Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WIAT questions

In our recent eval, the tester wrote that DD7 is PG in math, and I am curious about these WIAT III scores. When I dig around online, there's a variety of ranges for PG vs HG. We're heading into a meeting soon and I want to have a better understanding of how to advocate. [edited to remove scores]

As an achievement test, how well does the WIAT describe math ability at the first grade level?

Her other scores were generally high, but affected by careful and slow handwriting and average PSI. I strongly suspect they won't go for a grade skip (going to be a challenge regardless), but her math frustration last year is still not out of her mind, summer break did not help soften that.

The WIAT is no better and no worse at capturing math ability in a first grader than most of the other common comprehensive achievement measures (WJ, KTEA, PIAT); it is a solid instrument. For a first grader to score 146, she would need to know basic arithmetic operations, and multi-digit addition/subtraction, and be able to apply slightly easier skills.

Oral language includes several vocabulary or vocabulary-related measures. Listening comp has two components: a vocabulary task where she is orally-presented with a single word, and must select the picture which best represents its meaning from a field of four; and a listening task where a series of brief recordings is played (beginning with short sentences, and potentially progressing to lengthy paragraphs), each followed by one or more comprehension questions. Those with a good vocabulary tend to do well on the first component, and those with good attention and listening memory on the second. Oral Expression includes two components with heavy vocabulary skill-loading. One is a picture naming task, with brief verbal clues, and the other is a retrieval fluency task, where she names as many words in a specified category as she can in one minute. The last OE task is sentence repetition, which, again, is to the advantage of a child with strong working memory.

Without referencing her actual cognitive scores, her achievement profile suggests that she might be strong in working memory, as the academic strengths are closely-related to WM (mathematics, and several aspects of OL as assessed on the WIAT).

As to the PG-ness of her mathematics: 146 does meet the DYS criteria, so I think it's safe to say she's scoring PG in mathematics!

Thanks, aeh. :-) I am going in more confident with what we need!

I just wasn't sure, since the math testing at her grade wouldn't include higher level arithmetic. Is it just that an average child wouldn't do well at these things at her age, even if exposed to them, developmentally, and she's presumed to grasp things that much more easily?

(PS. I erred above that FSI should be FRI.)

That is the presumption. Now, it's possible that her future math achievement scores will slip slightly, both because the expectations are so low for this age, and because of regression to the mean, but I would think they would continue to be quite high, especially since she scored equally well on calculations and reasoning, suggesting that it's not merely a fluke of low expectations.

And of the five WISC-V primary factors, FRI would be the best predictor of math achievement (followed, most likely, by WMI).

Okay, that's what I was wondering -- the high FRI goes along with the WIAT results. Much gratitude for helping me understand, aeh!