Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Waiting period for WISC? Private testing?

So, after being pulled out for all of Kindergarten and all of 1st grade, the school is still dragging its feet on testing. They are now saying to look toward first semester next year and I am not prepared to wait another 6-9 months. For my OWN knowledge and sanity, I want to move forward with private testing. I do not plan to present these scores to the school district. They know her abilities, they've seen her MAP scores, they've been observing her, and that's fine, they can wait. But, I can't. I'm already kicking myself for not having her tested at 4 or 5...but now she's going to be 7 in July and I just need to know. So that I can have peace in my mind that I am doing the right thing by advocating for her, etc.

SO, the school uses the WISC. I am wondering what the waiting period is for the WISC? Can I have her privately tested in the next couple of months, and still have them test her in Aug?

OR, should I do a different test, like the S-B? In order to not compromise any future test results?

Thanks!!

No, u can only take the WISC every 12 months. So if you test in June, 2012, then you must wait until June, 2013.

OK that's what i thought. Is the S-B the next best thing?

Hard to say. Will your school accept any test? There is also K-ABC, WIAT, Woodcock Johnson (which is nit an IQ test but is achievement testing). Our school did not accept my son's RIAS score of 160 (but MENSA did) for our GATE program , but did accept his 99.1% on the Raven's test. So it can be a good idea to check what they will accept before you spend alot of money.

I do not think they will take anything without a huge fight. And that's fine -- I am not doing this for them, I am doing it for me.

They want to do it when they want to do it, and that's OK. In the meantime, she's gotten services for 2 years under the caveat of "being observed" so that's OK, too. But after 2-3 years of trying to make sure her needs are met, I NEED to know if I need to keep pushing for this. Our school's cut off is 133 for gifted. It is a highly-competitive district with lots of bright kids. So if she doesn't test that high then I can relax a bit. If she does then I'll keep on keeping on. But I am tired...and I am tired of waiting on the school. I believe knowledge is power and I want to know.

What test do they use for that 133 and at what grade do they test?

They use the WISC-IV. They prefer to test at 8 years old -- late second grade. Well, she's not 8 until third grade (late july b-day). But, they said they will make exceptions and had at one time said they were 99% sure they'd test her this year. Well, as it turns out, they're now saying first semester next year.

Good point, master. But I guess what I want out of it is the test that would be the closest score the the WISC w/o it being the WISC. I do not want to delay school testing next fall. But in the meantime I want to know approx what she might score on the WISC.