Filed under: naglieri test, NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT test prep | Tags: huffington post, naglieri test, OLSAT test prep
I did an interview last week with Huffington Post blogger C.M. Rubin, who grilled me for details on the test preparation process for very young children. After explaining how I first became interested in testing and why admission to gifted programs is so competitive (hint: it’s because it places children on a successful track through college), I explained that parents, not tutors, should be involved in preparing their children for the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test) and Naglieri tests (NNAT-2) by incorporating some easy real-life examples into their daily routine. I also broke down the seven abilities measured by testing: language, knowledge and comprehension, memory, mathematics, visual-spatial reasoning, cognitive skills, and fine-motor skills. It’s worth noting that these tests don’t measure a child’s creativity, artistic or athletic ability, as well as social and emotional intelligence; I also discuss with C.M. the accuracy of these tests, as well as the pros and cons of hiring tutors for children as young as four.
I talked about TestingMom.com, the site where you can get 100 free practice questions and how Testing Mom offers resources and expertise to a growing worldwide customer base by offering customers a tremendous library of practice questions and online prep games. I also hashed out the difference between Testing Mom and costly intensive “cram session camps,” which don’t allow children the time needed to properly absorb the concepts measured by these tests. My personal belief is that children should learn the concepts of the test over a period of weeks or months.
With the recent announcement of the test change next year for the NYC Gifted and Talented program it will be interesting to see how the OLSAT scores compare to the scores from this year and the impact on the total number of students eligible for this high-demand program in New York.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT test prep | Tags: city wide schools, nyc district wide, OLSAT test results
As of March 30, 2012 the NYC department of Ed web site still says the OLSAT test results will be sent to parents in mid-April. The site also indicates that placement decisions for gifted and talented school selection by parents need to be made by Friday, April 20 (which is only 3 short weeks at the time of this writing). Considering New York City schools have spring break starting April 6 and ending on April 15 this doesn’t give parents much time to visit district-wide and city-wide G&T programs in New York City. I suppose we’ll see how it pans out and if the OLSAT test scores are sent to parents in time to visit schools and make their stress-filled decisions by April 20. This really seems like it’s cutting it close but I suppose they could always extend the decision process another week to give parents a chance to make a rational decision when it comes to placing their gifted and talented child into a school for the 2012-13 school year here in NYC. If you thought prepping your child for the Otis-Lennon School Abilities test was stressful wait until you have to make a school selection and then the real waiting game begins!
Also, please note that all gifted and talented schools in the 2011-12 school year will have a G&T program next year. So if you are wanting a specific school you may want to research that the school will have a program in 2012-13. Also, some new G&T programs will start next school year that are currently not announced.
It looks like the G&T shuffle is about to begin folks! Make sure you keep up with the OLSAT test prep by practicing 100 questions you can get for free on TestingMom.com.
Keep me posted on how the school visits go and if there’s any drama. Also, if you can take photos with your phones and send the photos to me to post! Email me at skipper646@gmail.com.
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, OLSAT test prep | Tags: 4th grade olsat, 5th grade olsat
According to the NYC dept. of education gifted and talented program the application period is open for students entering 4th and 5th grade who wish to be considered for available seats in Gifted & Talented programs for this coming year. It doesn’t look like there was a 4th or 5th grade OLSAT test needed to get placed in the G&T program but rather a score of 4 on both the State ELA and Math tests. For more information, and to apply, please visit their site. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2011. If you’re looking for OLSAT practice test questions for the fourth and fifth grade make sure you check out www.TestingMom.com.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test, OLSAT test prep | Tags: gifted and talented, OLSAT, OLSAT test, Otis Lennon
To get Otis-Lennon School Ability Test sample questions or to be added to my gifted and talented newsletter list email me at skipper646@gmail.com. You can also get 50 free practice questions on TestingMom.com.
You may be asking yourself, what is the OLSAT test? Standardized assessment tests like the OLSAT, which is a rational and abstract thinking skills test used with K-12 students, can be intimidating. After all, these tests have greater implications for students and may result in being accelerated in their students, being held back a year in school, being placed in remedial courses, or finding their way into gifted and talented programs.
Helping your child perform well on the OLSAT is easier today than it may have once been. There are OLSAT sample tests available for purchase online. There are also sample exams available free of charge on the internet as well.
