need help with test results

How is your 7th grader struggling, does he do the homework and not understand the material on tests, does he not do the homework and projects, is he failing all subjects, how has he done on high-stakes testing, what have his report cards been like…with probable high-average to superior intelligence(average IQ is 90-110) and achievement testing in the above averag e range, no he will not get Ld help at school, but maybe he has another isssue and that’s why he’s struggling. I would recommend private testing and make sure the testing person will sit with you and explain the results. Has he been tested in the past and identified as gifted? you may want to go back to that person for another round of eval.

SAR—His grades aren’t too bad, except in math. He is very good about doing his homework and projects and he studies for tests. His standardized state test scores are good.

He was tested for G/T in elementary school. I have NO idea how they decided to test him or what makes him qualify as being gifted.

He has trouble with the following: handwriting, grammar and punctuation when writing, and math computations. In math, he understands the concepts and can follow the right procedure for solving a problem but makes random computation errors. I say “random” because he doesn’t make the same type of error each time. I can’t figure out a pattern. He is not very organized, loses things, and often forgets to do things at home.

He says he has trouble focusing on lessons in math. His teacher lectures and has sort of a monotone voice. I don’t know if that means anything or not.

The Woodcock Johnson cognitive is not necessarily a good measure of IQ for a kid with LD. Has he been given the WISC III or IV? That would be a better choice. I’d say that your son needs a lot more testing to determine what is going on. People don’t routinely out-achieve their IQ on achievement tests, no matter how hard-working they may be. I’m betting that your son’s IQ is much, much higher and that he is using his gifts to compensate for his weaknesses. That is very common in gt/ld children, of which your boy may be one. Check out the LD in Depth section. There are a bunch of articles on gt/ld that may be helpful. Consider having him privately evaluated by someone who really knows their stuff.

I agree- the woodcock-johnson isn’t an IQ test, though it does have a “strong correlation to IQ scores.” Even wiht that “strong correlation” since his achievement scores are so far above it, you have a very strong case for the rather basic idea that the results are ;*not* a valid measure of his cognitive abilities. (It is, shall we say, rather rare that students outperform themselves. It happens, but it’s rare — and it means you don’t take shortcuts with the testing.)
I would encourage getting a full-blown psychoeducational evaluation (and frankly, if you can swing it, I’d get someone else to do it… could be that there’s a communication gap with that tester that isn’t just the test). Get the real thing.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I got the feeling from the school that I was just being worried about nothing. They suggested that he had a memory problem but didn’t offer any advice on how to improve it.

The school diagnostician was surprised when I told her he had been in the gifted program since 2nd grade and didn’t have a clue about whether the range of his scores on the WJIII were normal or not.

I think I can afford a private test and a specialist might be able to help solve the problem (if it exists) or at least give us some coping strategies.

Thanks again!

Your son *may* fit a profile I am seeing more and more as time goes on. I say may, because this is guessing at a distance and only one of many possibilities.

What I am seeing a lot of recently is kids who have struggled through not only memorize-and-guess reading as their first introduction, but also no real handwriting instruction at all, pretty much do your own thing.
In later years some phonics is taught and bright kids pick it up, and spelling helps a bit in some cases.

But the kids from Day 1 have developed a habit of wandering randomly around the page, and as in almost all things in life, under stress you fall back on your first and most familiar method.

The bad handwriting *may* be a clue, and this pattern shows up in math errors caused by losing place and direction (so they show up randomly). Also the student has trouble with multi-step directions, complex mental activities, etc.

I cannot guarantee anything, but you may see very good results from some re-training in directionality in both reading and writing, and some very ordered and patterned retraining in handwriting — either traditional or calligraphy — and some very strongly supervised practice in arithmetic with a stress on order and directionality and system. If this is indeed where things are breaking down, a couple of hours a week for a month should start to show results, and continuing the retraining for a year can turn things around.
Another thing that helps memory directly and helps develop order in thinking patterns, is memorizing and reciting — poems, songs, and if he is interested, parts in a play. Also traditional conjugating verbs/declining nouns in a second language, reciting poems in a second language, memorizing dialogue, etc. May be very old-fashioned but memory training is not a new idea.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Before you spend a lot of money, interview the school psych again and ask for a review of previous testing as well; gifted means he has an IQ of above 130; is he currently in a gifted program? It seems odd that the school psych didn’t know if he is currently in a gifted program. Request all his prior records and ask a private psych to review them; the WJ cognitive is a measure of intelligence, and since this doesn’t seem to be the issue(ie you see him as bright), why repeat IQ testing? It is the performance issue you need to look at not the abillity level.

If he wants help, he’s going to need to have evidence of a discrepancy between ability and achievement — and not in the reverse direction. Definitely, though, find out if this is a sort of “open enrollment” gifted program (some schools have ones that are pretty much teacher-recommendation) or whther there’s some testing involved.

victoria—those are great ideas and I’ve already implemented some of them. My son reads very well. I think the idea of practicing memorizing things is a good one! He learned how to read before he started school—I don’t really know how, he just did it. I read a lot to him and one day he started reading back. In his school they used a phonics approach called “Johnny Can Spell”. They used markings over the letters to show which sound they made. I didn’t really like it very much but my son does read well. He just can’t seem to spell. He is currently seeing a tutor in math (it was just too much stress at my house to tutor him myself) and he really stresses neatness and order. I have seen his work in math improve greatly in order and neatness. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of trouble in multiple-step problems other than simple computation errors.

SAR—He was recommended for GT in kindergarten and tested toward the end of 2nd grade. Our school district uses teacher recommendations, standardized test scores (I don’t know which, though), and creativity tests to determine eligibility. I don’t know about the 130 IQ thing, though. To my knowledge my son has never had an IQ test until the WJIII this year. I like the idea of having someone review the current records rather than starting all over. I will be talking to the school psych soon.

Sue—I don’t really care if the school thinks he needs help or not. I’m just saddened that my once happy and confident child has turned into a boy who thinks he’s dumb. I have noticed that in the classes where the teachers use more of a multi-sensory approach to their teaching that he does quite well (for example, a 99 in his Texas history honors class—without studying). In the classes where the teachers use mainly lecture techniques he struggles more (math, especially and science to a lesser degree). Since I can’t dictate how his teachers teach, we have to work on ways to help him learn.

By testing, or having another doctor review his records, I hope to learn how to help him learn and remember things more efficiently so he’ll feel confident that he can learn and be successful. I’m not so worried about IQ scores except they may indicate some sort of attention or memory issue that we need to look at.