Archive for November, 2009
Those New Yorkers will pay for anything (Test Prep for Kiddies)
For the commenter who recently asked whether parents actually try to prep kids for testing before Kindergarten — in NYC the answer is yes. Check out the following NYTimes story:
I think this sums up the mindset (and that of Chicago parents who are thinking about it.)
“Test preparation has long been a big business catering to students taking SATs and admissions exams for law, medical and other graduate schools. But the new clientele is quite a bit younger: 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents hope that a little assistance — costing upward of $1,000 for several sessions — will help them win coveted spots in the city’s gifted and talented public kindergarten classes.”
I haven’t known of parents in Chicago going to great lengths on test prep, but I think there are local parents who’d like to have their kids do a few practice questions just to make sure the kid has a clue about what to do come test time. I’ve done some of the workbook-type stuff that I ordered from ThinkTonight.com and in my opinion I could help my son understand how questions are asked (which maybe gives him an edge? Or not.) but in no way could I push his level of comprehension. So I guess what I’m saying is that I can hone his test-taking skills but not his actual knowledge. Actually that was true when he was pre-K level. There are just certain mental breakthroughs that kids that age either have made or not. You can’t fake it. (That was Piaget’s whole theory.) That’s why I think it can make sense for parents to do some work at home, but paying $1000K for a prep service seems crazy to me. But everything in the NYC education system is bumped up about 10 notches.
Although it drives me crazy how much of a secret the test is in Chicago, I also think it’s weird that the NYC public school system makes theirs widely knows (its called the OLSAT.) The article even says that they provide 16 sample questions to level the playing field. I’ll have to try to track that down.
A company in NYC called BrightKids has an OLSAT boot camp that is now full but parents can order a test-prep book for a mere $90. (I am almost loathe to post the link – I know I’d have been tempted to order this book when we were testing for K, but I have a weird resentment for these companies getting rich off of blatant test prep for 4-year-olds.) I will point out that we don’t actually know whether the CPS test is OLSAT and in theory if you have your child practice on this workbook you could be throwing them totally of course if a different test is used.
http://www.brightkidsnyc.com/view-news.asp?id=1
UPDATE: Helen from Thinktonight.com was nice enough to send me the following information. This is the best example of actual test-type questions I’ve seen to date . Keep in mind this is OLSAT which may not be what Chicago uses.
Here’s the link to the NY Gifted handbooks. The practice tests are at the end.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/GiftedandTalented/EligibilityApplications/G
T+Handbooks+09-10AY
They’re designed to introduce children to the format of the test. They’re
not full length and not necessarily the same difficulty level as the actual
test. This test is intended as practice for NYC parents who have signed up to have their kids tested there.
14 comments November 21, 2009
Admissions policy community meeting this Thursday evening
Thanks to Mayfair Dad for sending me this info. Should be an interesting meeting, at the very least to hear people’s different opinions.
From the CPS calendar:
Admissions policy community meeting
Thursday November 19, 2009
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Amundsen High School
5110 N. Damen Ave.
Participate in a community meeting about our new admissions policies. Visit CPS website for more details.
5 comments November 16, 2009
For parents interested in Gifted / Classical test prep from ThinkTonight.com
I know that parents wo are getting ready to test their kids for the GEAP programs for the first time have a common question: What can I do to help get my child ready for the tests? Is there anything I can do to help improve my child’s score?
I’ve posted a link before to a web site called www.thinktonight.com. It’s one of the few web sites I’d found as a parent that had some books about test-prep. I should point out that the content of most of these tests are well-guarded so the best a parent can do is t help their child practice they *type* of questions that *might* be on the test. I order a few workbooks and have found them fun to do with my son. I haven’t used them for test prep, but we take them to restaurants to work on while we wait for the food. We use them more as fun brain-teasers. At the very least, showing him how to follow a question/answer format seems like a good skill to learn.
I’ve been in touch with the owner of ThinkTonight (Helen) who has been kind enough to write a piece on her thoughts on education test prep (and after reading her piece I need to stop using the word “prep!”) Take a read-through… it’s very interesting. I’ll also post some recommendations she has on which material might be most helpful to Chicago parents.
My family moved to the US from New Zealand ten years ago and, in part because of frustration
with the education system, I went looking for resources to use with my
children. Friends were interested so I started buying to resell and
eventually went online at www.thinktonight.com
Testing, testing, testing. Those are the opening words on my website. My
website which began as a collection of resources to use with gifted children
to get them thinking morphed into a test preparation site because of the
demand from parents. What’s interesting to me is that what I sell hasn’t
changed – just how it’s presented.
When any child is tested to see if they’re gifted the test is looking for
specific skills. Can a child classify objects as similar or different, can
they make associations, can they reason using analogy, can they make
patterns, can they predict and so on. These are all activities that
naturally gifted children push themselves to do. They’re also skills which
any child can be taught. That “any child” might not have the potential to
become gifted but teaching them how to get the most out of the brain they’ve
got can only help them.
What’s unusual about testing in Chicago is the secrecy surrounding it. It’s
understandable given what’s happening in New York. There tutoring business
have sprung up which charge over $100 per hour to teach to the test. When a
group multiple choice test is used, as in New York, there are a limited
number of questions that can be asked. If you make up enough similar
questions and coach children on them they’ll probably test better. That
doesn’t necessary mean (and often doesn’t) that you’ve improved their
underlying skills. It distorts test results. Keeping the specifics of
testing confidential means that all that parents can do is work with their
child on general skills. Do it right and children will score higher when
they’re tested but for the right reason – because their underlying skill
level has improved. You’ll have fun too and hopefully keep on with
activities like these after the test date.
