Psychometric Tests for the Gifted

31/03/2012
Psychometric Tests
for the Gifted
Overview
Myths and Realities
Importance of early
identification
Lynn Berresford
www.indigo.org.nz
Understanding the role of
diagnostic psychometric
assessments for the gifted
MYTHS
Gifted students:
Are already perceived as elite – don’t need extra
help.
Will excel anywhere – don’t need special attention
Already have arrogant tendencies – ID and special
programmes will only make them worse
Anyway, they are not the only ones – all children
gifted in some way
AND…….
The Reality
“We recognise the inherent
difficulties of having a 17 year old
body with a 9 year old mind…
However, we still do not
understand that it is equally
problematic to have a 17 year old
mind trapped in the body of a 9
year old” (Silverman, 1994).
Definition:
Giftedness
Not a homogenous group!
‘Giftedness’ is not a homogenous group and within
this group there is a broad range of intellectual
ability and a wide variety of talents.
Although standardized achievement tests and
intelligence test play a key role in identification of
gifted and talented students there is a growing
awareness and appreciation of multiple
intelligences. Nevertheless it is quite widely
accepted that “Giftedness is an asynchronous
development in which advanced cognitive abilities
and heightened intensity combine to create inner
experiences and awareness that are qualitatively
different from the norm” (Martha Morelock, 1997.
Giftedness The View From Within).
Intellectually gifted children learn differently.
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31/03/2012
Reality [continued]
• Giftedness can be observed in
rapid early development
• Parents can be excellent identifiers
of giftedness BUT are not always
listened to and when they fail to
recognise gifts teachers may
overlook them too.
Reality [continued]
2 nd born children are recognised as
gifted much less frequently than
1 st borns.
Asynchrony is often seen in large
discrepancies between specific
learning abilities and may mask
giftedness.
Early Identification is
important
BUT
Psychometric Testing
Psychometric Testing for
the gifted is not always
intelligently diagnostic
and the reported results
not always understood.
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31/03/2012
BUT
Psychological Assessment Tools are needed
Psychological Assessment Tools
Wechsler Preschool and
Primary Scale of
Intelligence (WPPSI-
III)
Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children
(WISC-IV)
Stanford Binet
Intelligence Scales -
Fifth Edition
Age range
IQ range
2.6 years to 7.3 years 41 to 155
6.0 years to
16.11years
2.0 years to 89.11
years
40 to 160
40 -160
Stanford Binet LM 2 years to adult 36 to 300+
Woodcock–Johnson III
Standard Test of
Cognition Abilities (WJ-
III)
2 years to 90 + years 40 to 160
Levels of Giftedness
• MG – Moderately Gifted (IQ 130 – 145)
2 standard deviations from the mean
Language: Wechsler, WJIII & SB
Wechsler Intelligence Scale
for Children (WISC-IV)
Range
Very Superior
Superior
IQ range
130 – 160 (top 2%)
120 – 129 (top 9%)
• HG – Highly Gifted (IQ 145 – 160)
3 standard deviations from the mean
Woodcock Johnson III
Standard Test of Cognition
Abilities (WJIII)
Very Superior
Superior
131 and above
121 to 130
• EG – Extremely Gifted (IQ 160 – 180)
4 standard deviations from the mean
Stanford Binet Intelligence
Scales - Fifth Edition
Very Gifted
Gifted
Superior
145 – 160 (top 0.1%)
130 – 144 (top 2%)
120 – 129 (top 9%)
• PG – Profoundly Gifted (IQ 180 +)
5 or more standard deviations from the mean
Stanford Binet LM
Very Superior
Superior
160 – 169 (top 0.03%)
150 – 159 (0.2%)
140 – 149 (1.1%)
130 – 139 (3.1%)
120 – 129 (8.2%)
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31/03/2012
Raven’s Progressive Matrices – most
popular intelligence scale world wide
WISC IV – is used widely and when there are
extreme discrepancies between composite
scores on the WISC IV the Full Scale IQ score is
NOT the best way to describe a student.
WISC IV – GAI [drops WM and PS; emphasises
reasoning ability] can sometimes be acceptable
for selection / identification.
Low Scores on Processing Speed and Working
Memory can lower FSIQ.
WISC IV – VCI or PRI may be used
independently for culturally diverse, bilingual, 2E
or Visual Spatial Learners.
SB5 – can also use either the Verbal IQ or Non
Verbal IQ independently to identify gifted
children with different strengths.
More Visual-Spatial content on SB5
Woodcock-Johnson III
Used to Predict:
Achievement in specific curriculum areas
Overall school achievement
Performance clusters
Screening purposes, but not a comprehensive
measure of intelligence.
Woodcock-Johnson III
Computer Summary graphing results
include:
Raw Score
Grade Equivalent
Age Equivalent
Relative Proficiency Index
Percentile Rank
Easy to Difficult Band
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Stanford Binet - 5th Edition
SUBTEST PERCENTILE SCORES
Non Verbal IQ
Fluid Reasoning
Knowledge
Quantitative Reasoning
Visual Spatial Processing
Working Memory
Verbal IQ
Fluid Reasoning
Knowledge
Quantitative Reasoning
Visual Spatial Processing
Working Memory
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Fluid Reasoning
AREA PERCENTILE SCORES
Knowledge
Quantitative Reasoning
Visual Spatial Processing
Working Memory
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31/03/2012
100
90
80
Verbal
WPPSI-III Percentile Scores
Performance Processing General
IQ / INDEX SCORES
Speed Language
WPPSI III PERCENTILE SCORES
100
Verbal Performance Processing
IQ / INDEX
Speed
SCORES
90
80
Verbal
100
90
80
WISC-IV Percentile Scores
Perceptual Working Processing
IQ / INDEX SCORES
Memory Speed
100
90
70
60
50
40
30
70
60
50
40
Percentile Rank
70
60
50
40
30
Percentile Rank
80
70
60
50
40
20
10
30
20
20
10
0
30
20
0
10
10
0
0
Perceptual Reasoning
Verbal Comprehension
Working Memory
Processing Speed
Full Scale
WISC-IV Percentile Scores - Dyslexic
Verbal
Perceptual
Working
Memory
Processing
Speed
IQ / INDEX SCORES
100
100
90
80
90
70
80
Percentile Rank
60
50
40
30
Percentile Rank
70
60
50
40
20
30
10
0
20
10
0
WISC-IV Percentile Scores - Dysgraphic
Verbal
Perceptual
Working
Memory
Processing
Speed
IQ / INDEX SCORES
100
100
90
90
80
80
70
60
70
50
60
40
50
30
40
20
30
10
20
0
Similarities
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Block Design
Picture Concepts
Matrix Reasoning
Digit Span
Letter-Number Sequence
Coding
Symbol Search
10
0
Perceptual Reasoning
Verbal Comprehension
Working Memory
Processing Speed
Full Scale
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31/03/2012
WISC-IV Percentile Scores - Dyscalculic
Verbal
Perceptual
Working
Memory
Processing
Speed
IQ / INDEX SCORES
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WISC-IV Percentile Scores – ADHD
Verbal
Perceptual
Working
Memory
Processing
Speed
IQ / INDEX SCORES
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WISC-IV Percentile Scores - Autistic
Verbal
Perceptual
Working
Memory
Processing
Speed
IQ / INDEX SCORES
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
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31/03/2012
Acknowledgements
Many thanks and appreciation to Linda
Kreger Silverman and Rose Blackett who
have worked closely with me on similar
presentations.
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