Test Preparation for Kindergarten in the New York Times

Private schools are questioning the use of IQ or E.R.B. tests as kindergarten admissions criteria because test preparation has become so widespread. That, according to an article in the New York Times today - "Private School Screening Test Loses Some Clout." Companies like Aristotle Circle, that charge $375 for an E.R.B. assessment and $499 for a prep workbook, were cited as culprits in this phenomenon. Trying to give your child an edge in the school admissions game is nothing new. In another life, I used to assess kids for E.R.B. and Stanford-Binet testing, then tutor them until they were ready (although I did it for a lot less money). Even with this controversy, tests are about the only objective measure that schools can use to compare applicants, so they aren't likely to go away soon.

Unfortunately, the fact that so many kids are being prepped for tests puts pressure on all parents to do the same. If everyone is doing it and you don't, you will be putting your child at a disadvantage. In the same article, long-time educational consultant, Emily Glickman, is quoted as saying that despite schools' warnings, "people are mostly prepping in one way or another because chance of discovery is minimal whereas chance of rejection due to low scores is almost certain."

It is a pain (and downright stupid - just read NurtureShock, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman) that schools rely on these tests to determine whether or not a child is a "fit" for their school. But rely on them they do and we, as parents, must respond accordingly. How? First, we have to find out what our kids should know or be able to do when tested. Second, we have to make sure our kids know what they are supposed to know and are able to do what they are supposed to be able to do when they are tested. Third, we have to do this without pressuring our children, making ourselves nuts, and spending a fortune. I don't know about you, but this is definitely not what I signed up for when I first thought about having children.

The only way to give every child a fair shot for a seat at the most competitive schools is for all parents, rich and poor, to have access to the same information about how to do well on the tests their child will be given for admissions or gifted program qualification. Here are sites where you can get free information on three of the most common tests kids are given:

The Educational Records Bureau web site - free information on the The Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence III™ (WPPSI-III)

The New York City Gifted and Talented Program web site - free information on The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test™ (OLSAT)

Free Study Guide for the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) - free information on activities you can do with your child to prepare him for the BBCS

My book, Testing For Kindergarten, will be released in July. For under $15, you will be able to get more information than you probably ever wanted to know about what is on the six most common IQ tests used for school admission or gifted program qualification, what is on school readiness tests for public school ability group placement, and how you can prepare your child for these exams in fun, natural, playful ways. You will also be able to check the book out from your local library for free if you like.

I am not against preparing children for testing because I know that kids need to have the same abilities to do well on tests as they need to do well in kindergarten. Prepare a child for testing and you have prepared him to excel in school. Make sure your child's abilities in these areas are strong: language, knowledge/comprehension, memory, math, visual-spatial, cognitive, and fine-motor skills. With all this test prep taking place, it is possible that your school of choice may change the tests they require your child to take just make it harder to prepare. If your child has these underlying abilities in place, he will do well on any test he takes, even if it isn't the test you expected.

10% More Pupils Qualified for Gifted Programs in NYC - Test Prep Played a Role

The statistics are in. The New York Times reported today that the 12,454 students who took the gifted and talented test for admission to New York City's gifted and talented kindergartens, 3,542 scored in the top 90% or above. That's a 10% gain over last year. What is even more striking is the 33% jump in students scoring above the 97th percentile - 1,788 versus 1,345 last year. These bright children will now vie for the 300 seats in Manhattan's most elite programs such as Hunter College Elementary, The Anderson Program and the Lab Program, making competition for seats fiercer than ever.

What happened? How did so many children get so much smarter in the course of a year? The Times article suggested that increased test preparation may have played a role. Bright Kids NYC, which tutors children for the NYC admissions tests at $145 a session reported that 80% of the 120 students for whom it had results had scored 90% or above and 60 children had scored in the 99th percentile. Their results support the fact that you can prepare for IQ tests and when you prepare, it works.

Unfortunately, preparation comes at a price that shuts many bright kids out. Let's say a child takes 10 tutoring sessions at Bright Kids NYC to get ready for gifted and talented testing - that's $1,450. Even if they give some sort of discounted package deal, that's still a lot to swallow. On the other hand, it's a small price to pay to get your child into one of best public school programs available. Tell that to a single mother who has been out of work for a year.

These days, kindergarten test prep guides are available at prices ranging from $60 to $500. Aristotle Circle makes a comprehensive $500 workbook parents can use to prep kid for the WPPSI-III (ERB) and they are working on one for the OLSAT (these are the tests Manhattan kids take for private school admission and gifted and talented qualification). According to the company, we "developed this workbook to help level the playing field...". I'll be the first to say that they did an excellent job with their WPPSI guide and I can see it was expensive to produce, but for $500, there is no playing field being leveled here (except maybe between the rich and the very rich).

Given the upswing in scores, it's clear that kids who aren't prepped for testing will be at a disadvantage in years to come. How fortunate for regular parents everywhere that a $15 book is coming out in July that explains these tests in detail, takes parents through them section-by-section, and shows them how to get their kids ready for testing without hiring tutors or buying high-priced workbooks. [full disclosure: I wrote the book - it's called Testing For Kindergarten, so what I just said was completely self-serving. Please forgive me.]

