BIG drop in ITBS scores......why?

[txmom23]

I rec'd our scores this weekend. I was surprised and so was my daughter. She took the Stanford for 4th and 5th grades. She took ITBS this year for 6th. This past December she was evaluated by an ed. pysch. and was diagnosed 2E. Gifted/LD in applied math. I am prepared to see the math scores drop, as it gets more difficult. But, this year everything dropped, except for vocab. 14 %points in Spelling, 16 %points in total LA, 16 %points in math, 7 %points in social studies, 2 %points in science. I'll list the scores respectively (4th, 5th, 6th grades).

 

NPR's

Reading Total 84, 95, 93

Spelling Total 68, 73, 59

LA Total 70, 76, 60

Math Total 81, 68, 52

Social St Tot 71, 87, 80

Science Tot 96, 93, 91

Composite 80, 83, 78

 

Why did they drop so much from 5th to 6th? Should I test her again using the Stanford? She really wants to take the Duke TIP classes at the health museum. Should I get the 504 in place for accommodations in math? I know these scores aren't horrible. What do you all think?

 

Joyce

[EKS]

I would test her using the Stanford. You need to see if there is a real drop or if it is just because of some difference in the tests. When I switched from the PASS test to the ITBS a few years ago, I gave both tests that year to get this type of information.

 

I guess I'm not sure what an LD in applied math is. It sounds more like a discrepancy between her IQ and her applied math score ("applied problems" is the name of one of the WJ-III subtests), which is not necessarily an LD. Did the evaluator explain about this? It could just mean that she needs a different math program--one that emphasizes flexible problem solving skills.

Edited July 5, 2009 by EKS

[txmom23]

Yes there is a discrepancy (35 points). The way she explained it was, if there is a large gap between verbal and non-verbal there is probably a LD. That it is an "interpersonal" comparison. That compared to her peers and on assessments she appears average or above average.

 

The psych. used WASI, the WISC, the WIAT II and Key Math assessments. She produced a 7 page report.

 

From the report....... "The verbal scales score was 133 functioning in the 99th percentile. The non-verbal scales was 98 functioning in the 45th percentile. These are not unitary scores and imply a disorder in nonverbal performance areas." "Student knows procedural element to solve problems, she has difficulty with the application of computational skills and conceptual knowledge to produce a solution. Basic number concepts dealing with whole and rational numbers is not as developed as one would expect for her capabilities."

 

As a practical issue, we had to make modifications to get through a math lesson. Before, math lessons took hours and included tears and gnashing of teeth. Not anymore. One hour; no matter how much gets done. We switched to TT7 from MUS. The psych. told me to allow her to use a calculator also. I sought out testing after a particularly difficult day, when I looked at my daughter's tear-stained face and asked her straight out....Do you know your math facts? She said no. It really is like the movie Groundhog Day. We wake up to continue a math lesson and it is as if we have done nothing for days. We start it all over everyday.

[EKS]

Yes--it does sound as if there is something going on. I would give her the Stanford and see if the same pattern emerges.

 

As for accommodations, we finally got a 504 in place for my son this year. He took the ITBS with those accommodations and the difference in the scores from previous years was remarkable (+35%ile overall and +50%ile in his problem areas). It gives me much hope for the SAT/ACT, assuming he can get accommodations.