[Ohiogift] Early entrance to kindergarten assessment

Thu May 9 18:30:49 EDT 2013

Two comments about my previous post about Early K screening. . . 

1.  Please forgive the horrendous typos and mechanical errors.  The joys of typing on an iPhone. . . 
2.  What I shared is my personal approach based on what I know about testing, what I have observed in data, and in an attempt to follow the spirit of the policy in a reasonable manner.  It is not endorsed by anyone nor am I speaking on any organization's behalf.

Colleen Boyle, Ph.D.
Gifted Coordinator and Educational Consultant
Columbus, OH
boyleconsulting at me.com

Specialities:
Educational Psychology
Gifted Education and Psychology
Educational Administration

On May 9, 2013, at 5:52 PM, "Colleen Boyle, PhD" <boyleconsulting at me.com> wrote:

> The WISC GAI score has been covered in ODE's FAQ for gifted ID for a few years now. It isn't addressed in the IAS, but there is no reason an evaluator shouldn't consider it during an acceleration eval. (And frankly, I see no need or the IAS to be revised with it. It is silly that they charge a ton of money for a "revised" document that has 1-2 new sentences in it like they did with the last revision.)
> 
> The sibling contraindicator, in my opinion, is something to seriously discuss, but I don't think it is a slam dunk close the door for some kids. Now, I've not had an early k referral where this was an issue, nor have I had a profoundly gifted early k referral. But, should a case arise, I think it is worth a conversation but not necessarily immediate exclusion. 
> 
> The 115 IQ is a completely different story. Because we are talking about putting a child in an advanced placement compared to typical development, there is a very real need for a child to be at that cognitive level to handle internal accommodations needed in the process of adapting to the group of older kids. So, if I encounter a child without the 115, I do not continue the process nor do I call a committee. If the child gets 115 but doesn't get the 10 total points on the assessment rating, I also stop without finishing the IAS or committee. I explain the criteria and supporting research to the parents, I offer an interpretation of the child's strengths and weaknesses from the cog test (and achievement if given), and I give suggestions of things the parent can do at home to continue the child's development. But, I don't do any other testing. I know i am putting myself on the line by sharing the publicly, but i think the rationale is defensible and in line with the approved IAS. I can't justify putting a small child through that nor pulling teachers and principals from classes the last week of school for meetings that are a definite no. Plus, districts with Aug. 1 cutoffs or all day kindergarten tend to get more referrals (at least in my experience).  When responsible for large districts or multiple districts, coordinators need a way to manage the load without depriving kids of needed opportunities.  If it is an older child considered for whole grade acceleration, that is different since there are In-school options that can still be discussed. But for early K, where there are no other school options within the district, the conversation really stops at that point. 
> 
> After doing this for several years, data seems to confirm how i handle this. My referrals have cog scores clustered between 95-105 (usually kids who miss the cutoff by a couple of days) and 120 or higher (usually miss the cutoff by a month or more). Scores between 105 and 120 are rare in my early k referrals. I've gone back and reviewed the later grade testing of kids I have reviewed in any way with this process.  Every child I stopped after a cog score less than 115 has a 2nd or 3rd grade cognitive score within 1 SEM of the original score and has achievement scores ranging from 35%ile to 85%ile.  Every child I screened completely through with the IAS and did not place also has a cog score within 1 SEM of the original cog score and usually is scoring in subject areas between 75th%ile and 95%ile (I get an occasional subject area ID from some of those kids, but not new cog IDs).  Kids who go through the entire process and are placed usually have cog scores within 1 SEM at a minimum, and some who may have had a 125 or so on the original cog test end up cog ID later on.  Achievement scores usually fall between 85%ile and 99%ile in the accelerated grade level.  So, it seems to be working well and placing the right kids. 
> 
> Colleen
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On May 9, 2013, at 5:07 PM, Anne Flick <anneflick at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> That is interesting Colleen.  I would love to learn criteria you have found that helped you in the process to consider for a student with IQ<115.
>> 
>> Another point is that the WISC publisher now notes that GAI is more accurate than FSIQ for some gifted children.  I'm not sure if the 3rd ed. of the IAS includes this updated protocol.
>> 
>> Another IAS automatic contraindicator for acceleration is if the child would be placed into a grade at the same level or a level above an older sibling.  Plenty of families of PG children have ignored this caveat with no issues in their families.  Some kids are so profoundly gifted that it would be cruel to hold them behind a sibling, and where sibling difficulties arise, they manage them because the younger child's academic needs are so extreme.
>> 
>> Karen, thank you for sharing your district's resources.
>> 
>> Anne
>> 
>> the IAS also says right at the beginning that acceleration shouldn't be considered if the IQ score is below a 115 or if the total of the ratings for the aptitude, achievement, and ability scores is less than 10. So, depending on the child's tested ability, a modified process may be very appropriate.  (This should be child specific and based on objective criteria, not at a district whim.)
>> 
>> 
>> Colleen Boyle, Ph.D.
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