As we begin to look toward educational planning for junior high, we are pursuing private testing for my son.He has dyslexia and is very bright—possibly gifted. (This will supplement basic testing done by the school a couple years ago.) One person suggests the Wechsler Achievement Test and another the W-J III. We are going to do the Stanford Binet LM to measure apptitude. In case it’s helpful in understanding our situation, my son has dyslexia, with problems in reading and writing. Reading has improved greatly due to O-G tutoring and PACE. He’s currently getting help with writing using the Kansas Strategies. Could someone help me understand the differences between the two tests and their relative merits and weaknesses? Thanks so much.
Re: Testing gurus needed
The Stanford-Binet LM is quite out of date (normed around 1972). The most recent is the Stanford-Binet Fourth Edition. The LM should not be given.
Hi, Connie. I don’t qualify as a guru, but I know something.
The Stanford-Binet is better for younger children. After age 5, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is better and more used.
To learn most, a good combination battery of tests that the evaluator is familiar with will give you most. A combination battery tests aptitude and achievement as well as disability. The evaluator should talk to you about what you’re looking for and want to learn, so that he/she can decide what tests to use.
I need to look for an evaluator who knows children as well as tests, because I do not have a technical mind. When they talk to me about test scores, I learn nothing. You may be different. You may get a lot out of hearing technical info. about your child. Either way, look for an evaluator who talks and writes the way you hear.
Carol