Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Seeking help for DYS application Criteria

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site. This is a great place! I should have came here years earlier!

My DS6 is in kindergarten. He has just been tested at his public school. His WISC-IV score is above DYS requirement. But the school seems only tested him on "selected subtests" on WJ-III: Passage Comprehension, Applied Problems and Writing Samples (Just these 3 subtests). According to the "Qualification Criteria" listed on DYS website: score from at least one "section" is needed. As I read from my web search: each "section" of WJ-III contains tons of subtests! Now I am not sure if "one subtest score" will be sufficient to apply DYS? His "Applied Problems (in Math section)" is 163 ("high school level Math", according to the tester). Will that be enough to show his Math is at least 2 to 3 grade level higher than his peers?

My DD12 had WISC-IV test done years ago. Her score from that time is also above DYS requirement. I understand that she will need to have new achievement test score. But, does she have to take another IQ test?

Thank you all in advance!

I'm not familiar with WJ-III because we used WIAT-III. Hopefully someone else in the forum can help you. In our case, we had all subtests administered, since the DYS requires a "Total Reading" or "Total Math" score that meets or exceeds the requirement. I'm guessing that you might need to have a complete battery of WJ test administered.

In regards to your daughter, the DYS website says that at least one of the two tests must have been administered within 2 years prior to application date. Has she taken achievement test recently, in the last 2 years? If not, she would need to take either IQ test or achievement test.

Hi Cocopandan, thank you for your quick response. I might need to communicate with DS' school about further "complete WJ-III testing". But I doubt the public school would do "extra" at this point. I might need to prepare a portfolio for DS...

As for my DD: her school (a small private) gives annual Terra Nova, which is not on the accepted achievement test list. She might need to take SAT in the near future.