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Message |
    
amamommy
Citizen
Username: Amamommy
Post Number: 8
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 8:17 pm: | 
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Hi
My four year old will be testing for a private school soon, I was wondering if anyone has been through this and if so, what does it entail? I was told it will take 45 minutes. Is there anything I can do ahead of time in preparation (fun games, etc that help) or is it something you can't prepare for? Feel free to post or privateline me.
Thanks in advance |
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1267
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 10:09 pm: |
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I can't imagine that there is any test a four year old can prepare for.
In fact, I'm having trouble imagining a school that requires a four year old to take a test for admission. What are the circumstances? Hard to know how to prepare someone if you don't know what he/she is preparing for.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 761
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 7:21 am: |
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Tom sadly its true. I have an old college buddy of mine who was trying to get his child into The Pell School in Morristown and they actually interviewed his 4 year old for about 30 minutes without he and his wife in the room. Talk about a harrowing experience. All that for the "privilege" of paying over 10K for kindergarten. |
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1268
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 8:57 am: |
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Yeah, my sister went through "stuff" to get her son into some fancy nursery school in Manhattan. They needed REFERRALS. So my brother-in-law, who is a news producer at CBS network news, got a referral from Dan Rather about my nephew! Is this world crazy, or what?
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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algebra2
Citizen
Username: Algebra2
Post Number: 1466
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 10:38 am: |
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My 4 1/2 year old loves the Brain Quest cards. I would think they'd be helpful. I always have a Brain Quest deck or two in my bag -- they're great in keepng a squirmy kid occupied. |
lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 158
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 12:48 pm: |
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At 4 years old, I think that they're probably looking more closely at social skills than academics, but I suppose that can vary from school to school. |
algebra2
Citizen
Username: Algebra2
Post Number: 1468
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 12:52 pm: |
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I know of schools that do both. They want to sit and talk to the child but also give them puzzles and games. See if they know their shapes, colors, number and word recognition, left/right, finding patterns. |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 122
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 2:15 pm: |
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amamommy --
There's really nothing you can or should do to prepare. Just let your child be your child. The last thing you want to do is create pressure or tension about the interview. I suggest you simply say to your child that he/she is going to talk to the teachers at a school. They will talk with him/her, ask simple questions, read stories and ask questions about them after, ask your child to tell a story. It's not really academic. It's developmental. They want to see where he/she is and if he/she is a good fit for the school. (The fit for the school aspect is critical. They know what they are looking for in a student, and they select children who they feel will excel in their particular scholastic environment.)
If you're serious about private school, you should be applying to several, not just one. The admission rates are very low. Usually, there are many more applicants than spaces to fill.
If you have read to your child and encouraged his/her cognitive development, things will work out. Maybe not at your first choice school, but at a good school nonetheless.
If you don't mind saying, what schools are you targeting?
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Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1275
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 2:21 pm: |
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Why am I having trouble grasping the concept of choosing four year olds who fit in with others in a school? For some reason, I think a normal variety of developmental stages is tolerable. Yet I have no trouble thinking about admission requirements for older kids.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 123
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 2:39 pm: |
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Tom --
There are vast developmental differences in kids. Private schools aren't looking for kids who are all at the same level. They have many applicants and very few spaces to fill. For that reason they have to be exceptionally selective. They are looking for kids at various levels of development. Private school classrooms are smaller, and have low student to teacher ratios. When you have 12 - 20 kids in a grade, you need to be selective (using your child development and classroom building expertise) in accepting or rejecting applicants. These kids are going to be together for many years with relatively few classmates. The schools that get the selection process right end up with exceptional educational environments. A "normal variety of developmental stages" is certainly OK. In fact, it's the goal. In a private school setting, parents are paying for a finely crafted educationl experience in which every aspect of the school is well thought out and crafted to meet the particular social, educational and developmental goals of the particular school.
On the other hand, there is also, in some case, more to the selection process than meets the eye. The parents' social status and income level certainly come into play, as do numerous demographic factors.
