The WISC-IV Test of Intelligence

Q: My son recently took the Wesley test to enter the gifted program in his school. He scored an average of 139 with a Math score of 149. According to the tester he was off the chart literally. Where can I find information about the testing and how to deal with a gifted child? We live in Pennsylvania.

A: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth edition (WISC-IV) is among the most widely used children's intellectual ability assessment today. There are 10 required subtests (5 are supplementary) that yield a Full Scale IQ score and four Composite scores that are; Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed. The Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning Composites are very good indicators of giftedness (apparently Working Memory and Processing Speed are not).

You son's average scores are rather high but as mentioned above, the best indicators of giftedness would be a DWI-1 score that can be computed for the combination of Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning. An educational psychologist would be best able to interpret the scores. A good place to start looking for information on giftedness would be the Gifted Association in your area:

Pennsylvania Association for the Gifted (PAGE)
3026 Potshop Road
Norristown, PA 19403

You may also want to view past advice in this newsletter.

Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Dawn P. Flanagan Ph.D, Alan S. Kaufman Ph.D

The WISC-IV is the top intelligence assessment instrument for children in the US, providing essential information into a child's cognitive functioning. This book applies a new, expanded theory-based approach to interpreting the latest edition of the WISC® and provides beginning and seasoned clinicians with comprehensive step-by-step guidelines to administering, scoring, and interpreting this latest revision of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.

This book provides students and practitioners with an unparalleled resource for learning and application, including expert assessment of the test's relative strengths and weaknesses, valuable advice on its clinical applications, and illuminating case reports.