Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment I Need Serious Advice! New

Hi all. I have a 2nd grader who recently turned 8. He is extremely advanced beyond his class. He reads 600+ page novels and tests at 100% for reading comprehension. He is also extremely advanced in math to include multiplication and long division. He is listed as being in the top 1% of the district.
He underwent "highly capable" testing in January. We received the results today. According to the results, he corresponding IQ would average 70-75 and he requires 1 on 1 teaching with constant repetition to grasp even the most basic concepts.
I was in complete shock when I read this. He is the ONLY child in class that does not require assistance in a single thing. He gets straight 4's on his report card, writes research papers that are better written than most 6th graders, does 4th grade math with zero instruction, and reads novels in 3 days or less.
I spoke with the highly capable program and they turned him down based on this one test. They gave him a test at 7:15 on a Saturday morning in a class with 22 other 2nd graders. The test was also administered by a 3rd grade teacher, not a specialist. They have refused to let me see the test because they state they do not have them anymore.
I am now about to shell out $3,000 to get private testing because the test they gave states he should be in full time special education. The school district refuses to answer my questions. He meets all requirements to skip a grade but requires special education?
Please help with advice.

Goodness, did they get his results mixed up with another child? What can be tell you about the testing experience? Does he remember it? How did he think it went?

What exactly was the test he was given at 7:15 on a Saturday morning in a class with 22 other 2nd graders and a non-specialist proctor? Was it an IQ test or something else?

Did anyone at the school express surprise that a person supposedly with an IQ in the 70-75 range could get the high grades he gets?

Which 600+ page novels has he read?

A friend had similar happen with her HG+ son in grade 3. When she looked at the "test" it was all multichoice and his answers (which made perfect sense) did not fit the test instrument so were marked wrong. Clearly a flawed test instrument given what he is capable of!

Obviously his IQ is not 75. That is simply stupid. If they use that test to select kids then it may be missing the HG+ kids anyway unless they have been taught to answer the questions as the teacher would expect a second grader to answer. So the advanced class is probably full of high achiever/MG kids who don't see connections where none were intended. Or answer the question that was actually asked rather than the one the test writer thought they were asking.

Good luck. And please keep us posted.

It's not right that you should have to pay money for a different tester, but if the school won't do it, it may be your best option to advocate for your son. I would imagine you have a teacher who also would notice that the results don't jive with the child he/she knows. Can you have someone else go with you to the GT specialist or the principal to ask for individual testing?

How did you get the corresponding IQ estimate? Could that be wrong? If not, the school may be required to offer testing anyway. I'm not an expert on these matters, just going on assumptions here.

Why is the school refusing to answer questions? That doesn't seem right.

Whatever the case, you have every right to advocate for your DS. Good luck and tell us how it goes.

An IQ test would not be given in a group setting. Maybe a CogAt or Olsat? Schools love to reference those as IQ test but they are not.

My pg ds once got a 36 or 37 percent on a vocabulary section of a standardized test. It was clearly not a good test day for him.

No child that is doing what you describe has a 75 on an ability test. It is ridiculous that the school doesn't see from what he does in school that the test is not him.

I would really look around for a tester with GT experience. Are you in a public school? You can see his records. They are not allowed to refuse that request. You can look up more information about the process online by googling FERPA. They will not show you the test itself but the full results should in there. You can get a better handle on it. If they are saying he needs Full time special education than they would be needing to do an MFE for an IEP. Are they suggesting that?

I am just brainstorming here but maybe use their suggestions against them. If they are suggesting full time special education than they should be doing a full evaluation. In doing a full evaluation they need cognitive testing done. It's part of the process. You know they are wrong about him but maybe try to make them prove it.

I have had to take the back door into getting things done for one of my kids. Feel free to pm me.

Good Luck

I'm wondering if, based on the 75 he got, you could tell the school you're concerned about a learning disability and ask them in writing to do a full educational evaluation including an IQ test with WISC IV.

I think it's obvious the 75 is wrong, but if they're willing to exclude your high achiever based on that one test that they take so seriously, you should consider playing their game and take it seriously too. Operate as if it's really true and ask why he's not receiving the special services he obviously needs. Push for the evaluation based on the "alarming" test results. I think they'll end up telling you the results were faulty, and if that's the case you probably have another entry into the GT program. But I also think you're entitled to a full evaluation by the school.

I have experience with this kind of testing foul-up. One of my boys got a 97 on a GT group test and when they did followup testing for GT on the CoGat, his scores averaged a 20! When we asked him about that test he told us he was in a hurry to get back to class so he didn't miss lunch. He wasn't accepted to GT based on that. Fortunately, we called the GT office and asked if they had an explanation for how he lost most of his intellect between the two tests, and they agreed to a different test at a different time (he was accepted).

I'm trying to figure out the $3,000.

That's a lot to rebut a group IQ test.

I'm ordering one now for well under $1,000 and that's with a credibility section to prove that my client's *not* faking mental retardation.

I think it might be a good time to dial down the emotional response and laugh a bit, because these test results are absurd... unless he really DOES owe his high achievement to being strapped into a chair, Clockwork Orange-style, while you and an army of educators tutor him 24/7.

After a good chuckle all around the meeting table where everyone agrees that the test results don't match your boy, it's time to ask them when they're going to fix it. And then if they resist, it'd be fun to poke them with the idea of, "Well, if we're going to accept these test results, then my son clearly falls within the realm of IDEA, it's time to start the full evaluation process and get him an IEP right away."