I'm not going to address here whether I believe that 4-year-olds who score in the top 90th or 97th percentiles are truly gifted and deserve the privilege of admission to the best school programs the city offers (though I don't and I don't - that's another blog post). This is a philosophical discussion that must take place, but not when you have a child starting kindergarten next year. Parents have to be practical. Who among us doesn't want the best school options we can provide for our little ones? The school board tells us the hoops our children have to jump through in order to qualify and we do what we can to help them meet the criteria. In New York and around the country, IQ tests are the flawed but pivotal hoops.

New York City officials acknowledged that test preparation may have played a role in the score explosion. Still, they said they were confident that most children who passed belonged in accelerated classes. In the Times article, Anna Commitante, who heads Manhattan's gifted and talented program said, "The city may very well think about something different" after next year, when its contract with the testing companies expires.

So that's their evil plan to foil prepping parents! Change the tests the city relies on to admit kids and no one'll be ready! Trust me, if, next year, the ability to recite nursery rhymes backwards becomes the admissions criteria, fancy pre-schools and tutors everywhere will start teaching that skill as quickly as I can say, "Lamb little a had Mary."

Here's the thing. The reason IQ tests have been relied on for so long as a key factor in making admissions decisions is because these tests assess whether or not a child has the abilities that educators believe children need to be successful in school. There are 7 of these abilities; they are language, knowledge/comprehension, memory, mathematics, visual-spatial, cognitive and fine-motor skills. No matter what testing instrument a school district decides to rely on in the future for gifted and talented admissions, every child will need these same 7 abilities to ace the test and (later) succeed in kindergarten and elementary school.

I'm all for getting kids ready for testing and school. The sooner you start, the better. In my opinion, the key is to understand the 7 abilities kids need for testing and school success. Internalize these as deeply as you already have the 5 food groups. If you know the 7 abilities that well, you can easily and naturally instill them in your child in the course of everyday living - no tutors or workbooks required. Do this and your child will test well and (most likely) go on to become an excellent student. If you start doing this when your child is just a toddler and later, your school board decides to change its admissions criteria, it won't matter. Your child will be ready.

What Mom In Her Right Mind Wants Her Child To Be Less Than Above Average?

Hi all, welcome to my new blog. I'm so happy that you found your way here!

I've just put the finishing touches on the front page of the website - www.testingforkindergarten.com, having agonized over the right tag line to use.

Originally, the tag was going to be "Give Your Child Every Advantage in School and Life." Who among us doesn't want to give their child every advantage they possibly can, right? But then I decided that sounded too corporate - something MasterCard might have come up with if they had an Early Childhood Division. Oh look, apparently they do!

Then I considered "Your Guide to Raising a Smart Enough Child." I thought that was good, a tag that might speak to parents who wanted the best for their kids but who drew the line at prenatal tutoring and flash card drills. My neighbor's daughter who was visiting from L.A. thought the tag meant I'd be writing about raising average children and (I quote), "What mom in her right mind wants her child to be less than above-average!" I explained to her that I only meant that this would not be a blog about how to raise your child to be a genius when nature intended him to be, well, average - normal - a regular Jack or Jill.

It turned out that this woman had been using of those expensive Teach Your Baby To Read programs with her son. She was determined to turn her (most likely) smart enough child into a genius. "Well, you really can't," I told her. "You can help Herman become smarter, even raise his IQ. But geniuses are born, not made. And by the way, he can't read. He's just memorized those flash cards!" I probably should have left the last part off (even though it's true). We parted on a rather sour note, which is too bad for her because Herman is adorable and I had been about to offer to baby sit him for free.

It was back to the drawing board for my tag line. I finally settled on "Your Guide to Raising a Plenty Smart Child." With the exception of my neighbor and other Pushy Peggys like her, I believe that's what most of us want - happy, normal children who are plenty smart. Plenty smart kids turn into plenty smart adults who can accomplish whatever they go after in life. Plenty smart kids excel in school and life and friendships. They are goofy, curious, observant and talkative. They are naturally good at some things and struggle at other things. But that's okay because struggle teaches them to persevere.

They love to read, color, work on the computer, play and giggle. Or maybe they don't. Maybe they are obsessed with dinosaurs or fascinated by boogers. They are leaders at the playground or shy kids who prefer to observe what's happening around them.They say the funniest things! Seriously, where do they come up with that stuff? Every day, they display sparks of genius, brilliant wit and superb artistry. At the same time, you're a little worried this or that possible delay, but you know kids develop differently. It's probably nothing. You have the highest aspirations for them, but you are also open to whomever they might become. Your plenty smart child is perfectly imperfect and you have never loved anyone so dearly.

Does this resonate with you? If so, I hope you'll stick with me and become a regular reader.

In this blog and on this site, I want to give you all the information and support you need to get your child into the school program you most want for her. I'll show you what she must know and be able to do to excel at kindergarten testing and succeed in school. I plan to introduce you to some of the top experts in early childhood education and development so you can get their advice as well. I'd also like to explore other aspects of raising children that go beyond school because, let's face it, there is more to life than having a high IQ. If you're thinking, "Right on, Sistah! There's way more to life than having a high IQ," then this blog will speak your language.

For now, welcome and happy Parenting!

Karen, The Testing Mom

P.S. I hope you'll sign up for my tips and daily test questions (for kids between the ages of 2.5 - 5.5). Be sure to use an email address that accepts HTML for the test questions so you can see the visuals.