The overall purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between two recently revised measures of intelligence (Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Third Edition and Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition) and three shortened measures of intelligence (Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Third Edition Brief Intellectual Ability Score, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition Abbreviated IQ, and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test IQ Composite). Specifically, this study examined the accuracy of the three shortened scores in their ability to predict giftedness based on children's scores on the two full measures, with the intention of examining the implications of using shortened measures in a screening process for gifted identification.Participants were a group of 202 third-grade students enrolled in a suburban school district located in the Midwest. These students were selected for the study based on high achievement and/or cognitive scores on a state standardized test. The participants ranged in age from 8 years, 4 months to 10 years, 11 months and were assessed during the spring of their third grade year in 2003 and 2004. These children were administered the three measures over a two day period in a counterbalanced order.A set of univariate and multivariate procedures were used to examine hypothesized relationships between full and shortened measures. Significant positive relationships were observed between all five measures examined, although the highest correlations were produced between the full measure scores and their short forms. Discriminant function analyses were conducted to determine the accuracy of the three shortened measures in their prediction of giftedness based on five separate criteria using two full scale measures of intelligence. The results of all five multivariate discriminant function analyses were significant, indicating that the three shortened measures were able to group children accurately as compared to full scale scores, with classification rates ranging between 76.7 and 90.6. These analyses further revealed that the WJ III COG BIA was best able to predict giftedness in most cases, regardless of the criteria used. These results are intended to provide educators with information about the accuracy of three different shortened measures of intelligence so that informed decisions can be made regarding the use of these measures in selection processes for gifted programming. / Department of Educational Psychology

Measurement of the abilities of gifted children is challenging. Identifying patterns of performance for gifted children has proven elusive. The WJIII COG, a theory-driven measure, purports to provide information about a child's pattern of abilities, including areas previously not measured by other cognitive instruments. Only one study has addressed the relationship between the WJIII COG and gifted children. (Rizza, et al., 2001) The purpose of this study was to examine the WJIII COG's appropriateness for use with gifted children. Interpretive guidance when using the WJIII COG with gifted children was sought. The following question was addressed: Do children of high intellectual ability display distinct patterns of performance on the WJIII COG Stratum II variables. If so, do these patterns qualitatively differ from the performance of children of non-high intellectual ability?The participants for this study were taken from the standardization sample of WJIII COG participants (N= 3,145). The participants were divided into two groups: high intellectual ability, Group 1 (N = 389), and "other," (Group 2) (N = 2756). Group 1 participants had a GIA Standard score of 120 or above. The participants were further divided into three subgroups, determined by age: preschool, school-aged, and collegeaged. Approximately half of the sample was male. White participants were the majority of the sample (77.4 - 87.9%). Most participants were non-Hispanic (91.3 - 94.9%). Means, standard deviations, ranges, minimum values, and maximum values, were obtained. WJIII COG Stratum II variables were paired and compared. The comparisons made were ranges and point differences. Cumulative percentages of point differences were calculated at the 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 point levels.Two primary findings emerged. The first finding was that Group 1 participants scored higher overall than Group 2 participants when averages were compared. The second finding was that no gifted profile emerged for Group 1. Although no gifted pattern emerged, there was a great deal of variability within individual student profiles for both Groups. It was suggested that further research be directed at whether subtypes of students with high abilities could be identified that would have clinical implications congruent with multidimensional theories of giftedness. / Department of Educational Psychology

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between a recently revised, multidimensional intelligence test (WJ III COG) and a short form of an older, well-established intelligence test (WISC-III) with intellectually gifted children. As such, this study examined the implications of using a theoretically and empirically sound choice (WJ III COG) as compared to a more practical alternative (i.e., WISC-III short form); it also explored the impact of different cut-off and eligibility criteria upon eligibility decisions. Participants were solicited from a group of 75 students who had been nominated for a gifted program at a small elementary school located on the urban fringe of a midsize city in the Midwest. Thirty-five students, ranging in age from 9 years, 2 months to 11 years, 1 month, participated in this study. The sample included 15 students who were admitted into the program and 20 students who were deemed ineligible. The WISC-III short form exhibited a positive relationship with the WJ III COG, as its FSIQ estimate correlated significantly with both the WJ III COG GIA-Std and BIA scores, accounting for approximately 33% and 35% of the variance, respectively. The eligible group performed significantly higher on the WISC-III short form than the WJ III COG, whereas the ineligible group performed consistently across all global measures of intelligence. The eligibility of 46% of the sample varied as a result of the test and restrictiveness of the cut-off criteria. More students were identified as intellectually gifted when flexible, rather than strict, cut-off criteria were used to make eligibility decisions. Moreover, the eligibility of approximately 63% of the participants varied as a result of the test and whether eligibility criteria involved general and specific intellectual abilities or solely general intellectual ability. More students were deemed eligible when general and specific intellectual abilities were considered as compared to decisions based only on general intellectual ability. / Department of Educational Psychology