WISC V question

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it matters. Is this for an expansion year? Otherwise you might be cutting it close anyway. It is far more important that your child is socially ok and well balanced. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

The real question is whether the "very competitive school" would be the right fit for him, based on what you know of him. What drives you to consider it for him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real question is whether the "very competitive school" would be the right fit for him, based on what you know of him. What drives you to consider it for him?

Good point!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real question is whether the "very competitive school" would be the right fit for him, based on what you know of him. What drives you to consider it for him?

Good point!

Totally agree. We don't know if the best fit at all but we love the school. My question was actually whether his WISC would doom him at other schools too...thanks for your replies.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, pp. I hadn't heard that. Ours went down too from a few years ago, although not dramatically. Are the schools aware of this?

[Anonymous]

i don't think it will hurt, but it depends on what you mean by average. People can use average for numbers between 100 & 120 accurately. I think numbers in the 110-120 range are very much in the range of what top schools seek. They aren't looking for gifted children - they don't advance curriculum or tailor to learners that need differentiated learning. They look for solid, intelligent students who will form a solid cohort with other classmates.

With that, keep a range of school options open, and apply to schools that don't require testing, too.

[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.

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.

[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.

Thank you. Yes--my tester said WISC V is producing lower scores.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, my DC took both editions of the WISC a few years apart and the WISC V did not produce lower scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i don't think it will hurt, but it depends on what you mean by average. People can use average for numbers between 100 & 120 accurately. I think numbers in the 110-120 range are very much in the range of what top schools seek. They aren't looking for gifted children - they don't advance curriculum or tailor to learners that need differentiated learning. They look for solid, intelligent students who will form a solid cohort with other classmates.

With that, keep a range of school options open, and apply to schools that don't require testing, too.

Low test scores are not disqualifying and they aren't even a very good indicator of intelligence, let alone potential. However, the average WPSSI and WISC FSIQ scores of students at Beauvoir, Sidwell, GDS, Maret are much higher than 120. Scores in the 120-140 range are perfectly typical for upper middle class children of well educated professionals at these schools.

[Anonymous]

My son had a wild WISC report which swung all over the place. It seemed not to bother the school we applied to (where he was accepted).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't think it will hurt, but it depends on what you mean by average. People can use average for numbers between 100 & 120 accurately. I think numbers in the 110-120 range are very much in the range of what top schools seek. They aren't looking for gifted children - they don't advance curriculum or tailor to learners that need differentiated learning. They look for solid, intelligent students who will form a solid cohort with other classmates.

With that, keep a range of school options open, and apply to schools that don't require testing, too.

Low test scores are not disqualifying and they aren't even a very good indicator of intelligence, let alone potential. However, the average WPSSI and WISC FSIQ scores of students at Beauvoir, Sidwell, GDS, Maret are much higher than 120. Scores in the 120-140 range are perfectly typical for upper middle class children of well educated professionals at these schools.

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

[Anonymous]

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.