There are other things that many of us wonder about the scores in the 99.5-99.8 range. Was the tester prepared to deal with a kid that gifted? Did the kid get full credit for unusual (but correct) answers? Was my kid in his best form that day? Was he sick? Tired? Cooperative? Would he have done better on a different test (one that emphasized verbal? math?) Did he get bored and shut down toward the end?
I keep thinking of world class Olympic speed skaters falling a fraction of the second before breaking a world record.
Does that mean that couldn't have broken the record or just didn't happen to break it that day? These are little kids we're testing and there are just a lot of variables, reasons they may not be at their best that day. And most of us can't afford to keep testing until we get the best testing situation for our kid. Just like the Olympics, the tests only come around once or twice in their lifetimes.
So yes, there are kids who do really fall in the 99.5-99.8 range(and they are dang smart), but for some kids who get that score, it is still not accurate. I just wish there was a way to know the difference. I'd be happy either way; it would just be nice to know. Sometimes I feel a little nuts
wondering....
I agree 100% with absolutely everything you wrote here, acs. And even though your post is just above mine, I wanted to quote it so it's here twice, with emphasis on the heart of the matter, in my estimation. Consider it my, "Yeah! What SHE said!"
I'm dreaming of a test created JUST for HG+ kids that is actually designed to test the tail of the curve with some semblence of accuracy, one that the tester adapts to follow the child's preferred way of thinking rather than requiring that the child fit the test, and one that starts high enough to keep the child from getting bored and tired on the "easy" questions.
Yeah, I know. It'll never happen. But the irony of approving and rejecting HG+ kids based primarily on tests that cannot accurately measure said kids' abilities makes me a little nuts. Does this not seem
hugely problematic to anyone else?
I think of the "Far Side" mug/t-shirt with the GT kid pushing the door that says "pull"...
