WPPSI on Monday, dc has a cold, should I reschedule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's great. Good luck! (BTW, my child was getting over a cold when she took the WPPSI, and the tester noted in her evaluation that she was congested but in good spirits, also that in the last section of the test she may have been tired due to her recent illness and therefore perhaps performed slightly more slowly than she might otherwise have done.)

OK, minor reality check here. Are we all crazy? Illness=performed more slowly? We are talking about three year olds! I took my own two weeks ago for the WPPSI (still waiting on results), so I am not criticising the PP or the OP. Didn't face the illness issue, but every once in awhile it hits me that we may all be nuts! Of course, I went to public school and just showed up for Kindergarten when I turned 5 (no preschool), so maybe that has something to do with my feeling that we are all completely mad for taking three year olds off to IQ testing...

OP here, it's not the parents that want to have their dc IQ tested, it's the schools that require it as part of their admissions testing. Yes, it's amazing to us that they can assess a child at such as young age. That being said the schools probably have a difficlut time trying to determine which of our wonderful children to admit. This is just another aspect they can use to help in their decision making. Now that being said, I've read on the site that many children with high scores do not get accepted to the top 3 private schools.

I know just as the PP whose child had a cold, I was concerned if my dc would be tired or grumpy and would not participate fully. She told me after the test that the examiner showed her a picture and asked her what an object was and even though she knew it, she couldn't remember it right then. She also said the same of another question being asked of her and she knew after she got in the car that she didn't get it totally correct. But that's OK. Dc rarely stresses about such things, as we have tried to always tell her that's OK, you just try your best and know mommy and daddy always love you. I think we were definitely more stressed that she was about they day, but were glad it was done. So the cold may have affected her performance a bit but hopefully not too much.

PP, I too went to public school and had to take an IQ test when in elementary school for the GT program. I had no idea what was going on b/c my parents also had no idea about IQ testing for children , etc. I just thought they were fun game and thankfully did well enough to get in. I think I was lucky. So as a parent, I'm glad we have this site where we can all share and discuss these issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OK, minor reality check here. Are we all crazy? Illness=performed more slowly? We are talking about three year olds! I took my own two weeks ago for the WPPSI (still waiting on results), so I am not criticising the PP or the OP. Didn't face the illness issue, but every once in awhile it hits me that we may all be nuts! Of course, I went to public school and just showed up for Kindergarten when I turned 5 (no preschool), so maybe that has something to do with my feeling that we are all completely mad for taking three year olds off to IQ testing...

We were told by one private that the IQ test was mostly to see if kids had any learning challenges that the school couldn't meet. Average scores were OK, they just didn't have trained staff to help with reading or other special needs. (Although I'd be really surprised if they didn't use it as a tool to select kids, too.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OK, minor reality check here. Are we all crazy? Illness=performed more slowly? We are talking about three year olds! I took my own two weeks ago for the WPPSI (still waiting on results), so I am not criticising the PP or the OP. Didn't face the illness issue, but every once in awhile it hits me that we may all be nuts! Of course, I went to public school and just showed up for Kindergarten when I turned 5 (no preschool), so maybe that has something to do with my feeling that we are all completely mad for taking three year olds off to IQ testing...

We were told by one private that the IQ test was mostly to see if kids had any learning challenges that the school couldn't meet. Average scores were OK, they just didn't have trained staff to help with reading or other special needs. (Although I'd be really surprised if they didn't use it as a tool to select kids, too.)

Unless the private you are referring to is 3rd tier, I can't believe this someone said something like that with a straight face. Even those schools on the lowest tiers want smart kids. While certainly not foolproof or dispositive of anything, an IQ test helps point the ADs in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[

We were told by one private that the IQ test was mostly to see if kids had any learning challenges that the school couldn't meet. Average scores were OK, they just didn't have trained staff to help with reading or other special needs. (Although I'd be really surprised if they didn't use it as a tool to select kids, too.)

Huh? IQ tests, particularly for really little kids, don't tell you about learning disabilities! A very uneven profile might be a flag for possible issues, but you have to look at the absolute scores, and it has more to do with learning style/broad weaknesses than, say, a disability in reading or math.

[Anonymous]

Why can't you all let kids be kids? I was probably part of the 2% of my graduating class who went to preschool (montessori) in the 70s. The rest stayed home with their mothers until kindergarten. I can name tons of peers who are now very successful (and resourceful, I might add, b/c of no enabling). lawyers, doctors, professors, CPAs, business owners . . . I know a few who went straight into business who are now millionaires b/c the worked as apprentices and learned a trade in high school.

totally ridiculous - testing toddlers! What kind of neurotic behaviors are you projecting onto your kids?

[Anonymous]

Honey, are you not listening? The schools REQUIRE the tests for admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honey, are you not listening? The schools REQUIRE the tests for admission.

Duh, I know that! I can READ the posts. I just can't imagine why you'd choose these schools. WHY pick a school that tests toddlers and dissects their "play date" actions?

It's totally ridiculous!

I wonder how these kids will be able to handle the real world? God forbid they should intermingle with public school graduates in the work force!

[Anonymous]

Because they are wonderful schools. And really, for many/most kids, the testing and playdates are not a big deal. We were very low-key about both with our daughter--told her she would do some activities so that we can understand how she likes to learn and for her to see how she likes different schools--and she enjoyed them. It's the parents (us included) who wring their hands and stay up at night.

[Anonymous]

They're applying to enter pre-K, they're not toddlers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We were told by one private that the IQ test was mostly to see if kids had any learning challenges that the school couldn't meet. Average scores were OK, they just didn't have trained staff to help with reading or other special needs. (Although I'd be really surprised if they didn't use it as a tool to select kids, too.)

Unless the private you are referring to is 3rd tier, I can't believe this someone said something like that with a straight face. Even those schools on the lowest tiers want smart kids. While certainly not foolproof or dispositive of anything, an IQ test helps point the ADs in the right direction.

It wasn't 3rd tier. Maybe 2nd tier. The school in question turns away kids, they aren't desparate to fill empty slots. I can't speak to whether the IQ test is effective in identifying learning disabilities. But I do agree with you that the test is also used to help pick kids -- in fact one school mentioned it as a factor in my son's favor.