Students who have the change to take practice OLSAT exams or complete sample sections of an OLSAT test before the official testing day at school have a tendency to perform better on the formal OLSAT exam.
Filed under: BSRA OLSAT tests, NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT test prep | Tags: OLSAT test, stanford-binet, wppsi
If you’d like to be added to my gifted and talented testing newsletter email me at Skipper646@gmail.com. Also, don’t forget that you can now get over 3,000 practice questions for the OLSAT, WPPSI and Stanford-Binet from TestingMom.com.
It’s the old chicken-egg dilemma! Are G&T kids more academically successful because of their natural gifts or because they are afforded a special environment?
A recent study conducted in the North Carolina school system has raised the question of whether the learning environment in Gifted and Talented programs like the ones in New York has more to do with the success of these students than some might care to admit.
The North Carolina DOE studied over 10,000 children in a program called Project Bright Idea to try to explain the underrepresentation of black and Latino children in advanced and gifted classes. (more…)
Filed under: ERB WPPSI, OLSAT test prep | Tags: Gifted and Talented NYC, gifted testing, OLSAT practice test, OLSAT sample test, private school tests
If you’d like to be added to my newsletter or receive free OLSAT sample test questions email me at skipper646@gmail.com.
Now’s there yet another reason sites like TestingMom.com where you can find over 1,600 pratice questions for OLSAT, Bracken, SB-5, WPPSI and Naglieri are needed by parents when preparing their children for G&T testing. It’s now even more important for parents to take matters into their own hands when it comes to preparing their child for the ERB-WPPSI and Otis-Lennon School Abilities test. Don’t rely on your high-dollar pre-school on the Upper Eastside to do the job – at least according to this article.
Only in NYC! (at least for now)…here in Manhattan (UES), things are heating up in the competitive (more…)
Filed under: OLSAT BRSA test prep for NYC gifted talented, OLSAT test prep | Tags: OLSAT test
Check out www.TestingMom.com for instant access to practice questions.
Hi present and future G&T parents in NYC! The OLSAT test and Bracken test for NYC gifted and talented program begins in just 3 short weeks! It’s time to get your son or daughter ready with OLSAT practice test questions for the upcoming exams as we head into the January sprint.
As a reminder, the NYC DOE posted the dates of the exam on their web site.
- January 10-March 4, 2011: OLSAT/BSRA testing at school sites for public school students
- January 8, 9, 22, 23, 29 & 30; February 5, 6, 12, & 13, 2011: OLSAT/BSRA testing at selected sites for non‐public school children
- May 2011: Score reports and applications with available G&T sites communicated to eligible students
- Late May 2011: Applications Due
- June 2011: Placement offers communicated to families; families accept/decline placement offers
If you’d like to be added to my NYC gifted and talented newsletter or need OLSAT practice sample test questions let me know. I’ll email some samples to you. skipper646@gmail.com. Thanks – Michael
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT test prep, Parents Resources for NYC G&T | Tags: karen quinn, michael mccurdy, testing for kindergarten, testingmom.com
If you’d like to receive OLSAT test practice questions or gifted and talented newsletter please email me at skipper646@gmail.com.
We had 3 information sessions 2 weeks ago for hundreds of parents in NYC covering gifted and talented programs, OLSAT tests, Bracken testing along with private school admissions. Thanks to all of you who attended and it was great to meet some of you in person for the first time! Due to the overwhelming response we plan (more…)
Filed under: OLSAT test prep | Tags: Bracken School Readiness Assessment, OLSAT test
If you’d like to receive my free Gifted and Talented Newsletter or free OSLAT test practice questions email me at skipper646@gmail.com.
I was reading a post from another dad blogger here in NYC going through the internal debate as to whether he should or shouldn’t prep his son for the upcoming OLSAT and Bracken School Readiness tests coming up this coming school year. I thought he did a great job explaining his own internal dilema of “should he” or “shouldn’t he” at least expose his son to the concepts that are on the gifted and talented tests for New York City.
Here’s an excerpt from his post:
“So, I’ve decided to just give him a taste every now and then (MODERATION), with what materials are available for all parents in NYC, just so he knows what to expect when he does take these tests. The other day we went through that OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) Practice Test. I told him that this was coming sometime in the future, and to just do his best. As we went over it, I was thinking how crazy it must be for those parents who don’t use these materials out there or aren’t aware of them, and how hard it must be for those children who just take these tests cold turkey. It’s just not right” Read the entire post.
