Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment I'm an impostor, get me out of here!

Edited to add: WE'RE IN EUROPE! I haven't figured yet how to add locations...

Seriously, it's not funny.

Sorry for the novel!

We had DS8 tested in July, with the most reputable tester in the area, who came up with a full scale iq of 154 with a local version of the WISC and recommended further acceleration into fourth and entry in to the congregated gifted program in fifth.

Because DS was leery of changing classrooms we compromised on ssa in maths and this worked fine for a couple weeks until the school decided they needed further testing by the school psychologist. So that one did another three tests, two ability, one achievement, and observed DS in the classroom. All of this happening the week and the week after DS had to prepare a presentation with the class bully with untreated ADHD and presumed dyslexia which had him melt down every morning because of the stress and I happened to be 8 hours away in hospital with our youngest who needed emergency brain surgery. So, no making sure DS had a good nights sleep and good breakfast and stuff, we were just glad every one was mostly where they should be on time. Or it was the testing situation, like all the kids who were supposed to play in the upcoming Christmas celebration assembled for rehearsal in the resource room and DS just arranging his violin music on the stand when the tester comes in and throws everyone out so he can continue testing DS.

What the tester thought it was was revealed inadvertently when he asked me right at the beg in whether I knew the previous tester personally. Sure, I said in confusion, I dropped DS off for testing after all. No, he meant as a friend. Nope, just heard she was the most experienced in the area. Well because 154 is very high.Which was when it dawned on me where this was going and asked what he'd come up with.

Turned out he'd come up with 115 on the CFT, with a motivated but somewhat rushed and distractible DS, which prompted him to try out another ability test more geared towards verbal kids, the name of which I forget but which is norms for 4 to 6 graders and came up with 117 if DS were a fourth grader and 107 if he were a fifth grader, so rough estimate for a third grader 127. (I forgot to mention at this point DS was entered early and should have been in second.)

Then he did a third grade achievement test and came up with the 98th percentile, which he noted was normed for the end of the school year, so rather an underestimate. How would he reconcile all these varying results, I asked him.

Well, he couldn't speak as to how the previous tester had come up with her results though the test she used was vulnerable to suggestions but of course the CFT was about fluid intelligence and the other tests majorly skewed towards aquired knowledge - so rather smart but not gifted but with extremely well practiced knowledge. So who was practicing with my kid, I asked him, I assure you I do not have the time, I can barely make sure he does his homework. Oh, doing it all on his own steam, of course. Ah. Not that I ever noticed, but well, he's got there results so it must be true.

So he started talking about how being gifted was about being gifted according to the daily requirements at which I informed him that if he was talking about putting his socks on in the morning and making sure he finished a meal as opposed to running of after a few bites to do something more interesting my child was severely developmentally delayed. Well, he was talking about his not bringing a pencil for testing for two days in a row. I said yes thats my kid and I assure you we are working on it, but what has that to do with the level of work he gets in class? That we should focus on his getting a grip on his stuff and his social skills, and that he recommended DS could be occupied with tutoring others in order to be more popular.
Well, you just told me you notice other kids switch off when he starts explaining things in class, you really think enforcing this would make him more popular? Well, of course only if a kid asked for it. I was in school too, I said, I assure you they won't start asking before 9th grade. Altogether focus on doing his stuff well before letting him move further away from the class in academics which might damage his social standing even more...

My disbelief is growing as I write this. DS has seriously and credibly announced he does not want to skip at this point, and we do not need this tester if we want him to skip into 5th, but I am SO confused now. A discrepancy of 40 points - and the only explanation he could come up with, apart from DS being occasionally rushed or distracted, was that the tester who was 30 tears of experience and a reputation to lose, might have wanted to do me a favor or have no idea how to do her job - WTF?