Improving KBIT-2 Test Scores
By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
I have a daughter in the first grade. She is seven years
old, and she said that "its boring in the classroom".
I noticed to the school after I got a advice from after care
personnel. She took a KBIT (which she did not know it was a
test), and this is a test result:
Verbal knowledge Riddles Verbal
27 20 = 47 >>>>>>>111
Matrices Nonverbal
33 = 33 >>>>>>>125
IQ composite 236 >119
The CST call me for conference, and finally they said that my
daughter is scored 119 on the KBIT-2, and the CST is not
recommending gifted evaluation at this time.
How to improve the KBIT-2 test? Thanks in advance.
A: Firstly, a brief overview of
what the KBIT-2 is. The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test,
Second Edition (K-BIT 2) is used to measure verbal and
nonverbal cognitive ability. It is used to obtain a quick
estimate of intelligence, estimate an individual's verbal
versus nonverbal intelligence and/or to screen to identify
students who may benefit from enrichment or gifted programs.
Additionally, this test is also able to identify high-risk
children through large-scale screening who may require a
more comprehensive evaluation. This test is developed by
leading cognitive ability experts Alan and Nadeen Kaufman,
therefore, it is assumed that this test provides highly
valid, reliable results and is useful for a broad range of
purposes.
Based on a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, your
daughter scores are a little above average (about 85-115
should be within the average range on a bell curve). This
means an overall score of 119 places him in the top 15% of
performances (may not be enough for a gifted program
admission). You may need to get the school to discuss the
scores with you to find out areas that needs enrichment to
make a more informed decision on catering for his learning
needs. If the school decided that the scores do not meet the
criteria for a gifted program, they may have their reasons
for doing so which they should explain to you. Most schools
have multiple criteria for admission into the gifted program
and IQ scores are usually well above average for students to
benefit most from such programs.
There is no specific way to increase the test score for
K-BIT-2, but in general there are some methods that can be
used. Practice makes perfect, so test practice may help the
child be more comfortable with tests due to familiarity.
Psychological factors also influence test taking to a
certain extent so a child should be least anxious and
nervous about taking any test. Sometimes parent expectations
make children very anxious and affect the results.
Physiological factors such as not getting enough sleep and
fatigue can influence a child’s ability when answering test
questions, especially intelligence tests that requires brain
work. In short, anything that stimulates the brains -
(reading activities, exploring, discovering, music,
stimulating games, creative art, etc) would sure give one’s
brain a boost.
Here is a
website is quite interesting and offers a ways to
boost your IQ.
Having said that, the increase may not be very significant
for everyone. These tests are meant to screen some children
who are assumed to require special programs to cater for
their intellectual needs. A child, who is “forced” into such
programs without having the right pre-requisites, may suffer
educationally. For example, a child with border-line results
is rejected entry but forceful parents practically plead to
the school for an opportunity for their child - the child
may not benefit fully from the program and may drop out,
much to the frustration of both the child and parents. This
is the same as other special children with learning
disability who need a special program to cater for their
learning needs but a normal child would surely not benefit
form these special programs.
Therefore, by all means help your daughter with the test
preparation but bear in mind that the school has set
criteria for selecting students in such programs and
selection is made quite carefully by a team of teachers
and/or professionals. Best of luck!
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