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jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 323
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 3:00 pm: |
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It's called a ERB test , takes about an hour & it's scored in numbers like 80 -90 . Get below a 90 & your little girl can forget about places like Spence, or Nightgale . Forget the fancy names of referral , everybody who can afford 12k for kindergarden , can come up with some bold names to say Katlin is great. Alumni is the name of the game , hosting cocktail parties @ your townhouse to raise money for the school helps + maybe a little line in the will naming the school helps too. |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 124
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 3:28 pm: |
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Jet --
You may know the name of the test, but alumni, cocktail parties (at a townhouse? if you can afford 12K for kindergarden you don't live in a townhouse - and, btw, most of these schools are far more than 12k anyway) and wills have nothing to do with it. These schools look for families with money, yes, but the other factors you mention are BS. The schools do not know these things when they are interviewing you and your children (yes, many interview the parents as well.)
What's much more likely is that if your kids are asian, or black, and you have money, you will contribute to the ethnic diversity that makes a school look well rounded. That's a much bigger factor than what you may or may not put in a will somewhere down the line. But the real selection process, in the main, comes down to creating the "right" classroom mix and finding kids who will excel at the school.
If your reasoning was correct, then schools would also very seriously consider the parents employer, since certain companies have matching gifts to education programs, where every dollar the family donates to the school's annual fund drive is matched by the parent's corporation. But they (the schools) don't consider that either.
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jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 324
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 4:35 pm: |
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Yossarian, I'm familiar with schools in Manhattan . My experience with these schools comes from several fellow workers. I believe my statements to be accurate. You on the other hand are either naive or work in the education business , & I do mean business. Several fathers standing around me are getting a good laugh out of this. They have children in these schools. |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 125
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 5:01 pm: |
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Jet --
I'm not naive and I'm not in the education business. I know what I know from direct experience. My daughter went to a private school in Manhattan (maybe your laughing buddies know it) and she goes to a private school now that we live in NJ.
I'll take my direct experience with these schools, which includes many hours in and around them and their administrators and admissions staff, over your anecdotal evidence of favoritism.
You are perpetuating stereotypes, and not doing the person who started this thread, who wants honest help, any good at all. |
amamommy
Citizen
Username: Amamommy
Post Number: 10
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 7:50 pm: |
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It's funny, before I posted I thought to myself, "Maybe this isn't the right forum to ask for help or advice..." but posted against my better judgment (especially since the topic is Please Help)
Maplewood is supposed to be open minded and neighbor-friendly, yet whenever alternative school options (other than public Maplewood schools) come up, people act like you are a traitor. My choices to check out alternative schooling has nothing to do with Maplewood, it has to do with my child and our family. It shouldn't make anyone react with such disgust. If you meet someone who was private-schooled vs. public-schooled, do you shame them as well? By the by, I am a product of public schools.
Anyway, Thanks Algebra 2, lah, and Yossarian for taking an honest and friendly attempt at answering my question and offering advice (sans criticism) for even considering private school for my child.
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maplemom
Citizen
Username: Maplemom
Post Number: 69
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 8:03 pm: |
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Oh, those evil private schools! Just kidding...
As a former teacher, I can tell you that these tests aren't tortures, they do games and picture recognition, they talk to them, it's quite informal and kids don't even know that measurement is taking place. They administer similar 'tests' at the public schools as well. If a child has been recommended for special services and put on the child study team, they often administer a battery of psycho-educational tests to get a snapshot of where the child is in their development
I have a good friend with kids in private school. I remember they had similar 'testing' done before entering. I'll speak with her and find out what in entailed.
I know you are asking what you might be able to do ahead and it's a good question. Since they aren't tests, you can't study for them. They are more of a measurement. Games are always a good idea, good practicing for taking turns and listening. Don't feel stress, kids can feel it from you and I know the schools don't want that. I do know that knowing what is coming is a stress reliever for me, so I'll let you know what I find out.
