Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: NYC Gifted and Talented, OLSAT test prep
I read the most interesting article about a New York City mother’s story about the tedious process of the school selection after her daughter took the OLSAT test for the gifted and talented program for this year.
Here’s her story:
If you applied for a Kindergarten spot to the New York City’s Gifted and Talented Program for your child, then welcome to the finish line. The G & T placement offers are being released this week, marking the end of the brutal trifecta that some New York parents went through this year with the goal of securing the best educational option for their children.
If you don’t know what I’m referring to, first of all, you are lucky. If you have heard rumors or unreasonable tales, I tell you now: it’s all true. Every word. I was born and raised in the Washington Square area of New York City, and being a cool native, I swore I wouldn’t sweat it out. But, a cucumber I was not. We did it all, and though we started on the right foot and with all good, controlled intentions, curves came up on our road that were so sharp, our wheels lifted.
Filed under: naglieri test, NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: gifted and talented results, naglieri test, nyc gifted and talented changes
The bar has been raised for kindergarteners vying for admission to New York City’s gifted and talented program. In the past, the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) was used in conjunction with the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA). However, this year marks a switch from the BSRA to the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT).
While the BSRA tests a child’s knowledge of basic shapes, colors and numbers, the NNAT tests abstract logic and visual reasoning skills. A Dept. of Education spokesperson said the switch aims to make the gifted and talented admissions exam more difficult to study for, so a child’s actual cognitive ability is assessed (compared to just simple facts they have learned). Parents should start preparing now if their child is taking the G&T test next year since adequate preparation for the NNAT may require as much as twice (or even more!) the time needed for BSRA prep.
Next year I have no doubt we will see less 99th percentiles with the NYC gifted and talented test results are released due to the complexity of the Naglieri when compared to the BSRA . The children are going to struggle with this test and although the NYC Department of Education has yet to announce the specifics, in most cases the NNAT-2 is a timed test so there will be extra added pressure for the child to complete within the allotted amount of time given by the DOE. It has yet to be disclosed how the NNAT will be weighted along with the OLSAT for next year’s talented tots taking the test, though parents can begin preparing at home with puzzles and other simple visual pattern identification exercises. For those parents seeking practice questions for their children, they can utilize the vast practice question library at Testing Mom, which offers hundreds of NNAT and OLSAT practice questions.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: naglieri test, NYC Gifted and Talented
In case you didn’t hear, the New York City Department of Education has decided to no longer user the BSRA (Bracken School Readiness Assessment) for entry into the NYC gifted and talented program. This only impacts students taking the G&T test this coming school year (2012-13). All the students in the program will not have to retake the test. The OLSAT test will remain in place and be used in conjunction with the Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT). Keep in the mind, the NNAT-2 is much more difficult than the BSRA and is no walk in the park, that’s for sure. I’m sure this will have a direct impact of the number of students qualifying for the G&T program since the difficulty level on the NNAT is much higher when compared to the Bracken.
We still don’t know if the NYC dept. of ed. will make the NNAT test score only 25% of the admission requirement (the OLSAT test is currently 75% of the admission requirement) into the gifted program (like its predecessor) or it will become a higher percentage of the overall score required when the G&T test results come out next spring. You can read more on this policy change for the Naglieri.
If you’re looking for free Naglieri test prep questions you can go to Testing Mom and review the concepts your child will be expected to know. As you will be able to tell, these questions on the NNAT test are much more difficult than those found on the BSRA.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: chelsea prep, G&T school tours, lower lab ps 77, ps 33
NYC parents sat on the edge of their seats as they opened emails from the department of ed. to find out if their talented tot scored high enough on the OLSAT test to qualify for the much sought after gifted and talented program in New York City. Depending on which side of the 90th percentile your child ranked will depend on the next steps and as the reality hits that your child might just be average. For the bulk of parents, the 89th percentile and below, it’s wait until next year to see if their child can score higher to get into the gifted and talented program for 2013-14 school year. Although, rumors are flying around that the department of ed is possibly changing the criteria for admission (including the test) for next year. We’ll have to wait and see!
The issue with the OLSAT test results and scores coming out this week is well, it’s spring break! Many parents are out of town and may not even know the test scores are announced until after they return from their family trips from Florida, Hawaii, California or the Jersey shore. Gifted and Talented school tours start on Monday and it’s total panic mode for the parents who have contacted me. Sure, I get it – I’ve been there and I’m glad I’m not there again – it’s total stress and panic mode.
