Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Woodcock Johnson: Relative Proficiency Index

DS6 was tested by the school psychologist to evaluate the appropriateness of a whole grade acceleration plus an additional math acceleration. DS is in kindergarten now, so the proposal would be for him to move into a 1/2 mixed class as a first grader taking 2nd grade math for the 4th quarter of this year.

The school psychologist sent me DS' scores for WISC-IV and WJ-III achievement normed by age (6 years 3 mo) and by what his receiving grade would be (1.6). Normed by age, there is not distinction to be made, with the lowest subtest in spelling (90th %ile) and the highest of Applied Problems (168). Spelling is not taught in kindergarten outside from 20 sight words.

When normed by grade 1.6 spelling drops to 37th percentile (95), giving him a brief writing score of 105 and reading 114. The school psychologist now says that a skip is not recommended based on these scores. I'm waiting on ILL to see the IAS (to which the school is loosely bound at this stage in the process).

IQ is balanced across all 4 categories, with the lowest area in the 96th percentile. He just misses DYS cutoff for FSIQ & GAI & PRI.

However, I see the WJ-III also gives this RPI, which google tells me is a measure of how appropriate instruction at that grade level is to the child, where 76-95/90 is ideal. Above 95 is too easy for the child, and below 75 is too hard.

We've been calling it the boredom index in my house -- he's at 99/100 for spelling in his current grade, 100/100 for all other subjects. The lowest in grade 1.6 is 81/90, which to me seems perfect: 10 minutes a day will be working on something a tad hard. Everything else remains at or above the 95/100 cutoff.

How much weight can I put on this number?

If this is a useful measure, it seems like this skip is strongly suggested.

I suggest that you keep pushing for the skip. It is low risk because as a mixed grade class room it is easy to undo. Ask for a 6 week trial and be willing to reevaluate at the end of the year. At the very least push for the 2nd grade math. My only concern is that in some schools the 2nd graders who get put in the combines group are the weaker students. Be sure you child is placed in the class with the strongest math students.

I'm not familar with rpi but with the IQ scores you are indicating a singlr skip iwould be expected to be very safe.

Educators seen to be more concerned that children feel succesful than that children learn that effort is part of learning. Keep reminding them that for your particular child the path to feeling succesful hass to involve overcoming some academic challenge.

Peace
Grinity

Thanks,

I suspect the school psychologist is blowing smoke about what the IAS requires.

I found this last night: http://www.assess.nelson.com/pdf/asb-11.pdf which means that for spelling first grade instruction would be "Appropriate". Everything else will be Easy to Very Easy. Given the IQ and the fact that 7 months previous he had signigifcantly lower scores in writing (87 before kindergarten on the KTEA-II because DS is old for grade), I'm not worried about his abilities to perform in first grade.

I'm not concerned about the second graders in this group. The school has two instructional systems into which parents select their kids in kindergarten. One of the system has all the kids in the 1/2 mixed classes.