superior test score on performance and high average on verbal? what does this mean?

[Anonymous]

what does this mean? do most kids get superior or is that truely superior? high average doesn't sound so great. are these scores competetive with others applying to private school?

[pollyanna]

It is my understanding that these scores are based on kids from all states and a broad range of educational backgrounds. Therefore while being superior does mean just that, you have to bear in mind the range of kids that are the basis of the scores. I really do think that in the DC metro area there is a high concentration of very smart people who produce very smart kids and they are the kids with whom your DC will be competing. Our DC did score very highly in the WPPSI (much to mine and DH's surprise since neither of us is in the "very smart" camp) and was graded superior or very superior in all the competencies. I think this contributed to acceptance in all the schools we applied to. So I do think the high scores help.

However I have to say that in comparison to current class mates at the private school DC attends, DC does not by any means stand out and is in fact struggling in some areas compared to peers particularly because we started in K while all but 2 of the others started in Pre-K and are building on things they learnt then. So getting in is just half the battle though by no means a small achievement.
Good luck and I hope you get into the school of your choice.

[Anonymous]

so would an overall "high average" get him into some of the best schools or not a chance?

[pollyanna]

Anonymous wrote:so would an overall "high average" get him into some of the best schools or not a chance?

Obviously I cannot speak for the schools and believe me, people do not disclose their kid's scores (except anonymously on DCUM) so it is very diffucult to anwer your question accurately as I do not know what other children who did and did not get in scored. Whatever I say is at best purely a guess. I am assuming that my DC got in partly because of scores. However I have also heard that schools take other things into account as well, such as, child's ability to separate happily, child's interpersonal skills, how they perform during the "playdate" etc.

Again Gook LucK

[Anonymous]

I remember that another poster suggested (I'm not sure on what basis) that performance in the 80th percentile was probably an informal requirement for entry into the most competitive schools (although I suppose even this requirement could be waived if you were fabulously wealthy, celebrated, or desirable in some other way). (And to think that at the beginning of this process, we thought it was about the kids!) However, I don't think any test score is good enough to guarantee admission or even a decent shot at admission. Your child can score at the 99th percentile or above on all components of the test and still not be admitted because there were only a tiny number of slots available that year.

[Anonymous]

i don't understand the test scores? what is the overall average? is an 86 overall considered good? i have read here that many kids had 96% etc... the test to be honest is not fair i believe, b/c you can actually prepare your child in some ways ie: letting them practice puzzles, mazes, testing them on vocabulary, etc... (we did not prepare in any way) but i feel really sorry for children who are quite intelligent but maybe are not gettting one on one attention to teach them some of these things. i naturally teach some of these things without really thinking about it but for instance if you are with a caretaker all day that isn't that attentive or something and they don't read to you often, etc... you may not do as well although you could be naturally intelligent. once again the rich kids with the parents that know the system are benefitted.

[Anonymous]

If your child scored in the 86th percentile, that's pretty good. That means that 86 percent of those who took the test did less well nationwide. (Among the students applying to competitive schools in DC, however, performance may tend to be higher.) If your child's actual score was 86, which I take to be unlikely, that's not so good. Average performance is supposed to be 100. (Actually, I'm only assuming it's average, not median, so don't quote me, but the broad conclusion is the same.)

[Anonymous]

As others have posted, you have to keep in mind that you are comparing to national norms. It is very common for young children (up until 1st or 2nd grade) in this area to score very well on national assessments. You don't mention the age of your child. By 3rd grade, these scores tend to be a bit more valid in terms of overall ability. For the younger ages, one or two correct responses can really bump a child's score up.

In any case, having "superior" scores can only help.