Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WPPSI IV results

We just did a WPPSI 4 for our kid who is about 4 for a kindergarden entry. He wasn't well, but we had to test because of the deadline


FULL SCALE IQ = 128
Verbal Comprehension = 123
Visual Spatial = 124
Fluid Reasoning = 130
Working Memory = 121
Processing Speed = 106

Please share any thoughts on what this means and if it will get him admission in tough private schools. Also, I see John's Hopkins has an online program for little kids. Would he qualify?

What else can we do to help him?

thank you

I'll tackle the question about JHU. Kids have to qualify to take a test called the SCAT. I am not sure if WPPSI scores can be used to qualify, and if so, what score would be needed. But I think an important question is, why? At 4 years old, what are you seeing that would make you think he needs to spend time doing academics on the computer? At that age, even gifted kids need lots of time to play. Play contributes to vital life skills that they will need all throughout their academic career. So unless he is begging to do math workbooks, I am not sure JHU would have much to offer right now, but it might be something to explore in a few years. If you google JHU CTY, you can find out about qualifications.

Many programs and schools want a 130 or higher for Gifted Programs because that means that a child's learning needs will be significantly different than their peers in the classroom. It would depend how soft their guidelines are whether your child would qualify. A 130 on the WPPSI puts someone in the top 5% I believe. A few programs accept 90% and up for their programs. Your child is likely a bright child who should do well in a traditional school environment barring any other issues. You might find information at www.hoagiesgifted.org helpful to you.

Below is the CTY Online requirements for children before grade 2. Some states also use the 127 cut for IQ. It's really a 130 +/- 3 point for SEM.
We have not used these programs as early as 4 yrs old. I would not spend the money on program like this at this age. I agree with playtime and exploring at this age is far more valuable use of time and money.

Grades Pre K - 2
CTYOnline offers challenging math courses to academically gifted students beginning in Pre-Kindergarten. Language arts (Young Readers' Series and Building Blocks) and world language courses (Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish) are available to students in 2nd grade and up. Children in grades K-1, who are too young to join the CTY Talent Search and take the SCAT, can become eligible to enroll in online courses by submitting alternative test results that demonstrate high academic potential, such as these:

WISC-IV, WPPSI-III, Stanford-Binet V:
Math or world language - a Full scale, OR Performance/Perceptual Reasoning/Nonverbal composite score of 127 or higher.
Language arts or world language -, a Full Scale or Verbal composite score of 127 or higher.
Superior scores on other tests, such as Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, Cognitive Abilities Test, Key Math, or WIAT-III, may also be used to establish eligibility. These tests are available from most private practice child psychologists. Many parents also arrange for special testing with the CTY Diagnostic and Counseling Center (dcc@jhu.edu). Before enrolling, please contact ctyonline@jhu.edu to request a review of your child's standardized test scores and other information that you want us to consider in deciding upon eligibility for CTYOnline.

I'd also add that once a child is in 2nd grade, they not only need to qualify to enter the JH CTY Talent Search, they also have to test above a certain level on the John Hopkins SCAT test to qualify to take courses through CTY, and that's a test that only kids who qualify for the talent search to begin with take. I know a few kids who've qualified for the CTY Talent Search but didn't score highly enough to take classes.

Re admission to tough private schools - requirements for admission are going to depend on the school.

Anyway, I agree with the others - I wouldn't spend the $ to have my young child take a CTY course... and I'm a fan of CTY! My middle schooler is taking courses through JH and loves them... but he's a lot older and has some very definite goals of *his own*, so it's his choice. Way back when he was four, he loved to create, play, be able to just think about whatever entered his mind, ask us (parents) lots of questions. I can't tell you how many times I wish he was as "free" to just explore now as he was back then! So I'd enjoy it while you can - offer your child lots of real world experiences, lots of reading to him, lots of time to just be.

Best wishes,

polarbear

It is certainly possible that the 128 FSIQ is not spot on given that your dc was ill and b/c testing at a young age doesn't tend to yield results that are as stable. Either way, 130 is certainly within the margin of error for the score you have and there are enough gifted or close to gifted scores in there to assume that your dc may not find a lot of peers in a std classroom.

Because this board skews so much toward HG+ kids, people here can forget that even MG kids may need some atypical accommodations depending on your local demographics and what your GT programming looks like.

I would probably tend to go with the suggestions, though, not to immediately sign up for things like JHU CTY courses at this young age unless there is a major interest from your dc. Did he wind up getting accepted for early K entry if that was the purpose of the testing? If so, I might just start with the assumption that you have a MG child and see if starting K early is sufficient to meet his needs. If he winds up really unhappy, which was always my way of gauging whether school was a poor fit early on, then reconsider whether extracurricular enrichment or more acceleration such as school GT services or subject acceleration are warranted.

Good luck!

Thank you, all!
this helps a lot