Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment New to Forum, would like feedback on WISC-IV

Cricket2,

I hadn't thought of it from that perspective - thank you

MWM4 - I predict that you will be doing some 'catch up reading' on this forum sometime soon. try searching the terms: Perfectionism, Immature, Emotional, Intense.

Also try and see if you can find Dottie's son's story - it started with a Math skip, but....

Children can not be expected to deal gracefully with their weaknesses unless they get lots of opportunities to encounter them. Art class just isn't enough. Most kids encounter their weakness many times per hour, and come to the conclusion that they are developing creatures and that that is ok.

Last time I explained to DS that I didn't expect him to understand why I was disiplining him, and that I believed he would understand when he was a little older, he responded: "Well you don't have to insult me!"

As much as I've tried, he is only just starting, at age 14, to understand that he doesn't know everything, and shouldn't expect himself to.

So yes, there are many stories here of kids for whom perfectionistic behaviors are the #1 sign that the adults MUST up the ante in the academic challenge department. Based on the emotions piece, I'm thinking that if the principle offers a full skip, take it.

Most likely the principle will want to offer a 'test run' of any intervention you try - so you can try for 6 weeks and then evaluate how your individual flesh and blood child is doing with whatever intervention they try.

Smiles,
Grinity

Really - what would make a person more anxious than putting them in a classroom with kids functioning 3 years behind them, who look just like them on a superficial level, and a teacher who is acting at every moment as if eveyone in the room is, and should be, functioning at the -3 years level. That would make me anxious. very anxious.

((hugs))
grinity

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I may be back after the principal's meeting and tester meeting next week. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. Kids 2, 3 and 4 are bright too, so I feel a lot of pressure to get this right. My girls (3 and 4) are identical twins, which adds another whole layer to the situation. Fodder for future discussion. Won't it be fun to parse those scores, Dottie?

I sure hope you will get back.

Now - here's what to know about the Princ meeting:
1) Have emergency chocolate, or suitable equivalent on hand for post-meeting let down. Plan a simple dinner and get a funny video, or suitable equivalent.

2) Prepare yourself to have some emotional highs or lows for a week or two afterwards. You may be soaring or drenched, depending on what the Princ says, but the reality of whatever happens will probably not be as extreme as the emotions you feel. Prepare to post here or journal.

3) Start a time line notebook. Be ready to document everything that was promised in as much verifiable detail as possible. If the principle promises anything at all, say, slowly and nicely, 'And when can I expect to see that happen?' and write it down. Let the princ see you write it down. After the meeting write a follow up email and broadcast to all involved (including DH or whatever adult partner is in the picture) saying: "This is what I head you saying the plan is - please confirm or clarify." (in a nicer way than that)

Especially if you are going to go through this again, you must be organized, even if it is the only thing in your life that you are organized about. Humans forget. You will forget. The only way to know that things have occurred, is to create a paper trail with actionable points and next steps, and figuring out who is responsible for the next steps, and keeping it all in written down form.

2 favorite books:
"Getting to Yes" - fine points of negotiation 'win-win' style
and
"Getting things Done" - fine points of being organized

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Phew!! Great meeting with the principal today. We successfully advocated for math acceleration (I think). They will being doing all the regular third-grade testing in the next week (CogAT, TOMAGS) to qualify him for placement in third-grade math class. Because they typically test beginning in third grade, they have not made this accomodation before. They do have a number of grade-skipped math kids in upper grades (and a few double skipped). They are also considering giving him highest-level gifted services which include regular pull-out programming with the gifted coordinator. Again, not an accomodation they have made before at his level. I know that this will not be perfect, but I feel like they were open and had made the decision before we got there to honor the WISC results.

Any advice about CogAt v. Wisc or TOMAGS?

And now back to our regularly scheduled programing...

Yippee! That is wonderful news. It sounds like the school is really trying. Very nice!
And do start that paper trail - send an email 'just checking to see if I understood correctly' with all the main points included.

Smiles,
Grinity

Testing gurus - please help! School did TOMAGS today. Monday they are repeating iq test. We had WISC done. They use CogAT, which I understand is level 2 (slightly less reliable test). Should I be concerned?

I don't know how being concerned would help

He'll probably do fine. ((hugs))

Hello! Sounds like you had a great meeting. That's great that your school is being so accommodating. Yay! As for the CogAT, it is not an IQ test, but rather a screener for giftedness. If you do a search on this site, you'll find lots of discussions. Some HG kids don't do as well as you'd expect on the CogAT (some may not even score as GT). But FWIW, my HG+ DS7, who is pretty evenly gifted, scored high on the CogAT.