Secrets, Lies and Kindergarten Admissions

If you have not read the The New York Magazine article, "The Junior Meritocracy.....Why Kindergarten Admissions Tests Are Worthless" you should. It's a long one so do it after the kids are asleep. The article sheds light on the instability of IQ tests that are given to children at the age of 4 years to determine how "gifted" they are. As well, the article touches on how the validity of these tests are being threatened by some desperate low-life tactics parents and educational tutoring services have turned to; not only buying the coveted IQ exams but selling them on websites as though they were state secrets.

My thoughts:

I agree with what much of the article depicts but I think there are some major questions and solutions that are overlooked:

1. Why were many public school Gifted and Talented (G&T) programs developed? Many of them were created to entice middle and upper income families to send their children to public schools. Until the NYCDOE decided to use the OLSAT as the standardized test for entrance into G&T programs (about 3 years ago) admission exams were described as an "arbitrary hodge podge" means of assessing children across the city. That leads me to ask if the programs were truly gifted programs to begin with? Were these students truly gifted or did they mostly come from "nice" neighborhood families paired with an average curriculum? And what about all the children that were tested and qualified for the gifted programs but ended going to regular programs because there was no space for them? How are they coping? This is not to say that some children are not truly gifted and that some programs are not valid but how are we assessing these kids and what really qualifies as a "gifted"program"?

2. I met a parent last year whose 2nd grade child had come from a private school that required an IQ exam for entrance into the school. Because of financial reasons the child was now attending a local non-gifted public school. At the first publishing party the mother became quickly embarrassed that her daughter's work was clearly far behind her classmates. By the first report card she had received notice that her daughter's promotion was in doubt. The child was put into the public school's extended day program and the mother hired a tutor. While the child's intelligence is truly not the question, the gap in knowledge and skill clearly impacted the child's academic achievement. What role does moving from one set of standards and a difference in educational philosophy play?

3. The article quotes an individual stating that "50 to 60 percent of the test is teachable." While this may be true, is any one else concerned that a major factor in intelligence is actually processing and synthesizing new information and material? Are parents that coach their kids not fearful that once their child gets into a gifted program, they won't be able to handle the workload?

4. As an educator, I had a vision for myself, my students and my classroom. While the dreams should guide us, more often then not our educational dreams get sidetracked by the harsh reality that is dictated by our students' needs, the parents, administrators, state and city mandates and time constraints. One private school administrator was quoted as saying that he wanted "...a class full of daydreamers", and "wanting kids who don't want to answer the questions on those tests in the way the adults want them to be answered, because that kid is already seeing

the world differently". While a bit idealistic, this attitude may unfortunately lead kids to be

classified as weird, or as having focusing issues or having a learning delay. Hey, it sounds nice

and liberating in a magazine article.

5. Finally, I think a major solution to this G&T craze in New York City is to, I don't know, have enough strong, well run, differentiated, neighborhood schools that are in a child's catchment so they don't have be tested for G&T programs or put in a lottery just to make it into kindergarten. How about sinking your money into that Department of Education!?!

Would love to hear your thoughts!

"Mommy, I don't like my teacher!"

So, my homework problems still remain a week later.  I did not post pictures from my School Year's Eve event.   But, I will.  I promise.  At least I'll try.

School is back in full swing and questions from parents are rolling on in!

This week's question is from Jackie:

"I am not happy with my daughter's teacher this year.  My daughter seems okay but is not ecstatic either.  Should I try to have her class switched?"

It would be nice if that every year our children could have a super teacher that completely meshed with both our child's needs as well as our own.  Alas, no matter what school, what state, what type of child or how calm the parent, there always will be the possibility that your child will end up with a teacher that does not fit your child's style or your own.  It is a basic fact of life.  While it can be hard to deal with a bad fit, there are some important strategies you can use to get through the year:

Look at the root of the problem:

Are you comparing this teacher to that super kindergarten teacher your child had last year? Are you listening to former parents of this teacher and letting them shape your ideas about what this teacher is all about?   School is still fresh and some teachers feel they need to be really strict the first month or so before letting their guard down.  Other teachers are extremely relaxed and others are structured.  Make sure you give your child's new teacher a fair chance to show you what they can do.  Sometimes first impressions can be wrong and other students or parents experiences don't necessarily mean that your child or you will feel the same way they did.

