Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment question about DYS qualifications

Hello everyone. I've lurked here a little bit before, but only a little as I have a 7 week old baby who keeps me sleep-deprived. I apologize for having my first post be a question! But we're feeling pretty desperate over my nearly 7 year old ds, who is beyond miserable in school. And his school has no gifted program, nor does the district, and his teacher seems to actively dislike him! The principal has been giving us platitudes for more than a year, nothing ever changes, and my son is losing faith that anything ever will. The school seems very against the whole idea of gifted kids. I saw something the guidance counselor wrote about it and she put "gifted" in scare quotes every time she used it. And it was a piece arguing that they don't need gifted education b/c they have such an enriched program-- they have "Spanish Day" and "Earth Day"!

But I'm going about this backwards.
We just got, after months of trying, some test scores back for DS#1 that I thought qualified him for DYS. But now that I'm re-reading the criteria, I'm not sure. We really want to apply NOW if he qualifies, b/c he is SO miserable- we really need advocacy help/info on WHAT would help him. Losing interest right and left, saying he cannot handle school any more, crying many nights a week. Do they have to make the 145 cut-off on all the sub-tests? My DS looks like he's kind of a borderline candidate as it is, and if he has to make all the subtests...well, he doesn't make it. He has a 146 on the VCI on the WISC-IV, a 149 on the GAI, but the other scores are below 145. On the WIAT-III he comes close a lot but only passes 145 on the math composite, where he has a 157.

Does he have a chance with these scores? Like I said, we're miserable, worried about DS, and very desperate for help...but we've got the new baby, everyone's sick...if he doesn't make the cut-off I'd like to know and not spend the time up tonight working on it!

thank you so much to anyone who reads this...I hope to become a useful community member in the future!

Your son has qualifying scores. He doesn't have to make all of the subtests. One of each is good enough. His VCI and math composite satisfy Davidson's requirements, the rest of them can be lower than 145. Go ahead and apply. It's well worth it.

Good luck

thank you so much!! (although maybe a teeny part of me thought that hearing it was impossible and I could go to bed wouldn't be so bad!) (I need sleep!)

Dottie wrote...

(P.S...I think the GAI must be 148 or 150 per Tech Report #4?)

I have SO not read the tech reports..we just heard Monday that he ought to make the cutoffs and got the scores this evening. But do I take that to mean this shrink is making a mistake? I've kind of wondered...she came recommended, but she doesn't sound as though she knows as much about gifted kids as I'd like her to. Obviously she knows a lot more than I do, but I don't quite get why the extended norms don't apply to him, as he had 18 or 19s in 3 subtests. I'll ask her that later...clearly that doesn't make the a) keep baby alive b) apply to DYS ASAP c) sleep priority list.

I'll keep it short so you can sleep:

1) Welcome (back)!
2) Apply to DYS!
3) Sleep well!

thank you!! I may just take you up on that if I can get that data. She's awfully clingy to the results...we had to practically beg for the test scores. Reasonably, I suppose, she doesn't want things taken out of context, and hasn't finished the social testing.

ok...must switch gears to baby...but thank you all so much for the welcome and information! I was really making myself crazy trying to parse the punctuation on the criteria page.