WPPSI distribution in DC

[Anonymous]

I have seen several posts indicating that a WPPSI score of 99 or higher is quite "common" in DC. I wonder if anyone has a more quantitative sense of this. Does any one have a good guess as to what the distribution of WPPSI (overall) scores is in the Dc area? I gather from previous posters that 85 is a minimum score at the top schools (at least most of the time). Do we have a sense of the mean scores in the applicant and accepted pool at the top schools? Any sense of the percentile distribution among the applicant and accepted pool?

I do realize that WPPSIs are not everything - this is just a request for more detailed information if it is out there.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. After all ths discussion taht is seen on this forum re WPPSI scores, I guess I am surprised that no one has a more precise sense of what the score distribution looks like roughly in the Dc area.

[SAM2]

I've been searching for a while now for some way to measure WPPSI distribution, but no luck so far. If you find anything, please post.

[Anonymous]

I asked our evaluator, and she said she thought "high average" was average in the locally tested population.

[Anonymous]

For people interested in this sort of thing, I just ran across a nice set of presentation slides that gives a useful overview of different intelligence theories and testing issues:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&ved=0CCsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsysoc.colstate.edu%2Frichman%2FgenpsychV%2Fchap8ppt03.ppt&ei=WcRiS87qOdCflAfzn7i8Aw&usg=AFQjCNGT7uvP0XO-AR3RaFyNfQzAsKlkBg&sig2=-A85-YG0yBMIdnADIVNbVw

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, but previous posters were interested in how the distribution in the DC area might be different from that in the overall population.

[Anonymous]

If high average (which is between 80th and 85th percentile) is the equilvent of average in DC then I guess what you are saying is most of the kids in DC score well above 90th?? If so something is wrong. There is no way so many kids in DC even with parents that are writers, doctors, lawyers, etc are so much above average. I think the test is so stupid and the schools are no more impressed with a kid who got 99% vs a kid who got 80%. They look more at the written report and processing speed anyway. If a kid scores 99% and has a low processing speed score that is bad. It means that he/she is not quick. To survive at a school like Sidwell or GDS you have to be a quick learner.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP, with the caveat that I don't think that the OP is really asking for the DC distribution. I think OP is asking for the distribution of DC private school applicants, which may skew a little higher than average since it is a self-selected group (and because, frankly, testers probably have an incentive to hear the correct answer and slightly inflate the scores (although I would guess that private schools are aware of that potential inflation)).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If high average (which is between 80th and 85th percentile) is the equilvent of average in DC then I guess what you are saying is most of the kids in DC score well above 90th?? If so something is wrong. There is no way so many kids in DC even with parents that are writers, doctors, lawyers, etc are so much above average. I think the test is so stupid and the schools are no more impressed with a kid who got 99% vs a kid who got 80%. They look more at the written report and processing speed anyway. If a kid scores 99% and has a low processing speed score that is bad. It means that he/she is not quick. To survive at a school like Sidwell or GDS you have to be a quick learner.

It is important to remember that almost the only kids being tested in DC are headed to private school and are with few exceptions upper middle class which is correlated with higher test scores. Add in that most parents will only apply to private school, especially for pre-K and K, if they think their kid is ready. I am betting that readiness and test scores, especially at this young age, are highly correlated. Now you have 2 sample selection biases that would both tend to push up the scores and I can see quite easily how the average score that a particular testing office might see is the 80-85th percentile, that is the average of the kids in DC that are tested is 80-85 percent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If high average (which is between 80th and 85th percentile) is the equilvent of average in DC then I guess what you are saying is most of the kids in DC score well above 90th?? If so something is wrong. There is no way so many kids in DC even with parents that are writers, doctors, lawyers, etc are so much above average. I think the test is so stupid and the schools are no more impressed with a kid who got 99% vs a kid who got 80%. They look more at the written report and processing speed anyway. If a kid scores 99% and has a low processing speed score that is bad. It means that he/she is not quick. To survive at a school like Sidwell or GDS you have to be a quick learner.

It may just mean that they are a perfectionist, have mild fine motor difficulties, or have vision issues. That was the case with my son, who is clearly very quick, but needed reading glasses and is also a perfectionist.

[Anonymous]

My child then fell into the avearge DC percentage (between 80-85). We are not upper middle class by any means. Low middle class if anything. Does this exclude my child from having a chance at at great school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is important to remember that almost the only kids being tested in DC are headed to private school and are with few exceptions upper middle class which is correlated with higher test scores. Add in that most parents will only apply to private school, especially for pre-K and K, if they think their kid is ready. I am betting that readiness and test scores, especially at this young age, are highly correlated. Now you have 2 sample selection biases that would both tend to push up the scores and I can see quite easily how the average score that a particular testing office might see is the 80-85th percentile, that is the average of the kids in DC that are tested is 80-85 percent.

Completely agree with this. The averages you get for those who do the WPPSI are going to be unusually high because those who apply for private school are going to be a self-selecting group of mostly well-educated, middle-upper and upper class parents. I'd wager that if the WPPSI were administered to, say, ALL 3-year olds in DC (including those outside of NW), the average WPPSI score would be far lower.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thanks PPs. I was actually curious about what information was available on both:

First, the general distribution in DC (I wondered in particular if any statisticcs were available from any randomized testing within DC that avoided the selection biases indicated by PPs).

Secondparately, I was curious about the self selected group in fact applying to private schools and what the distribution looked like within that group.

[Anonymous]

Will schools take into account a economically disadvantaged kid that doesn't fall into that 90th and above ranking? Basically will they accept lower knowing that that child may not be exposed to the games and puzzles, etc? Just curious? I think they should but not sure if they automatically expect all DC kids to be above a certain percentage. I just don't think at 3 and 4 the difference between 80% and 99% is that great. I bet if someone tracked these kids through high school they would see not much difference..except for effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will schools take into account a economically disadvantaged kid that doesn't fall into that 90th and above ranking? Basically will they accept lower knowing that that child may not be exposed to the games and puzzles, etc? Just curious? I think they should but not sure if they automatically expect all DC kids to be above a certain percentage. I just don't think at 3 and 4 the difference between 80% and 99% is that great. I bet if someone tracked these kids through high school they would see not much difference..except for effort.

Perhaps if there was something very promising about the young one--A strong teacher recc.; An engaged, bright, eager to learn child as observed on the mandatory playdate; Topped with parents who present themselves as wanting to be involved in their child's education, even if they do not have all the funds to contribute to tuition, or resources to offer exposure to music/art/language or Kumon classes, or even buy costly Melissa & Doug puzzles. If I were on an admissions team, I would strongly consider such a child.