Low Cat Score - verbal reasoning

[Strawberry2024]

My dd has just completed P5. I have always believed her to be a very bright child. Spoke in full sentences before the age of 2. Enjoyed school and seemed to be getting on great. Plays instruments well, sings and very confident chatty child. Her P4 cat score for verbal reasoning came as a big surprise to both us and her teacher. She got a score of 73, at that time the teacher said it could have been a bad day for her. He always reported that she was in the top half of the class for ability. She has just completed P5 cat exams and got the same score. She reads everyday and doesn't appear to have any difficulty understanding the text but her spelling is really bad. Feeling extremely worried and unsure how to help as my understanding is that this is her innate ability level. She is such a hard worker and I really felt very sad for her. Anyone any difficulties with CAT tests? Do they tend to be accurate and is there anything can be done to support with verbal ability? Are we looking at difficulties with learning in the future?

I could have written this. My daughter is the same, very bright, her teacher told us she's in the top 3 in the class. But her CAT scores are very low. Will be interested if anyone has any insight.

Hopeful bump for you

Can you get her assessed by an Educational Psychologist? That would give a good picture of her profile, and particular areas she might be struggling in (e.g. processing speed, working memory, decoding) - and most importantly of all, recommendations of how to support her in her areas of weakness.

I have put a formal request into the school and they said they will consider it in September. I would consider private assessment if I can't get a school assessment. My feeling is that there are children who struggle in her in class who would probably be prioritised. They are a difficult class behaviour wise which probably doesn't help. It just seems so strange as she has been read to from a baby and reads daily now. A formal assessment is probably the only thing that will give any answers.

I’m guessing you are in Scotland, so perhaps the system is a bit different to what I’m used to - but if you can afford to go privately, I’d really recommend doing so as soon as you can. My DS was assessed in Y5 (England) and it was really essential in preparing for his transition to secondary school and making sure he was going to be well supported.

How can it be her innate ability when her performance in school suggests that she is ok? Does she follow verbal instructions? Write coherent, organised paragraphs? Speak in full grammatically correct sentences? Attain at expected levels in English/literacy?
If so, it must be a test artefact. Maybe she's unfamiliar with the question types or gets confused or panics.

I would be approaching this with curiosity rather than misery.

If your daughter appears to be bright and engaged with her school work and with reading at home then she is a bright and engaged child regardless of what the cat scores say. There are plenty of very bright, intelligent, successful people who also have learning disabilities of some kind like dyslexia or autism.

There are techniques that can be used to get better scores in verbal reasoning, has your dd ever been taught those or do they go into the tests with very little experience of them?

The most important thing is what you’re already doing because you are involved in her education and if she begins to struggle as she moves up the year groups then you will be able to put support in place for her. You have already recognised that she struggles with spelling but that will be less of a problem in secondary when she can use a computer more.

I got low CAT scores. Was taken out of lessons for reading.

The person who I was reading to was very confused as my reading and reasoning skills were far beyond my age.

I am now studying a master's in English literature.

I couldn't tell you why I did so badly on those tests particularly. But I did and it hasn't made a blind bit of difference.

I got good GCSEs. Passed a level equivalent access course in English literature and history with a distinction and a first at undergrad English literature and history.

🤷🏼‍♀️

ETA: I am adult diagnosed ADHD and ASC.

Yes I really think I need to stop fixating on this low mark to be honest.

Thank you this is helpful and gives me some hope that all is not lost. I am not ruling out that there may be some neuro diversity in the mix.

Just an update for anyone interested, new scores came through for P6 and she is now scoring 99 in her verbal cat which is much more like what I would expect. Not sure what made the difference in the end but hoping that it is a more accurate reflection of her ability. Mix of tutoring and working through verbal cat practice books seems to have helped. I am getting a private ed psych assessment in the next few months.

Just to update further she received a dyslexia diagnosis today. Bitter sweet really but glad to have an answer.

Good news @Strawberry2024, that means it is clearer how to give her the best support ❤️