re: Changing testers, sorry I missed responding to this. But to share, we had something similar happen to us. DD did whatever the test is called to get in to John Hopkins Online Maths program. I had her tested at a local gifted centre for that test.
Anyhowzers, dd apparently got the highest score they had ever seen on the test, whose name, I now forget. The tester, told hubby and I flat out, after telling us what a great unique little kid we had, that she wouldnt feel comfortable doing full scale testing for our dd, as she had little experience of children who are at the extreme. So, I am wondering if the tester that your ds had for the initial test, feels that their colleague is better at WIAT or just better, with kids who are at the extreme?
The tester who, we did use for the WIAT and SBV, is known for doing more work with kids at the extremes. And that tester's philosophy is more to test kids on what they do know as opposed to what they dont know. How this actually plays into the testing, I have no ideas, as hubby and I went to have some very long lattes at Starbucks, whilst dd was doing her labrat stuff.
DD herself and you can read my post on what do grade equvalencies mean for the WIAT? (According to Dottie, not necessarily a whole heap!) refused towards the end, to do any more questions. Fortunately she had already ceilinged nearly the entire WIAT, but I guess, going back to my original point, maybe the tester just thinks that their colleague, is better, at getting kids to do well on the WIAT?
Also, whilst Dottie is probably right on the grade equavalencies, not meaning a heck off a lot. To share (I seem to love doing that!), when I was looking at new schools for dd, for this fall, I looked at a few schools. Now, like your son, my dd's scores, are really near the top of the test, well your little guy is at the top off the test! But, the number itself, to outsiders of the GT world doesnt look exactly impressive. You know, people tend to think Einstein must have an IQ in the 200s, and they had an Uncle that had a score of 165 etc, and so on. They just dont understand how difficult it is to get 150s on these tests. However, the super WIAT(lol), or whichever achievement test you are using, has lovely grade equvalencies (or at least ours does) next to the scores, and my goodness, did that change the tone off conversation.
I have also had, the usual, oh we have seen kids like this before, and when I have shown the WIAT and said, okay, well with 5 year olds, that have a reading comprehension of 8th plus grade level, what did you do?? The proverbial needle zipping across the record..... tends to be the response.
Anyway, I will be looking forward to seeing how your ds, does on the WIAT.
Last edited by CakeBread; 08/29/09 06:21 AM.
