Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school wppsi or das for 4 year old?

the psychologist who will be doing my son's eval next month uses either the wppsi or das.i have noticed some of the private schools i have read about ask for the wppsi....but when i read online about the das i like it because it looks like it includes achievement tests in spelling, math, and reading as a subtest. these are the areas where my son really blows me out of the water. so now i am confused as to which test is best? any ideas?

It depends. Best in what sense? Why do you want / need the test results?

i want the test to show my son's abilities....if they show he is gifted...i want to be able to either 1) take them to the district and encourage them to accept his scores or retest him so he can be serviced in our district OR 2) use the scores to enroll him in a school or program for gifted kids. of course i am biased...but my kid is smart. but REALLY his thing is reading. he taught himself last year...and is probably about 3 years ahead.....reading at an end of 1st grade/beginning of 2nd grade level...and unable to start k for another year and a half due to age cut off.

so based on that...i'm not sure which test is best. does the wppsi look at achievement at all in reading, writing, and math?

My DD had the Wippsi at 3.4 and it did not showcase reading, math, spelling, writing, or vocabulary anywhere near what she could do etc. She is very strong in those areas. She did well on the test, but I felt they were missing huge chunks of her ability and I don't mean just achievement things like reading or spelling, but creativity, understanding, etc. yet it is the test most places seem to want and I am sure your son would do well on it and you could always tell them about his other skills.
The test changes after 4, but I still don't think it tests reading at all. I don't know anything about the WAS: can you ask the schools directly what they would like to see?

The WPPSI is only an intelligence test. It is not designed to test achievement. That said, it is usually the case that kids who test well in terms of achievement (especially when they haven't been taught) will also test well in terms of intelligence.

If you are using the test to take to schools, you really should check with them first to see what tests they accept. You don't want to spend your money on a test that they will simply disregard.

thank you for your input! great things to figure out!