Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment UPDATE SAGES Peabody (PPVT) Weschler. Input please

Hi Everyone. I have a 10 year old son who is in French Immersion. He was identified in Grade 1 (December 2008) as gifted, based on classroom observation, and a Woodcock Johnson III test. They gave him an IEP and offered enrichment once a week with the LA teacher, in addition to his classroom work. Then with a new principal came new rules and she removed his designation and wanted him retested with the Sages-2. He has also always read multiple grade levels higher than actual in french, even though my husband and i only have very very basic french. When they retested him with the SAGES-2 last year in grade 3, they told him it wasn't for marks, and had some other issues with the tester, and i think as a result he bombed it (he's a very emotional kid and very small things rattle him). Anyways when i reviewed the test with the principal and LA teacher i saw some of the ones he got wrong and was shocked (they were simple ones like what is 3/4 in % and a color mixing one both of which he has known for years and i asked him them when i came home from the meeting and he knew them). I explained to the principal the issue and she and the gifted coordinator said they had never heard of that happening and i wanted it noted in his records because they were pulling his IEP based on that. Long story short they agreed to retest him this year, in grade 4, with the SAGE (4-8)and some other comprehension tests. Here were his scores previously:
Woodcock Johnson III (Dec 2008)

Broad Reading: 133 (99th %)
Broad Math: 138 (99.5th %)
Broad Written: 143 (99.8th %)
Math Calc skills: 129 (98th %)
Written Expression: 138 (99th %)
academic skills: 140 (99.6th %)
academic fluency: 124 (94th % )
academic apps: 134 (99th % )
academic knowledge: 113 (81th %)

**obviously the only gap was in his knowledge because we didn't realize what an inquisitive kid we had-he has since become the boy that wants to know about everything and anything and reads all he can get his hands on

Sages-2: K-3 (oct 2010)

Math/Science: 20 raw,74% normal (110 quotient), 32% gifted (93 quotient)
Language arts/Soc. studies: 18 raw,55th % normal (102 quotient), 16th % gifted (85 quotient)
Reasoning: 20raw,73% normal (109 quotient),32% gifted (93 quotient)

So I guess my question is are either of these tests more accurate then the other? I don't really understand the scoring on the SAGES and I'm not sure if the first test was a fluke (although this is the kid that gets all A's in french, aces the weekly french and english spelling tests, aces or close to every single math test, and never studies anything). He always finishes ahead of classmates and is often given other tasks or assignments to fill his time. He does enrichment twice a week right now for 30 minutes but that could be pulled at any time without an official "designation". I should be getting the results of his recent testing next week hopefully.

Hi Chmmr,
I hoping the week doesn't crawl by...there are lots of tests, and lots of definitions of 'gifted' so it's difficult to predict what will happen, particularly since your son doesn't seem 'easy to test' - some kids are like that, it's a fact of life.

I'm sure your main concern is that your son get a chance to learn new things at school, and learn to work at learning just like every other kid there.

Here's hoping that his needs will be met!
Grinity

Thanks Grinity-i missed your reply. I did get some testing results back now, perhaps some others will be able to shed a bit more light on it for me. the most recent sage (SAGES-2:4-8) is much higher than his last. The scores were:

Math/Science: 9 raw,79% normal (112 quotient), 50% gifted (100 quotient)
Language arts/Soc. studies: 18 raw,98th % normal (132 quotient), 93th % gifted (122 quotient)
Reasoning: 19raw,91% normal (120 quotient),77% gifted (111 quotient)

They also did the Weschler fundamentals academic skills and scored:
word reading 152 (raw weighted)/116 standard 86th %
reading comprehension 160 (raw weighted)/138 standard 99th %
spelling 168 (raw weighted)/140 standard 99th %
numerical operations 131 raw weighted/112 standard 79th %

and the peabody (PPVT-III )
172 raw score, 138 standard, 99th %, stanine 9, age equivalent 19y9m (holy cow!! He just turned 10 a month after they did that test)

They are definitely recognizing there is something with him but still aren't confident calling him "gifted " enough to give an official designation so they offered us the option to do psychoeducational testing with the school psychologist in the fall (at their expense) so we are waiting on that now. Does anyone have any feedback on the test results i posted??

I wish I was more familiar with any of those tests, but I left in the info that clearly points to an identification of gifted. It seems good that they are doing the psychoeducational testing, but I want to be sure that he continues to get the accomidation that they have been giving him. I really don't get what doesn't look gifted to them in the picture from the above results.

Good luck,
Grinity

Thanks grinity. I don't understand what their issue is either to be honest. They are still offering it right now, but he only has this year and then we will likely have a new principal his last year in elementary and the new principal can do whatever they want with no designation, and then he's off to middle school and again same problem (and its even hard to get that accomodation in a much larger school)