Make Contact

Make sure you introduce yourself to your child's teacher at pick up.  Drop off in the morning tends to be overwhelming even for the teacher.  Teachers tend to be more relaxed at the end of the day and more willing to spend a minute or two talking to parents.  Even if you don't normally pick your child up, leave work early one day, just so you can show your face.  Make sure you only introduce yourself, smile, maybe ask "How are things?" and keep it light.  Many teachers  dislike being put on the spot and forced into an impromptu conference after school.  If your school has a back to school night be sure to attend.   If you feel disconnect or your child is still unhappy in late October, be sure to send a gently worded note asking for a scheduled conference to discuss your questions. Keep a log of discussions, meetings, incidences and a copy of all notes sent by you and the teacher.

Watch What You Say and Do:

Children can pick up on both your verbal and non verbal cues.  When children feel that you don't respect their teacher they can sense that and become conflicted.  Some children want to "defend your feelings" resulting in poor behavior in the classroom, not completing their homework and in some cases refusal to go to school.  If your child seems to like their teacher take up your concerns only with the teacher and as hard as it may be, stay civil about your feelings in front of your child.  If your child is unhappy with the teacher, be empathetic to your child's feelings but use this as an opportunity to set an example of how to deal with authority and to come up with the best strategies to use when we disagree with an adult.   All children need to learn coping skills.

Switching your child:

Most schools will not switch a child because it sets a bad precedent.  Unless there is substantial evidence that your child will not do well with their current teacher or that another class is truly a better fit, principals want children to learn to cope with all situations.  In the rare case that your school does switch your child remember that any transition can be tough and there is no guarantee that easing into a new class after the year has begun will not produce it's own issues.

If your child's situation is clearly not improving after one conference has taken place between with you and the teacher discussing those issues that are of concern to you and your child,  you may inform the principal as to your concerns and discuss appropriate strategies.

Coping Strategies for your child:

Have your child write a note to the teacher using appropriate language.

Ask for some time to speak to the teacher during lunch.

Keep a journal at home so they have an outlet to deal with frustrations.

Assure your child they will get through the year and not to give up.

The G and T results are in! Now what?

Before I begin with what to look for in a Gifted and Talented program, if your child scored at or above the 90th percentile read the DOE information on Eligibility and Placement on their website at:

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/CC1AFB4C-1DC9-427F-ACB6-DA3F281BEA64/46301/LevBDOEnotest.pdf

Be ready to scroll all the way down. Read carefully about the process, it is possible that your child might have the scores but the bottom line that there may not be enough spaces to accommodate the demand. My friend's son scored in the 99th percentile last year which made him eligible for the citywide G and T Schools; Anderson, Nest and TAG. Even with his top score, he did not get into any of the citywide programs. Furthermore, there were children that scored in the 98th or 97th percentile that were accepted and had no siblings currently in the G and T programs. Because he lived in Queens and there were no gifted and talented kindergarten programs in his area, he is at a local charter school and doing fine. The fact is, depending on how many students scored in the same rank as your child and whether or not you have another child already in the G and T system can truly determine whether or not there will be a space for your child. The constraints don’t end there. If you read carefully you will see that the DOE states that seats will be given out randomly after all other priority cases are taken care of - How frustrating is that?! Welcome to the Department of Education. After all, what would prompt them to be efficient since so many of us are banging down the doors to get into their schools? It seems that regardless of the stress and difficulties the city schools might cause us, more parents want to raise their growing families in NYC and in this economy the private school stress comes at a far more expensive price tag. Why not get your stress on the cheap?

So, with all this said there are a few pieces of advice I feel strongly about when looking at the G and T choices. If your child made it into the citywide pool, good luck. All three schools are quite good but each have a very different feel. The best thing to do is visit all three and don't send your preference sheet in until you see all three. Most importantly, keep in mind who your child is. Even though they are considered gifted it does not mean that all programs will be able to fulfill their needs. One school tends to stress to the students that they are "gifted". While another seems to have a more "normal" school feel. Also keep in mind the schlep factor. How well will your kid deal with a commute either with you or on a school bus @ 7:00AM? The DOE's school bus schedule can have children onboard that early. That can be a seriously long day for your child. Make sure you ask on your tour what the earliest time that children have had to be at their bus stop. You also want to consider that if the school is far away from your home or office, what will you do if your child is ill and has to be picked up from school? How will you handle attending after school social functions, attend play dates and birthday parties. While it may sound silly to consider these as factors in making your decision, attendance at social functions is important for bonding and has an impact on your child's social development.

