Filed under: NYC Gifted and Talented Program | Tags: city wide gifted programs, district wide programs, NEST - New Explorations into Science, NEST+M, nnat test scores, NYC Gifted and Talented, olsat test scores, The Anderson School P.S. 334
The time has arrived for OLSAT and NNAT-2 test results to be released!
Earlier this week parents across all five boroughs were disappointed or elated depending on the scores they received for their talented tot who took the NYC G&T test in January 2018. Parents across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island have tons of questions about the city wide programs and district wide programs. Here are questions that parents are asking themselves and others after receiving the test scores:
- My son scored a 98th percentile on the NYC gifted and talented tests. Do you provide advice on the quality of specific G&T school programs?
- My child scored 99th percentile, which gives him a chance for lottery at any of the five city-wide G&T schools. I think the fact that my child has an older sibling in one of the five city-wide G&T school almost guarantees him a spot at that school. However, if I rank other city-wide G&T schools (without sibling priority) before this city-wide G&T (with sibling priority), will that hurt his chance of getting into the G&T with sibling priority (if he didn’t get a spot in other city-wide G&T)? In other words, do I have to rank the city-wide G&T first to be sure that he will at least get into one of the city-wide? (1 of 2)
- Will you provide a little bit more information on the five city-wide in terms of their respective strength, focus, advantages, etc.? ( 2 of 2)
- My son scored a 98th percentile and has no siblings so will not get into citywide gifted program. Can he go to a district G&T not in our district?
- How do placements for the District G&T programs work? Do the kids who score 97 and above have priority over those who score in the 90th-96th percentile?
- My daughter scored in the 95th percentile. Any sense of her chances of getting a District placement?
- Would a sibling of a current District G&T program who scored less than my daughter have higher priority than my daughter for such program?
- What are the chances of a child with a score of 97 getting into a citywide program?
- I would like to know what happens if you have accepted a placement in your district G&T school and then move during the summer months. Are you then able to get a seat in September at your new local district G&T school or is it just tough luck from that point on?
- What should be the next step? My child got a 95th percentile
- Can I apply to any school, in any district with a 99, or just schools in my district and schools designated as “citywide” schools?
- Does the overall score matter for applications or do they look at how many correct out of tested questions child got correct? For example, do they look at 99 percentile or 36 out of 40 correct?
- How do we tour the schools if the deadline for choosing top choices is so near?
- Question: if my child qualified for citywide can he apply to any district wide g&t or is he limited to a g&t in his district?
- We are in district 2, and wanted some feedback on schools in district 2 (or even other districts) and chances of him getting offer being at 98th percentile. He doesn’t have sibling, and being at 98 we feel getting into 1st grade is bit difficult given than schools offer very few seats for new 1st graders.
- I’m interested in the details of the lottery process. Is it done at each school? If so, since each applicant can select multiple schools and there’s an order which shows preference, how is that handled.
- Based on this year’s numbers, would a 97 percentile child without sibling priority have any chance at all for a citywide G&T program?
- Would a 97 percentile child without sibling priority have any chance at all for a district gifted program without district priority (program not within the district where the child resides)?
Here’s a good article that answers many of the questions above and more!
Start preparing for the upcoming ELA and math tests for New York!
The common core state tests for New York State are just around the corner and if you’re a parent of a NYC 4th grader or 7th grader now is the time to panic! As you know, these tests are used for middle school and high school admissions for many selective schools within New York City. The state has released teachers guides to the upcoming common core testing (aka PARCC tests) that are available for everyone to review. Here are some highlights on how the test will be administered this year according to the guide:
- For the ELA test
- The 2018 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts Tests consist of two sessions that are administered over two days.
- Students will be provided as much time as necessary to complete each test session.
- On average, students in Grades 3–4 will likely need approximately 60–70 minutes of working time to complete each of the two test sessions. Students in Grades 5–8 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes of working time to complete each of the two test sessions.
- For the math test
- The 2018 Grades 3–8 Mathematics Tests takes place over two days and consist of two sessions.
- Students will be provided as much time as necessary to complete each test session. In other words, no time limit.
- On average, students in Grade 3 will likely need approximately 55–65 minutes to complete Session 1 and 60–70 minutes to complete Session 2. Students in Grade 4 will likely need approximately 65–75 minutes to complete each of the two test sessions. Students in Grade 5 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes to complete Session 1 and 70–80 minutes to complete Session 2. Students in Grades 6–8 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes to complete Session 1 and 75–85 minutes to complete Session 2.
Looking for practice questions? Review what they have to offer at Testing Mom!
Tips and tricks on helping your child overcome test taking anxiety
As the NYC Gifted and Talented Test drawers near tensions will run high in your household. Even if you look calm, cool and collected your child will pick up on your own nervousness as the time for the OLSAT and NNAT-2 comes near. Here are a few tips to help you and your child to manage the stressful process as it comes to the taking the big test.
Get prepared! There’s nothing like knowing what to expect to anything in life, especially when it comes to taking the test. Making sure your child is fully prepared will put your child in control of anxiety. That’s why your using resources available to like programs like Testing Mom.
Here are some things you’ll want to do for maximum performance on the test.
- Exercise – make sure you get lots of outdoor time with your child in the weeks and months prior to test. This helps reduce stress by pumping endorphin in your child’s system. It increase the oxygen supply so your child will be able to perform his or her best on test day. Chose an activity that your child really likes within moderation. Playing at the park or walking around the neighborhood are great activities for your little one.
- Diet – first and foremost, cut out all the junk food and save it for after the test. Your child’s body needs a balanced and nutrition diet for peak performance. Make sure your child eats plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with appropriate proteins. Research shows that foods that have high levels of lecithin (i.e. fish, beans) are known as “brain foods”. If you plan on changing your child’s diet to be more healthy make sure you do it weeks or months in advance of the test.
- Rest – now is not the time to experiment with your child going to be at all hours of the night. Keep your child’s bed routine the same during the week and weekends for the month prior to the test. It’s extremely important that this schedule is strictly enforced since you don’t want your child to show up on test day grumpy from not getting enough sleep. If your child is more of a morning person then schedule your child’s test during the morning hours or if your child is an afternoon person then schedule the time after lunch.
NYC Gifted and Talented Program and Testing 