Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment What is processing speed and how do I explain it?

Thanks everyone. Val, that article is exactly what I need!

The weird argument we keep having is that they KNOW he knows the material. The teacher continues to argue that he needs to demonstrate it faster. She said on his last report cart "Has mastered multiplication, division and long division at any level, needs to pass timed tests."

We've had an OT eval and motor skills (both fine and gross) were determined to be average for his age.

The WISC scores- tested at age 6 years, 7 months- I've posted them before but here's a refresher:

VCI- 140
PRI- 139
WM- 141
PS- 109
FSIQ- 142
GAI- 148 (with a note from the ed.psych that if GAI only left out Processing Speed, his overall IQ would reflect even higher)

Since we're talking Processing speed- the subtests
Coding-9
Symbol Search- 14
Cancellation (given as a substitute due to higher symbol search)- 8

Well the good news is that the school psych is willing to admit that she hasn't seen a kid like him. Basically you need to ask her what the standard procedure is for getting help in her field when she comes across unusual students. Sometimes there is a State level person who can give help when asked by the local district. Sometimes the local Universities have a Talent Search Program and someone who can be curbsided for expertise. You can provide her with the email address for cybereducator guild. In the real world, when we see something that we don't understand, we go up the network for help, rather than stick our fingers in our ears and pretend it doesn't exist. ((sarcasm alert))

One way to demonstrate that the Highs are real is to ask the question, ok - his MAP scorces are sky high for the 4th grade and he is a chronological 2nd grader - lets check and see what percentage he is for 5th and 6th graders. Do you really think a 2nd grade aged kid could be in the top 20% of 6th graders if the highs were a mistake?

But you really are better off having an outside person be the one to tell her. It's always better to have the info coming from a person with a higher educational 'rank' instead of from a lowely parent. If the test was done privately, then the tester is the obvious choice. If the test was done through the school, perhaps the State gifted association could recommend a local psychologist who could look at the results from the school's test and make recommendation. Actually, I think that you could ask your Family Consultant if she/he is willing to call the school psychologist and 'gave a little chat.'

I'm shaking as I write this post. How much are you supposed to put up with... really?

But back to my role as calm, thoughtful helper: What happens when you ask the school how are they planning to measure what one year of academic growth would be for your child? That is the real question.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

So, with multiple subtests in three areas showing high, and two similar subtests in one area showing low, and with performance and achievement consistent with all of these scores,(i.e., knows advanced material, has difficulty with rapid retrieval and output), why on Earth would the tester think that any of the scores, let alone the numerous and consistent high scores, were an error?

If the tester has never seen a child like this before, (and has somehow lost the interpretation guide) perhaps he or she should get some input and advice from someone who has seen this pattern.

Okay, that evaluation makes my brain hurt.

Try this argument: "His skills may be average for his age, but they are well below average compared to his abilities. Therefore, he needs an accommodation so that he can work at his level."

Or: "His skills may be average for his age, but they are well below the average of his other abilities."

It might be a good idea to remember that the staff may have no experience with kids whose IQs are as high as your son's, which means they'll create expectations based on average kids. When all that matters is the score on a high stakes test, they'll focus on the bit where his potentially low score may create trouble for them. Don't forget that a combination of NCLB and other bad ideas means that our schools are primarily about test scores, and not what's learned.

I snipped out some of the middle so I could address this part. The testing was done privately by a tester who does all the testing for GATE for a neighboring school district. She's an ed.psych and wrote a lengthy report for our school psychologist to review. I think that at the time, the school psych hadn't seen the MAP scores- just the WISC and SB-V she was able to be dismissive. She can't really take that approach now- at least not in any logical way! Our family consultant is more than willing to talk to the school and has had some luck with the VP, who will be at the meeting. But progress beyond that and into the classroom has been nonexistent.


This is actually the whole goal of this meeting, at least in my head! Here the school has said they want one year of growth. So how will they measure that? And how do they plan to teach him to actually make that happen? His reading score on his MAP testing hasn't moved since last spring... because he's not getting any instruction. Sure they have reading group at school and he's actually reading stuff somewhat close to his lexile level. But the instruction is nowhere near that. According to the NWEA stuff, he should be discussing figurative language, logic and persuasive arguments, inferences and metaphors etc. His reading instruction consists entirely of "summarize this chapter" and "who is the main character?"

Oh don't I know! He just spent 30 minutes doing division with remainder last night because his teacher wanted to make sure he knew how to make a remainder for the state tests. Since on the test, it won't have an answer with a terminating or repeating decimal...

He now has fully demonstrated his ability to "half divide" as he calls it- because you only did half of the problem.

I once read that a good way to solve a problem is to find out what's motivating the person you're negotiating with. So, they're telling you that he needs to pass timed tests at the same time as saying that he's mastered the concepts and practices (albeit more slowly).

So I suggest asking them why the timed tests are so important and seeing if you can find a solution that addresses your concern and theirs.

I completely agree Val. I'm not opposed to the timed tests at all and I have no problem with him doing them. I'm appalled that this one thing he has to do 5 minutes a week is keeping him from doing any other math. He is literally excused from math except for these 5 minutes. The rest of the time it is fully acceptable for him to silent read- 45 minutes a day. Unless something comes up like the division with remainder or other test prep thing, he has no math instruction at school.

Wow, that really stinks.

What time is your meeting? I'd like to know how it turns out.

((eye roll)) Good for him! Bless his compliant heart.