WISC V question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a well behaved son with a high social IQ--he gets along with everyone and is noted for this. He is not impulsive and follows rules well.

We are considering moving him from public. His WISC V scores, however, were disappointing and lower than the WPPSI that he took when we considered doing private for PK. He had one 99th% score on the WISC but the rest were average. FSIQ was meh.

He has a sibling in a very competitive school but we are unsure of whether we should even try there. He has not been noted for any learning or behavior issues and is solidly succeeding and meeting well regarded benchmarks, if not working above grade level, in public school.

Will the WISC score doom his chances? We are very average DC private school applicants, although we are full pay and have donated quite nicely to our other child's school. I would love opinions from anyone who has real feedback based on experience. Thank you.

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[Anonymous]

My dad, a psychologist who does educational testing, says that it is not uncommon for kids to ace the WPPSI then see a dramatic "drop in IQ" in later years. He says the scores are basically garbage for kids under 8 or 9. Only after that do they become (somewhat) more stable, and most admissions people know to take scores of younger kids with several grains of salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How exactly do you know what the average FSIQ range is at these schools? Tell me then, what is the average GIA?

I think you mean GAI (General Ability Index), not GIA. The GAI is an optional ancillary index. It doesn't get calculated for everyone because it is only useful in certain clinical situations where you want an estimate of general ability that does not weigh working memory and processing speed as much as the FSIQ. The FSIQ is the summary score that everyone gets and most people remember.

Apologies for inverting the letters but I'm well aware of what it means. My question still wasn't answered though. How do you supposedly know what the the average scores are at all of these schools? FSIQ or GAI (when applicable)?

[Anonymous]

You don't know, unless you happen to have inside info. Unlike colleges, private schools are very cagy about such statistics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't know, unless you happen to have inside info. Unlike colleges, private schools are very cagy about such statistics.

So the post stating such as fact is nothing more than an assumption then. Figured that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did your psych tester tell you that the new WISC-V test hasn't been normed yet and is so far yielding results much lower than the WISC- IV? Mine did. In fact my DD who is in kids Mensa based on WISC-IV scores would not have been accepted based on the new test. Don't sweat it- ask whoever did your testing if they have any concerns. best wishes to you and your DC.

If it hadn't been normed it couldn't be scored.

Whenever a new test comes out the IQ and percentile scores will run lower. People haven't had a chance to learn to game the test, plus the overall performance of the population on which the test is normed tends to rise.

Admissions officers and others who use the tests are usually aware of this and adjust accordingly.

+1 Also, many children from high-achieving homes and parents who provide many learning experiences and learning opportunities score high on the WPPSI but don't maintain those scores as they age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dad, a psychologist who does educational testing, says that it is not uncommon for kids to ace the WPPSI then see a dramatic "drop in IQ" in later years. He says the scores are basically garbage for kids under 8 or 9. Only after that do they become (somewhat) more stable, and most admissions people know to take scores of younger kids with several grains of salt.

As another psychologist, I agree with your Dad. This is very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't know, unless you happen to have inside info. Unlike colleges, private schools are very cagy about such statistics.

So the post stating such as fact is nothing more than an assumption then. Figured that.

I think that is correct. Some boarding schools release average SSAT scores of admitted or entering students, but I haven't seen this for any local day schools.

And, of course, even if you get average scores they don't tell you a whole lot. A 25th/75th percentile spread is a lot more useful. If you do get average SSAT scores for admitted or entering students, keep in mind that a school could admit 90 kids who score in the 99th percentile and 10 kids who score in the 10th percentile and still end up with an average SSAT score in the 90th percentile. In other words, a school can have a high average SSAT, but this does not mean that every kid who is admitted has that SSAT score; the spread between those kids with the highest scores and those with the lowest could be substantial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a well behaved son with a high social IQ--he gets along with everyone and is noted for this. He is not impulsive and follows rules well.

We are considering moving him from public. His WISC V scores, however, were disappointing and lower than the WPPSI that he took when we considered doing private for PK. He had one 99th% score on the WISC but the rest were average. FSIQ was meh.

He has a sibling in a very competitive school but we are unsure of whether we should even try there. He has not been noted for any learning or behavior issues and is solidly succeeding and meeting well regarded benchmarks, if not working above grade level, in public school.

Will the WISC score doom his chances? We are very average DC private school applicants, although we are full pay and have donated quite nicely to our other child's school. I would love opinions from anyone who has real feedback based on experience. Thank you.

OP, I would think given the bolded your best chance is DC's sibs school.

Keep in mind that no one really gets into these schools based on their WIPPSI or WISC. Those tests just provide an excuse for the school to say " no". I say this as the parent of a child in a " Big 3" where come ERB time you see just what stanine DC falls in and how it matches up with IQ.

Hin: the reason MOST kids in NW privates score in 6th stanine on ERB is becuase , well , most are avergae or slightly above average IQ ( ala 110-120) full score

What these kids HAVE going for them is their parents ( $$$$$, full pay and high profile ).

Also, high social IQ is one of the biggest determinants for success in life so it probably really doesn't matter if you send DC to Wilson. The kids going to Rock it !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did your psych tester tell you that the new WISC-V test hasn't been normed yet and is so far yielding results much lower than the WISC- IV? Mine did. In fact my DD who is in kids Mensa based on WISC-IV scores would not have been accepted based on the new test. Don't sweat it- ask whoever did your testing if they have any concerns. best wishes to you and your DC.

so finally a new test has hit the market that will bring everyone down to earth . Thank God !