In terms of the district wide gifted and talented programs there is much greater range in the effectiveness in each program. Some G and T programs were initially created to change the dynamic of a school's population. While in some cases, it may have done exactly what it set out to do; it does not mean that the changes were all positive. For some school's it created a "haves" and "have nots" situation. This is what prompted the changes in testing in 2008, hoping to level the playing field to create a more diversified G and T.

Some schools, like P.S.191, in Manhattan dissolved their G and T program because the school was too small and it created animosity amongst the students and parents. They're also some G and T programs that simply give more work rather than better work. Most G and T programs are housed in a regular school. Ask, "How does the G and T curriculum here differ from the regular education program?" You are looking for answers that describe how the students might go deeper in their questioning of a specific topic or that students might be expected to do longer term projects. Also make sure to look at the work in the hallways and make note about how the work differs between the regular education program and the G and T program. While extra arts, chess and foreign language are wonderful opportunities and are often offered in G and T programs, be sure not to base your choice only on these factors. Be sure to find out about the administration (How long has the current administration been in place?, How well do they work with the PTA?, What are the philosophies of the school?, etc.) You might also want to check on the DOE website to see how many parents have responded to the parent survey of those schools.

Keep in mind that when you send your child to any school you are buying into many different people. The NYC DOE is one of the largest and most complex public school systems in the country with an administration that can change at any time, a huge and varied group of teachers (a "bad" one can pop up in the best of schools), a PTA, and a group of children that can create any type of dynamic. One of your most important hopes is that the school will always work with the ever-changing needs of your child. There are many factors for a successful relationship and while you hope you are making the right decision, there are no guarantees. You just need to look at all the variables and make the best choice with the information you have.

Is there a "Right" School?

How do I find a school that is right for my child?

Today we are so desperate here in New York City, to get our child into school, private or public, we often forget that some schools are just not the right choice for our children. I'll never forget a mother, whose children attended the very non-pretentious, home daycare that my children attended was very vocal about her dilemma about where she should send her son to school. He was accepted into a very small, progressive lab school on the upper West Side as well as a dual language, G&T program. finally one day as we were about to pick up kids at daycare she said to me in an extremely stressed out tone of voice "What's better public or private school?". Growing up in New York City Public schools from kindergarten-12th grade and teaching for and working with the system for 10 years, I understood the pro's and cons of the public school choice. I said to her, you're a good parent, a smart parent. The choice is not about public or private, the question has to be about who do you think will serve your child the best at this time in his life and possible for years to come? Look at your kid, look at the schools. Can they offer what your son needs? If the teaching practices radical or cutting edge, will your child be able to handle it? Does your child need structure or more laid back? Can you reflect the philosophy of the school in your home? Can you reflect your home in the school? Can you afford the private school or will you be applying for financial assistance?

In the end no one, not even you, the parent has a crystal ball. I know parents who sent their kids to a K-8 school thinking they were "safe" from applying to Middle School. After 4th grade their kids were miserable and had to be taken out. They endured the nerve-racking middle school application process and are now waiting on pins and needles to hear which school they will attend in the fall. When you buy into a school you buy into many different people, with different personalities, and with different temperaments. You buy into a philosophy, an administration , a group of teachers, a group of students and a group of parents. It is elementary (no pun intended) to believe that your child or you, will be satisfied every year with each one the components. Administrators, teachers, PTA presidents can all leave and be replaced and there is never a guarantee that policies stay the same. So, use what you know about your child, yourself . It is all a gamble, much like the day you decided to have children!

NYC DOE Admissions

Can you explain the New York City public school admissions process?

