NYC Gifted and Talented Program and Testing


Testing Mom’s Newest OLSAT Test Sensation Pickle the Bird!
March 19, 2012, 3:35 pm
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test, 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!



Wall Street Journal Launches Tool to See NYC Teacher Ratings

WSJ.com released an interactive tool to see the evaluation of teachers of New York City teachers.  You can find out all the ratings for teachers in 4th grade and above at all the public schools in New York City. There was an uproar from the teacher’s union when the department of ed. decided to release this information to the general public.  These ratings aren’t based upon OLSAT test results but rather standardized tests given to students starting in 4th grade.

Actually, the 2 most popular citywide gifted and talented programs scored lower than one of the most popular district 2 G&T programs at Lower Lab PS 77.

Make sure you also visit TestingMom.com to get 50 free sample questions for gifted and talented exam.



NYC Teachers are Not Happy About Ratings Released by Dept of Ed
February 27, 2012, 12:42 pm
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program | Tags:

As you’ve heard by now, the New York City Department of Education released teacher ratings for over 18,000 teachers. No, they weren’t evaluated on the OLSAT test results but for students performance on math and English exams. Click here and type in your school name in the little box to find out how the teachers at your school performed.

Teachers across the board seem to be concerned about the impact this may not only have on their individual careers but on the students they teach on a daily basis.  Let’s face it, would you want your work performance review (even if it was great!) posted in the most widely daily circulated publication in America? Most people, probably not.

Most teachers don’t seem to have an issue with the evaluation of test scores as part of the equation of performance but there are so many other factors that come into play when it comes to teacher performance.  We really need the best and brightest teaching our children and having these evaluations made to the public may steer some future teachers into another career from away from the classroom. Is this the message we want to send to our future teachers?

In a recent article from the NY Times, my daughter’s 2nd grade G&T teacher, Ms. Alison Epstein,  at PS 33 Chelsea Prep gifted and talented program was quoted as saying: “Unfortunately, the schools have become incredibly data-driven, which at times detracts from the overall curriculum. The pressure for teachers and children to perform for tests that do not really show how intelligent a student is, or how amazing a teacher might be, is substantial.”

I totally agree with Ms. Epstein’s statement that the evaluation of the entire curriculum should be the basis of the evaluation of the impact this will have on students performance – even outside the test scores. I don’t see testing going to the wayside in the near or long term but there needs to be a multi-prong approach when it comes to tracking and evaluating the progress of both our precious children and their amazing teachers.

You can read the FAQs for the teacher data reports from the NY Times.



No OLSAT Test, It’s chess at 3!
February 21, 2012, 10:08 pm
Filed under: Games and Fun For Gifted and Talented | Tags: , ,

It’s time to take a break from the OLSAT test and BSRA practice as we now head into the waiting period for the NYC gifted and talented test results which are expected to be released in mid-April!  Sites like TestingMom.com where you get get 50 free practice questions for gifted and talented testing can help prep a child for testing but what about other mental exercises for our talented tots?  That’s where Chess at 3 comes in. Yes, 3 years old! Tyler who is a master chess instructor here in New York City launches his new program geared toward 3 to 7 year old children that effectively teaches the most mind boggling games out there – chess! Below is a video of Tyler showing his program to little ones who just absorb the stories like sponges as they catch on to chess like it’s a walk in the park. You can also visit Tyler’s new site Chess@3.com after you watch the video below. If you’d like to be added to my newsletter or need more sample questions, email me at skipper646@gmail.com.



NYC Gifted and Talented Parents Session Next Week!

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!


PS 11 Gifted and Taleneted District 2 Serving Up Farm Fresh Vegetables to Students!
January 29, 2012, 1:12 pm
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test, Uncategorized | Tags:

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.



Should your gifted and talented child skip a grade?

Now that the OLSAT test is behind most of us for the NYC gifted and talented program many parents wonder if their child should actually skip a grade (or in some cases even 2 grades!). Arsitotle Circle wrote a great article on this topic indicating the mains things to consider:

  • Teacher feedback on your gifted and talented child
  • School experience
  • Current peer group
  • Your gifted child’s schedule and after school activities

Of course you can also find out by practicing questions from TestingMom.com where you get 50 free sample questions.



Hunter Elementary Test Results Require a 148 or above on Stanford-Binet to qualify for second round
December 29, 2011, 6:23 pm
Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program, OLSAT Test | Tags: , ,

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.



Update on the NYC Gifted and Talented Testing Schedule

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.



P.S. 33 Halloween Vocabulary Parade for Gifted and Talented Classes!

The Halloween spirit was high at PS 33 Chelsea Prep with costume galore! The best part wasn’t the candy and treats but the newest addition to the Halloween spirit of the vocabulary parade! No, it’s not practice of the OLSAT test but added an incredible learning component to dressing up for trick-or-treat. Each student was given a word and then had to dress-up for Halloween that decribed the word. The costumes were amazing but the words these young lads were taunting about were those you’d hear in the halls of junior high and high school, not amongst 2nd and 3rd graders! Here are a few photos of the event and a big thanks to Alycia Zimmerman who spearheaded the event. Mrs. Zimmerman is one of the incredible G&T teachers at PS 33 and make sure you check out her classroom web site.

Is this on the OLSAT test? No, it's one of big words from the 2nd grade Gifted and Talented class at PS 33 Chelsea Prep!

The G&T Class at PS 33 Chelsea Prep Parade Across the Stage

 

PS Chelsea Prep Vocabulary Parade for Halloween!

If you’d like to be added to my gifted and talented newsletter or free OLSAT sample questions let me know by emailing me at skipper646@gmail.com. If you can’t wait, you can also get 50 free gifted and talented questions at TestingMom.com.




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