Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WJ-III Test Interpretation

I'm new to the concept of gifted education but there is so much helpful information here. I feel badly for posting yet another request for help interpreting scores but the responders have been so kind that I'm trying my luck as well. My family moved to Argentina 1.5 years ago but before we left the States, our son was tested as a requirement for admission to a school for gifted students in Seattle. My son was tested at 5 yrs/10 mos and is now 7.5.

His PR (percentile) for all nine categories tested by the WJ-III test was 99.9%. His SS/GE scores were:

Broad Reading 167 4.9
Broad Math 195 5.9
Math Calc 190 5.5
Letter-Word ID 170 7.5
Reading Fluency 150 3.8
Calculation 182 6.7
Math Fluency 146 3.8
Passage Comprehension 153 4.0
Applied Problems 170 6.4

I guess I have two questions:

1. Can anyone tell me anything qualitative about these in terms of what this means? Relative giftedness? Areas I need to try to make sure my son is appropriately challenged (logic puzzles? chess?)? Programs to look into? Any and all suggestions are truly appreciated.

2. Related to this last question, I have just discovered this Davidson Young Scholars program today but it seems you have to be living in the U.S. Are there any resources we might avail ourselves of remotely (or even during the summer vacation) even though we are U.S. citizens now living in Argentina?

CFK:

Thanks for the incredibly quick reply. If I understand your question correctly (I'm not totally sure I do since I don't know what in real life would correspond to the scores so I can try to give a few examples . . .), yes, I think so.

My son started reading on his third birthday (which doesn't seem super abnormal from asking friends, although they may not be the best sample). By age four, he was beating me 95% of the time at the memory game where you put 50 or so cards on a table and flip them over in pairs. At age 7, he is now beating me at chess 75% of the time even if I try my hardest. [Caveat: I'm no chess expert, having played chess maybe 75 times in my life and have never read any chess strategy but I'm an Ivy League grad and (I'd like to believe ) no intellectual slouch] He has learned Spanish incredibly rapidly but that doesn't really seem abnormal.

Thank you again. Hopefully the "test score queen" will arrive and shed some light on what the SS scores are supposed to mean/point to. I will take any input with a huge grain of salt in light of the age of testing (5y,10m) and his early reading, as you indicate. He does read above grade level but I don't know how one gauges this. His math (which is easier to gauge) is above grade level but not crazily so based on what I have heard about (obviously there are the ones who finish high school at 10 but even kids five and six years ahead of grade level). He is finishing up grade 5 in Singapore Math (and I guess if he was in the U.S. he would be in the first half of second grade, which would be 3.5 yrs ahead).

In Argentina, they do not accelerate kids (as far as I have heard). Up to this past year, he was homeschooled but we put him in a regular school this year. He was totally and completely bored this past year but we are switching schools to a more challenging environment (hopefully) but I'm sure it will not be like the school in Seattle he tested into where all kids are working at least two years ahead of grade level. I do worry that he will struggle at the new school but there are countervailing factors like being more integrated in Argentine society and having a chance to do band and organized sports and chess, etc., etc.

Also, I rummaged up one other thing from the admission letter. There was something called CogAT and he had SAS scores as follows: Verbal 150; Quantitative 148. I don't know if that is part of the WJ or something separate that provides different information about his aptitudes (again, factoring the young age at time of testing and his early reading).

I think I would much appreciate anyone's insight into what even the range of SS scores is because the report we received is a total mystery to me.

Dottie:

Wow, this is super helpful. Thanks much! I appreciate the helpful distinction between working and testing levels. I do agree that the average high school senior's writing in America is not in good shape.

Are the SS scores arbitrary or are they supposed to crudely shadow some other measure, such as IQ (realizing, as you rightly pointed out, that a suggestion of an IQ of 195 is practically absurd)? What is the maximum for these measures?

I'm going to tool around the website to see what I can find but I definitely welcome any particular suggestions you or anyone else might have for a series of books or other activities we might consider.

This may be useful:

CTY International: http://cty.jhu.edu/about/ctyintl.html

Mensa International: http://www.mensa.org/

Dotti- would you think a 140 WJIII/IQ kid would be pretty happy with the 130 IQ kids in a gifted program where they all do the same work?

Dottie- the reason I asked is our public school I'm considering said most of the kids in the gifted program are around 130. I have lot of things to figure out, but I wonder if the work would feel right for him. Is there a way to estimate how right it might be? Would explore results let us figure out what would be right for him. Or is it more of trial and error situation?

I feel like the current situation is hurting him. He is very mad.

If I were to change schools that might be a good time to move him up a grade. I Still have some social concerns but it might be a matter of what's worse/better. I keep wanting test scores to let me know what to do. I was also thinking DYS would have a better idea what to do.

DH is very concerned about public school. The concern is a lack of being wholesome like died hair, earrings, clothing issues, bad language type of situation. I don't think there is safety issues.

At our private school the kids leave their change purses and books in the hall at times. Nothing gets stolen. I'm thinking of Homeschooling too. but $$$$!

It seems like our public schools are more sophicated with gifted.

My heart goes out to you on this one - I don't think DYS know any better than the advice you are getting here. Maybe take a day and observe the gifted class at various grade levels and see what the work load/challenge level is like compared to what you know about your child? Trial and error, sadly, is about the only way. Check out the various possible teachers - they make a major difference!

Love and More Love,
Grinity