Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment (New here) WPPSI-III results & ceiling questions

Thanks kec & Mam,

That's a great idea about going back to the tester after the admissions letters are sent out. I didn't know about the age window as it relates to scoring. Is it the same for the WISC & should I calculate that into when he will be tested next year?

I was also wondering if it was possible to substitute his symbol search score (17) for his coding score (14) and whether that would put him over the 150 hump for DYS?

As far as Achievement testing goes, which tests do folks recommend for a 6-7 yr old? Are there pros & cons?

Finally re: schools, unfortunately we live in CA that has a structure for gifted ed, but no funding. So there are in effect no gifted services. Right now we have our DS (first use!) in a small public school in an intellectual community, so they do a lot of differentiation. But saying that, it is clearly insufficient. The K teacher when explaining Math asks for input from everyone except my son because she knows he knows it already. He checks out large tomes on Ancient Egypt from the school library and is dismayed when his carpool mates don't want to share & only want to look at their picture books of "doggies & kitties".

We are hopeful about the private school as it draws from a broad swath of the area and is very progressive. We think he will do fine there, (but we need to get in first!).

Thanks so much for all your ideas and comments! Keep them coming, I'm getting a lot out of it, not to mention the support you all are providing.

Best!

Hi Christina

Our DS7 tested at 5.9 on the WIPPSI III with somewhat similar scores. About a year later we had him take the Woodcock Johnson III achievment test. This was very informative for us, and it helped push him up for his DYS application. The achievment tset gave us a broader view of where he was at. His WIPPSI was very balanced but on the achievment he had a stonger Math Score. Over time this seems to be playing out as true.

Edwin

Thanks, Edwin, it helps to have some perspective from someone who has been thru it. Were your son's scores below the DYS application cutoff of 150 or above it? Don't know how hard that number cutoff is... Thanks!

I would not assume that the Private School will work out, either. There are a number of posts on here about kids not being happy and parents having to adjust.

There are a number of states with School districts with great GT programs that do not have limits on the number of applicants. With that FSIQ score, you'd be welcome at all of them. Something to consider.

Hi Christina

I sent you a PM on Scores

Edwin

I cringe when I hear "private gifted school in CA" because of the extremely expensive, truly horrible two years we did that. We are now in a public charter with no GT program per se, but my DS is happy to go to school, learning new things every day and has his emotional needs met too. It often just depends on the teachers and the school's flexibility, far more than a term or program name.

PM me if you want specific info about our former school.

This, to me, is a prime example of why it's important when shopping for someone to give assessments to your child, that you look for someone who specializes in high-end students. Personally, I would never consider giving the WPPSI to a 6-year-old demonstrating the kind of abilities Christina's son did.

The WPPSI is normed for students ages 2:6�7:3. Knowing that his skills are most likely advanced for his age, this would put him WAY too close to the upper age level (cognitively) for me. I would more than likely wait till his 6th birthday and then administer the WISC IV which is normed for ages 6:0�16:11. That way he'd have much more "room" to shine. The Stanford-Binet V is also a good option.

Thanks, all! I'll be looking into the posts on schools. That is a good heads-up to not necessarily trust a school. BTW, is it not good netiquette to mention the school name or is that something that should be kept private?

Thanks, Dr. Dunn for your feedback as well. Unfortunately because we chose to have the school test (not knowing any better) we had no choice of psychologist & she had no idea in advance of our son. But saying that, I had heard we should wait a year to have him take the WISC IV (because of similarities to the WPSSI) or are you saying we can go ahead and do that right away?

Thanks again!!

Cringe is right. That was our reaction to the "top ranked" preschool in our area. It was a disaster from Mr W's perspective - no books, no puzzles, no complex toys. They had a very rigid program - fine, perhaps for ND kids, but a total mind crusher for a sensitive, intense, and headstrong little boy.

No, I'd wait at least a year, UNLESS something comes up that makes it more urgent. If your son starts showing "symptoms" of academic frustration (regularly resists going to school, gets in trouble at school in ways he doesn't at home (talks back to teachers, fights, etc.), openly and regularly mentions academic boredom or lack of challenge, etc.) then you would want to address this FIRST with the teacher and administrators. Out-of-level testing (give a second or third grade math test, reading higher level material, etc.) is regularly used with high-level students, so consider asking for this. If this doesn't get any results, THEN I would consider a retest. Even then with the numbers to support you, you might still not get results from the school. Most of all, try to remain calm and civil when discussing this. Making administrators mad never helps.