Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: nnat2 test, NYC Gifted and Talented, OLSAT test, testing mom
I was invited to speak on the panel for the recent PAL Workshop series on September 19, 2012 to a jammed packed crowd at the Downtown Community Center in Tribeca. The new school year means new parents to the gifted and talented process for New York City. I humbled and honored to be on the panel with the amazing Testing Mom (Karen Quinn), Dana Kaplan who is the incredible G&T kindergarten teacher at PS 33 Chelsea Prep in District 2 in Manhattan and Jane B. who has a child who just earned a coveted seat at the high-demand District 2 Lower Lab school on the Upper Eastside.
This evening session covered all aspects of the kindergarten Gifted and Talented testing process in New York City. We know that there are a lot of different test names being thrown around, especially for testing in New York City, so we want to make sure that we all achieve our common goal: helping your child create his or her own success! When I speak on these panels I like to use these sessions to help other NYC parents become very familiar with not only the specific tests that their children will be given, like the OLSAT test or the new NNAT-2 test, but also the concepts behind the tests. It’s so important for us to help our children develop the skills behind the concepts presented on these tests rather than constantly drilling them with questions.
Panel Discussion for the NYC Gifted and Talented Program
The panel focused on the evening on choosing the right school for not just your child and not just you, but for your family as a whole. There are many high-quality programs for gifted and talented children in New York City, but the most important factor in deciding which school is right for you is determining which environment will be most cohesive with your family’s lifestyle and your child’s learning process.
TestingMom.com will be hosting 2 more live events for New York City parents the week of October 21 (details on the times and locations TBD) so stay tuned!
Filed under: Uncategorized
If you’re needing practice questions for G&T go to www.TestingMom.com.This is quick post non G&T related. A friend of mine, Hope Gamble, is the founder of The Canine Kitchen Project – a dog food venture out in Long Island that specializes in producing dog food products made almost completely from local sources and where 25% of the annual proceeds will go to no-kill animal shelters and non-profits that support veterans with assistance dogs. If you’re interested in supporting this project click here.
Your support will make a big difference in many ways. Imagine how happy a veteran will be to receive an assistance dog trained for their specific needs – giving them dignity, self-reliance and a loyal, best friend. Or how happy a no-kill animal shelter will be to receive not only extra funds and dog food products for their rescue animals but for the rescues themselves with a second chance at life. Or how great it will be to know that the ingredients made in the dog food products support the local farmers and fisherman yearlong with the purchasing of their crops, produce and commodities.
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, Uncategorized | Tags: gate program, gifted and talented, OLSAT test prep
In recent years, gift and talented test methods have been used with younger and younger children. The idea behind such testing is to identify those students who are advanced in skills and abilities will need special programs in order to further hone their education. The theory is that children who are identified as gifted at a young age will be better served by early identification and placement in a gifted and talented program.
Today’s gifted and talented testing for children prior to, or shortly after entrance to, kindergarten has many parents interested in free gifted and talented test practice or sample test resources. They want to be able to provide their children the chance to practice and become familiar with the G&T test methods before sitting for the actual examination, ideally improving their kid’s chance of getting into a G&T or GATE program.
To get free OLSAT test sample questions or to be added to my gifted and talented newsletter list email me at skipper646@gmail.com. Don’t forget, you can also get 50 free practice questions on TestingMom.com.
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, Uncategorized | Tags: gifted and talented seminar, karen quinn, OLSAT test, testing for kindergarten
Email me for free OLSAT test practice questions or to sign-up for my Gifted and Talented newsletter at skipper646@gmail.com.
Make sure you go to www.TestingMom.com for free daily testing tips, OLSAT type practice questions and Bracken.
We only have a few spaces available for our free information session on Thursday, October 7 at 7pm in Tribeca so we’ve decided to do another information session on Friday, October 8 at 7pm downtown/Tribeca area due to overwhelming response. You must email me at skipper646@gmail.com to pre-register for one of the sessions. The same material will be covered at each session so need to attend both.
