Ah, you snuck one more in on me Ebeth. Since I'm being quoted, I'll clarify. The STEP is achievement testing, and is definitely more indepth than the WIAT or WJ. Certainly any school CBA (Curriculum Based Assessments) testing would work just as well (above level), and perhaps better. CBA though tends to lack the norms that so many like.

The SCAT is different and more aptitude based. It's a good stand-in when IQ testing isn't available, and has a nice math thrust. But it speaks more to ability than actual achievement as well.

While the WIAT/WJ are indeed quick and dirty...they DO however do a nice enough job of picking out those +3 standard deviation kids, which is what DITD is trying to screen. In that regard, the test does a nice job. But for individual programming, it really only points to the need for more indepth data.

Personally I think the big "problem" with the GE argument is that GEs becomes very subjective by 7th grade, if not sooner. The scholastic Powers That Be don't like to acknowledge what a range the "general public" has in its ability level, and most are still holding to the pipe dream that all children can learn equally, .

This hit me hard when DDthen11 was tested in 7th grade. Her scores were virtually all high school level....but she fit in just fine with grouped top 7th graders. Those same score levels though in an 8 year old suggest a much stronger need. (Note too that her "high school" level scores were NOT in the 145+ range!)

Well, getting accelerated science and curriculum compacted math sounds FANTASTIC! Really, I think that's an excellent outcome.

How are you feeling, ebeth?

Good luck!! I think he will have a blast.

Ahhh. I think I understand the difference between STEP, SCAT, and the WJ III. And your explanation of the GEs makes sense too. DH and I are used to thinking in terms of uncertainties and error bars on numbers and graphs. I think that when the grade level projections become extended out beyond multiple grade levels, then the uncertainty of those projections begins to swamp the useful data. That is what we saw when we looked at the grade equivalent for DS's science score.



I also like your insight in to the scholastic Powers that Be. It explains a lot. Really.

I'm feeling a little bit better today, although I didn't get too much sleep last night. My brain is a little bit foggy and slow today. Something akin to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome with a side of WJ III shock and denial, perhaps? This isn't fazing DS at all, though. Or at least it hasn't manifest itself yet? We shall see. But I feel some optimism creeping back into my numb bones today.

I'm new to this board, so I hope someone can clarify something that has come up with my DD and DS.
My understanding that a GE of, say, 9, on an achievement test taken by a 4th grader, does NOT mean that the 4th grader is doing 9th grade level work. It means that the child in question performed 4th grade work AS WELL AS an average 9th grader would perform the same 4th grade work. The test, after all, has 4th grade level questions, not 9th grade level questions. Thus, the utility of EXPLORE, SCAT, etc...to assess above-level ability.
Is that right?

Interesting you brought this up. I just found this

"What is a grade equivalent, and what does it mean?

A grade equivalent (GE) is a score reported on norm-referenced tests that allows educators and parents to compare students based on the performance of other students relative to the school year. Based on a 9-month school year (typically September through May), the score represents a period during the school year, displayed as a number to show a grade and a month. The score is an estimate of the performance that an average student at a grade level is assumed to demonstrate on the test at a particular time in the school year. For example, a score of 5.8 represents a performance level typical of fifth-grade students in the eighth month (April) of the school year. It is important to note that grade equivalent scores outside the current grade are common and should be interpreted with caution. For example, a fifth-grade student could receive a grade equivalent score of 7.4. This does not mean the student can perform seventh-grade work – the student would not have been exposed to seventh-grade content, nor would a fifth-grade test contain seventh-grade content. It suggests that a typical seventh grader in the fourth month would have received the same score if seventh graders had taken the fifth-grade test."

Welcome Twomoose! Your question depends on the test being used AND the subtests. If the test was a grade level test such as the ITBS or SAT-10, then you are correct. However, many subtests in the WIAT or WJ DO go "above level", and those results do reflect above level ability. In those cases, the older child (9th grader) was given the exact same test, earning the same final score as your 4th grader. This depends on the specific test and subtest though. Some are more meaningful than others.

The Explore is better in general than a WIAT/WJ, because it's MUCH more indepth per subject.

EandC, did you get that from a test specific page? That sounds about right for the first half of my response...say for the ITBS or SAT-10.

I found it here www.pearsonedmeasurement.com/research/faq_2d.htm

I just googled "what does grade equivalent mean" and this came up and seemed to support what she was saying. I have no idea what tests this would be meaningful for. (I shouldn't venture into areas where I don't really know what I'm talking about should I???)