Ahhh! The New York City Department of Education admissions process - the idea itself makes me draw comparisons to the Twilight Zone. Where anything that makes sense no longer holds true and what was true yesterday is no longer true today. As a former student, teacher, current vendor and parent of the New York City system I'd love to say I have all the answers but the truth is, my local public school is great and I never even attempted to look into other options. Thank goodness there are people who want to make sure parents who venture out of their catchment have a way to get some objective information about schools and the admissions process. www.insideschools.org has put it together an all-in-one, cohesive, comprehensive site on the topic. It was created by a NYC public school mom named Clara Hemphill. Inside Schools not only keeps parents updated on the most current hoops the DOE makes us go through but actually reviews individual schools and posts their crucial statistics as well as teacher and parent comments. It is important to put the site in your favorites so you can check it frequently, as the rules to get into schools are forever changing.



Districts and Zoned Schools

The NYC system is made up of 31 districts and one special education district called District 75. Each district is split up into small areas around an individual school called catchment zones. Children who live in the zone of a particular school may attend that school. If you don't know your district or zone you can go on to the DOE website, schools.nyc.gov. or Inside Schools. There are some cases when a school is over crowded they may impose "capping" to limit class size and even children that live in the zone may have to follow some other procedures for getting in. Staying focused on the general issues: Children who want to go to their zoned public kindergarten need to be age 5 by December 31st of the year they wish to begin. Call your zoned school in late September the year before you wish to enroll your child and ask if they give tours. Some schools do not give tours. In the case they do not, find out the name of the school's parent coordinator. Every public school has one and you can find them on the DOE website. A parent coordinator has their own phone number and may give you a private tour and/or answer any of your questions over the phone. Some schools have special programs for instance, a dual language program (languages vary from school to school) so if you are interested be sure to find out if your zoned school has any special procedures that need to be followed.

More Bees with Honey

Beware that many of the people who answer the phones at public schools are 'colorful' characters that are at times abrasive, clueless and can be downright rude. It's not personal, in many cases they are overworked and overwhelmed. If you don't get the answers you want at that moment, call at a different time of day and try to be cheerful, keep a sense of humor and remember, you can attract more bees with honey.

G&T Programs

If you wish to investigate the Gifted and Talented (G&T or T&G) programs, this will add another level of excitement. Children can apply to take a test administered for free by the NYCDOE. You can find out when these test applications are available at the DOE website, your district office or at insideschools.org. There are two types of gifted and talented programs. There are those programs that are part of a local school however, children are placed in classes with other children that scored in the 90% percentile or above. The kids in these programs can be kids from the catchment zone or in a catchment that is close by to the school. Check to see in your zone or district if there are gifted and talented programs that begin as early as kindergarten, some start as late as second grade. The other type of G&T program are self contained gifted and talented schools that are not restricted by catchment but serve all children from the 5 boroughs, also known as Citywide gifted and talented schools. The Anderson School on the Upper West Side, NEST on the Lower East Side and TAG in East Harlem are these G&T schools. To get into these schools your child must score in the 97% or above on the test. Because there are only 3 schools, depending on how well the tested population does there may or may not be enough space for all children who scored in the right percentile. In other words, there is no guarantee that your child gets in just because they have the right score. The real anxiety begins in the waiting for the results. In passed years the DOE gave the results so late that many parents had accepted charter school or private school placements only to scramble to get out of deposits and their commitments once they got their positive results.

Charter Schools

Charter Schools according to the DOE website are"publicly funded and open to all students in New York City through a non-discriminatory admissions lottery." These schools are given a certain amount of freedom with their policies and curriculum. You can find a list of charter schools on the Department of Education website. Call individual schools for tours and lottery information.

Pre Kindergarten

Public pre kindergarten programs are tough to find in New York City and tougher to get into because of the the demand. I am currently going through this process right now for my daughter. Applications usually come out in March, online. A list of full-day and half-day pre kindergarten programs are listed with a few other community options. The best thing to do is continually check the DOE site and sign up for their pre kindergarten e-newsletter.

So there you have it. It is complicated if you want something other than your zoned school. My overarching advice is not to get too nuts - your child will find a school and probably get a great education. I once heard a group of moms talking on a New York City public bus. Their kids had all grown up in New York City and had all gone to public schools. One woman exclaimed, "there is just something special about a New York City public school kid." I have to say, I agree with her!

Good Luck!

Sara Lise