FREE INFORMATION SESSIONS: Insiders Guide to the Kindergarten Admissions Process in New York City – Private Schools and Gifted and Talented Programs for pre-k to 2nd grades (more…)
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT test prep, Uncategorized | Tags: Lower Lab, OLSAT test results, P.S. 33 Chelsea Prep
If you’d like to receive my free G&T newsletter please email me at: skipper646@gmail.com. Thanks – Michael
According to a recent NY Times article the number of pre-k students who got over 90% on the OLSAT test this year is much higher. According to the article:
” Of the 12,454 in New York City who took the test this winter, 3,542 (or 26 percent) scored at or above the national 90th percentile, up from 3,231 the year before, qualifying them for one of the 70 gifted kindergarten programs spread through the city’s school districts. But the most striking increase occurred in the number of children scoring at or above the national 97th percentile: 1,788, up from 1,345 last year. Those students qualify for one of the five citywide gifted programs, which have only about 300 seats in all, meaning the competition for them this year will be even fiercer.” (more…)
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, Parents Resources for NYC G&T, Uncategorized | Tags: Douglass Morse, The Kindergarten Shuffle
If you need information on NYC gifted and talented program, OLSAT practice questions, Bracken practice questions please email me: skipper646@gmail.com. Thanks – Michael
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Douglass Morse who has written and directed an incredible docu-drama film of his experience with the NYC gifted and talented program with his young son Zeke. The film is not a documentary, though many of the school tours, neighborhood events and information sessions are real. Not a reenactment, for the narrative is freely modified to suit the dramatic needs of the narrative. The actors who portray Douglass and his wife helped shape the back-story and brought to film the reality of the anxiety, fear, frustration, happiness and joy of having a gifted and talented child and going through the G&T process so many NYC parents pilgrimage annually. From OLSAT testing to the first day of school at the G&T program at NEST – this film covers everything in between in a thoughtful and insightful manner while still bringing to life the raw emotion involved with this entire process parents endure in NYC. The film will be launched in a few months and here’s sneak preview!
You can contact Douglass at moviemaker@gmail.com if you have questions about the film or visit his web site.
If you’d like to receive free OLSAT sample questions or my free gifted and talented e-newsletter please email me at skipper646@gmail.com. Thanks – Michael
Here’s a really good OLSAT prep book:
Test Preparation Guide for Entry Into Kindergarten and First Grade (Instructions and Questions for Children) (Bright Kids Series)
Another holiday season is upon us as we head into Thanksgiving then straight into Christmas and Hanukah! This time of year offers so many ways to practice critical thinking skills that are needed to do well on the OLSAT test and ERB (and of course in school).
Here are some of the ways you can incorporate fun into the learning experience during the holidays for OLSAT test prep:
- When decorating the Christmas tree make sure you count the number of decorations you’re hanging on the tree and explain the differences of each decoration to your child. Make sure you use words like neither/nor and either/or when asking your child to give you decorations to hang on the tree.
- The candle lighting ceremony for the menorah allows you the opportunity to practice how many candles will be lit in 6 days, etc. It’s a good visual representation that children can relate to.
- Candy canes always make good counting games since children can hold quite a few of them at one time. You can easily do “more than” and “less than” games with these.
- When you see a Christmas tree stand on the street have your child point to the tallest, shortest, thickest, etc. tree. Also have your child group trees together that look alike by the different types and sizes.
- Baking cookies or other Christmas treats is a great way to have your child learn mixing of ingredients but more importantly following directions! Read the directions first to your child and see if your child can remember the order in which you read the directions. Which ingredient comes first – the milk or eggs? What comes right after the sugar? These make great sequencing exercises that you can incorporate while baking holiday treats!
- The best practice of course is with gifts! Ask your child how many gifts they received and have your child sequence the gifts largest to smallest, heaviest to lightest, etc. It’s also fun to have the child to hand-out gifts to everyone and ask the child who has the most gifts, who received the biggest gift, etc.?
By providing these examples to your child allows them to see real-life examples of what’s presented on the OLSAT test.
If you’d like to receive my free gifted and talented e-newsletter please email me at skipper646@gmail.com. Thanks – Michael
Here are some great stocking stuffers for your kids – games and books for G&T:
Dr. Dooriddles Associative Reasoning Activities: Book A-1
Alphabet & Number Puzzles w/Activities
Brain Quest Games and Workbooks
Brain Quest Workbook: Kindergarten
WORKMAN PUBLISHING WP-13771 BRAIN QUEST KINDERGARTEN REVISION O-F WP-11515