Don't be alarmed by comments that fly by on here, schools are a hot topic in Maplewood. If you aren't excited with the local school system people get pretty upset and question why you have the inclination or the means to explore other options (or why you live here). The truth is that some Maplewood schools do not always rate very highly especially when one considers how high the median family income is in Maplewood and we do only have HALF day Kindergarten which is outrageous. People have the right to worry about their kids education and the public school your kids are mandated to attend may not be the best for their individual needs.
Unfortunately, most private schools are not subsidized by the government so they cost in the neighborhood of what is spent per student in Maplewood (usually slightly more due to lower economies of scale and typically lower student to teacher ratios). Also, textbooks are exorbitant, along with all the costs that go along with employing teachers/staff, space, etc. The parents pay for these costs.
Concern over your child's education should be applauded not ridiculed and it is troublesome when people criticize others for worrying about their children's education. It is also concerning when people are not allwed to question the quality of the services being offered considering that our property taxes are among the highest in the world. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 841
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 9:35 pm: |
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Whenever people wonder why the schools here aren't equivalent to the very best private schools "considering the taxes we pay" it would be nice if they could step back for a minute and consider this:
All of the items mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph above - exorbitantly priced textbooks, employing teachers/staff, and maintaining buildings, not to mention paying huge health and other insurance premiums - are "bought" by the community just as they are "bought" by the parents who pay for private school education for their children.
In the case of the private school perhaps a couple of hundred families bear the burden for huge costs, hence high private school tuition.
In the specific case of our public schools, much larger expenses are incurred to educate a much larger population AND to meet all sorts of state and federal mandates and they're borne by what's actually a rather small constellation of people - the property-owners within the borders of the towns.
The statement "unfortunately most private schools are not subsidized by the government" at first made me mutter to myself, "Thank goodness they're not! Then there'd be less than zero for the public schools." But when I think about it, our PUBLIC school is hardly subsidized by the government either. And I find that to be very unfortunate.
Sorry for the drift, but school funding is a huge problem, and our painfully high taxes still may not be enough to buy the kind of education we all want for our kids. |
amamommy
Citizen
Username: Amamommy
Post Number: 11
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 10:03 pm: |
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So Jem, if I do send my children to private school, I will pay taxes that contribute (in part) towards the cost of education in Maplewood, and to my child's private education. Instead of getting annoyed, be happy my dollars are contributing to the collective education of Maplewood but one less head will be using up 'our' resources. If you think of it that way, it's good for Maplewood if some people pay the taxes and opt out of using the educational resources.
And sorry, but no sympathy on the "...our painfully high taxes still may not be enough" comment. Don't need another Reval, thanks anyway. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 842
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 10:25 pm: |
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Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1277
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 11:31 pm: |
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Hey, anamommy, I'm sorry for the way I came off. I feared I would come off that way, and I guess it happened. I was really asking a question, and I got answers. I wish you and your child good luck with her/his schooling. I hope your child gets into the school that suits her/him best.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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critter
Citizen
Username: Critter
Post Number: 21
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 5, 2003 - 11:57 am: |
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amamommy, has your child been to the school? i found that to be a big help before my child's visitation/test day, although she was older and resistant to switching schools. although she was angry and uncommunicative during the informal walk-through, she said she was "excited" by the time the formal visit rolled around, and she's extremely happy now that she's a student! (but if your child doesn't have a problem with unfamiliar situations, that may not be an issue.)
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tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 248
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 5, 2003 - 2:10 pm: |
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Probably a better subject for the Soapbox. Does anybody know if Einstein was private schooled? We all know George Bush was, or was he? |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 249
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 5, 2003 - 2:20 pm: |
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I just found this quote attributed to Einstein: "It is a mistake often made in this country to measure things by the amount of money they cost." |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 127
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 5, 2003 - 2:23 pm: |
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tourne -- what's your point? |
gemini
Citizen
Username: Gemini
Post Number: 234
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, December 6, 2003 - 2:53 pm: |
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Tourne, that's a great quote. Our taxes are so high, we pay so much for the public school in town. |
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