopsie, look at those math scores.

I'm still moderately skeptical. He wasn't given the nonsense word decoding part of the KTEA because it's not normed for a kid under 6. (I note the DIBELS does...) Same with the nonsense rhyming.

The 3 hour KTEA was the comprehensive, and the online times for each grade are indeed an estimate of the time it takes to complete the test. He went through the preK-K stuff, through the grade 1-2 stuff, etc.

He answered 8 questions (I think? I'm trying to remember the raw scores they showed me) beyond the point where he tipped into the 160 range. The clinician says that his verbal and obviously his mathematical abilities are clearly highly gifted. He needs to be in school to round out the skills.

I guess I'm going to give it some time and continue my watch-like-a-hawk mode. I also have to put in a phone call to the local guy that does 2E testing, doesn't take insurance, but has a multi-month wait list.