Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Questions about WIAT II and grade equivalents?

I really never paid much attention to the whole testing part of giftedness and now, I am realizing reflecting on my dd's scores that I dont particularly understand how grade equivalents work! Doozy Mommy!

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone can help me understand some of these scores on the WIAT II and their corresponding Grade Equivalents. My dd was tested as a first grader, thou she was in KG at the time.

Spelling 160 Grade 5.2
Oral Expression 146 Grade 5.7
Maths Reasoning 160 Grade 4.3
Numberical Operations 160 Grade 3.5
Word Reading 160 Grade 6.2

Many thanks in advance!!

I only have a minute but I can tell you that 160 is the ceiling on the WIAT, so your daughter got the highest conceivable score in most of these subtest.

However the grade equivalents don't seem to match up with the 160s.

My ds was tested as a first grader and the scores looked different... maybe it's because your dd was only 5 when tested?

Thanks, yes what you are writing makes sense! Yes, she has done IQ testing and is in the 150s on the SBV. She was tested at 5 years and 6 months.

I have idlely been thinking about retesting next year, as when she tested this year, due to time constraints we had to do SBV and WIAT on the same day. And I do think that she had test fatigue by the end of the day. Also she only transitioned into primarily English speaking environment about a year ago, before that she was raised in bilingually in a non English speaking country.

I thought her results might go up on SBV, though she isnt now that far from the ceiling on that test. And then to be honest, I am not sure what retesting actually proves? I mean, she is still going to be the same kid and I dont have any real use, I think for a second set of scores. But I am curious, for whatever reason, that the WIAT scores might go down? That is something, I wasnt expecting.

Yes, to pinpoint where she is at, was perhaps why I was thinking of re-doing the WIAT II. But it sounds like there are other tests that we should consider instead of that in the future?

And understanding where she is at, probably is one of the biggest headaches we have... as she is constantly learning and changing. We have no accurate ideas half the time, what she really can and can not do. Her tester wrote on the report, that she knows my dc could have gone further in for example maths section of the WIAT, but my dc, just decided that she had, had enough and that was it! Nothing like cooperative kids?! But I can understand, my dc probably had enough of being a lab rat for that day.

I guess for my dh and I, when it comes to retesting, we know are dc is gifted. But for us, the significance of the results, really hasnt sunk it. Maybe re-testing at some point whatever the test, might be for oursakes?! lol!

I did put in this month an application for DYS, it is also my understanding that she should qualify. But she has one subtest, maybe listening comprehension (or whatever it is called) that was 139, I dont know if that is anything to worry about?

Thanks, I will have look at see what the STEP is all about! If you have any other good ideas for achievement tests, please if you have time, let me know.

Thanks as well for the application best wishes, it was only one score that she had less than 145, so i hope that isnt a big deal?!