I have to admit, that PS 33 Chelsea Prep has their G&T tour schedule flexible enough for all the parents to attend. Here’s what they are offering for tour times this week at P.S 33 Chelsea Prep Gifted and Talented:
- Monday, April 16 @ 9:15am
- Tuesday, April 17 FULL
- Wednesday, April 18 @ 6:15pm
- Thursday, April 19 @ 6:15pm
- Friday, April 20 @ 9:15am
The other most sought after school in district 2, Lower Lab P.S. 77 on the UES, is quite another story. Originally this week they were only having ONE school tour for parents on Wednesday night to accommodate only 400 parents. Tough luck if you were out of town for spring break or had to work that night. I suppose they assume people who would consider Lower Lab work a 9 to 5 office job with a nice boss? Not really sure of the rationale on that one. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Lower Lab did come to their senses and add another parents tour night on Thursday, April 19. I feel a little better knowing that parents who don’t have a cushy 9 to 5 job and need to make appropriate scheduling plans can do so. Here’s what was on Lower Lab’s web site earlier today:
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Filed under: OLSAT BRSA test prep for NYC gifted talented, OLSAT Test | Tags: bsra practice questions, OLSAT test prep
Are you smarter than a 4 year old? How about Pickle the bird? Find out by watching the cute video below of Pickle the bird answering some tough OLSAT practice questions to get ready for the upcoming gifted and talented test. If you’d like free sample questions just email me at skipper646@gmail.com. Enjoy the video!
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: karen quinn, NYC Gifted and Talented, testingmom.com
In case you didn’t hear, best-selling author, testing authority and co-founder of TestingMom.com (the site with 50 free practice questions), Karen Quinn will be have a live Q&A session for parents in New York City next Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6:30pm in downtown Manhattan. This will be a MUST ATTEND session for any NYC parents out there who are going through the testing and school selection process for both public gifted and talented and private schools in New York City. Here are a few of the many questions that will be answered during this 2 hour session! You can register here but you better hurry, I heard it’s almost sold out!
Topic: Be in “the know” – a sneak peek behind the testing kimono! Testing authorities reveal answers not known to the general public. Discover what the Dept of Ed and private schools won’t tell you!
- The OLSAT test is over, now what? What should you do now that your little one has taken the test?
- What are the many options for private schools and G&T schools in NYC?
- What questions should you be asking during school tours for both G&T and private schools? Where to find secret school ratings given by parents and teachers at each of the New York City public schools.
- How do you go about seeing your child’s OLSAT test results and what should you look for during the test review?
- What about school rankings for NYC gifted and talented programs?
- Private school results are out next week – what if we are wait listed at our first choice school? Private school contracts are due before we know about gifted program admissions – how do we handle this?
- Looking at private school admissions for 2012-13, what should we do this spring?
- And many more.
- Live audience Q&A!
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test, Uncategorized | Tags: ps 11
As they say, you are what you eat! When it comes to a healthier food selection for our gifted and talented children in NYC, PS 11 in District 2 is way ahead of the pack. Maybe one day the OLSAT test will cover health and nutrition questions for our little ones as they take the gifted and talented test for New York City schools.
“P.S. 11 at 320 W. 21st St. has managed to combine several food programs to become something of a holy grail for the local, sustainable and organic food-in-school movements. Children at the school grow their own veggies in a garden, have lunches made by a professional chef, and even run their own farmer’s market.” Read the entire article from DNAInfo.com.
Email me at skipper646@gmail.com for free sample questions.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: hunter elemetnary, OLSAT test, stanford-binet
In case you didn’t hear, Hunter Elementary Gifted and Talented school in NYC announced that a child must receive a score of148 (or above) on the Stanford-Binet to qualify for the second round which is in-school visit coming up in a few short weeks. The 148 is actually lower than the 149 score required for the admissions into the most competitive kindergarten in the US. Getting to the second round is actually the easiest part of the process as now parents have to put their child in a room of other ultra-bright kids in NYC who scored 148 or above. At that point in time, their child becomes the average student for the first time in their life. Their peers the little ones will encounter during the second round are just as bright and intelligent – at least by what the results of the SB-5 indicated. The second round at Hunter usually consists of 250+ students who are then separated into groups of 20-25 per session. Yes, it’s a long process but actually probably the best method to select children for this program as there are various tools and techniques such as the Standford-Binet IV and in-school evaluation. Many parents are going through the gifted and talented process here in NYC and are now preparing for the upcoming OLSAT test that’s only 10 short days away for our talented tots. You can get free OLSAT practice questions on TestingMom.com.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test, Parents Resources for NYC G&T
According to the NYC dept. of ed here is an update on the gifted and talented test dates.
- Private school and current Pre-K students will be notified of their test date by the Department of Education in mid-December.
- Public school students will receive notification of the test date from their school.
Read more about the test on TestingMom.com where you can get 50 free practice questions. As reminder, OLSAT test results will be sent to parents in early May.