If you’re a concerned parent spend some time browsing my website. There are
two sections which are likely to be most interesting. The WPPSI is like
the gold standard for testing young children. It’s a very comprehensive
test done one on one with psychologist. Sometimes the entire test isn’t
used. The ERB’s for example (used for private school entry) are some of the
WPPSI subtests. http://www.thinktonight.com/WPPSI_s/306.htm has my
suggestions for products that can be used in anticipation of WPPSI testing.
There are a lot of them because the WPPSI tests a lot of areas.
The other type of testing that is often used with young children is multiple
choice. That’s what NY does. I’ve got plenty of information about the
OLSAT which is the test currently used in New York at this link
http://www.thinktonight.com/OLSAT_s/26.htm
A discerning parent will see a lot of overlap between my suggestions for the
two tests. That’s because I don’t sell anything that was written for a
particular test. The OLSAT isn’t as refined or as broad a test as the WPPSI
but it has the same objectives and there’s a pretty strong correlation
between children who do well on the OLSAT and those who do well on the
WPPSI. They’re the children who can do the types of activities that the
material I sell was developed to teach.
I enjoy helping parents so give me a shout (email or phone) if you’ve got
questions
- Show quoted text -
Helen Flavall, PhD
www.thinktonight.com
helen@thinktonight.com
425-688-1183
3 comments November 16, 2009
High school initiatitive – more info
For those of us who are conspiracy theorists, here’s some good news about this group. Keep in mind that it isn’t really a “group” unless people actually join up, go to meetings, and do actual stuff (rather than just hoping that a few parents fight to get us some better high school options.) The most success will come if more people join in the cause. In the end, we’ll be at the mercy of CPS and someone could bust their ass on this high school initiative only to find out that it will serve a certain OTHER part of the city or their own child won’t test in. This is why I’m still in favor of principal discretion. I mean come on, can’t a parent earn their kid a spot in a school in special circumstances?
Response:
I believe we are hoping to make an impact all over; however, we need many volunteers willing to take on various roles. This is a very daunting task but we are hoping to motivate large numbers of people to become active in showing strong community wide support for high school improvement. We have defined ourselves under the umbrella of these wards simply because it is where we live. In order to expand this dialogue, we are willing to share our mission and knowledge as people are willing to volunteer to become active in their own neighborhoods. At this point, we are thrilled that so many people are interested in addressing the issue.
Add comment November 13, 2009
My God, the world’s gone crazy! Magnet school changes…
A few people have sent me this Sun Times article today about possible changes in magnet school admission policies now that the consent decree has been overturned (for those who are new, that means minority-race kids don’t get their own separate lottery any more, guaranteeing them spaces.)
http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1874845,CST-NWS-magnet10.article
A few exerpts:
The new policy is also expected to be more family and neighborhood friendly, sources say.
Siblings would more priority than they do now. I was under the impression that most do get in, but I know the parents sweat it out every year, wondering if they’ll have kids in 2 different schools.
After the sibling lottery, sources said, half of the remaining seats would go to neighborhood kids — up from a current threshold of 30 percent in most magnet schools.
And the other half of the seats would be decided based on socioeconomic factors — the most complicated part of the equation. (This included some convoluted way to determine at-need kids that I couldn’t understand.)
OK, so now my comments. I like the sibling thing. I think it’s crazy to expect families to have kids in 2 different schools. I feel like when you get in a magnet school, your family is in.
As for the neighborhood thing, I think I gotta a big no-way. Except for saving gas, I don’t see why the local people should get any preference for a magnet school. Is it a magnet or not? It just seems to create another weird tier of haves and have-nots. You can’t even count on getting into the school if you buy a house in the neighborhood so in theory it won’t attract people. And it makes the odds utterly minute of anyone else getting in. Mainly it just turns our crazy little magnet system upside down just when I’d gotten used to the unfairness of it. Some part of me still thinks there should be magnets and neighborhood schools without mixing the two. Maybe it’s better this way. I don’t know. Can someone help me know what to think?
Oh, and before people totally panic, CPS hasn’t approved any of this yet. It’s all in the “sources say” stage.
31 comments November 10, 2009
North Side High School Initiative – More Info
I got further info on this group. As you can see, it’s basically still in the infancy stage – trying to figure out what the goal is and how best to proceed. I think it is pretty clear that there will be a high school crunch in the city down the road if people continue to opt to stay here. I think most parents would like to know there is a good, safe high school option that their child has a reasonable shot at getting into. Ideally that school would involve a child getting up at the crack of dawn and taking public transportation halfway across town as many do now. It’s also sad to think of our kids all going their separate ways when High School comes around, which is also the case now.
The million dollar question is how much capacity is needed, where, and how to decide who gets in. I don’t begrudge North side parents for taking the lead and wanting to work locally. I think that is how most of the best things happen in CPS. I don’t know that I’d be willing to bust my butt to get another Selective Enrollment high school built, knowing my kid has a million-to-one shot at getting in. Activism happens at a personal level. If anyone sends me a link to a group that is doing the same in any other part of the city, I’m happy to post that as well. Anyhow, here’s the scoop:
Thank you all for your interest in our group. Our mission statement is as follows:
We are parents concerned about solving capacity issues and creating/improving options for secondary education on Chicago’s north side.
Our short term goals have included data collection and member recruitment. Now that our group has grown, we are ready to assign specific tasks to volunteers. On Monday we are hoping to recruit people for the following tasks:
1) Organize small groups at public and private elementary schools on the north side (wards 32, 43, 44, 46, 47) to attend high school LSC meetings and CPS board meetings.
2) Develop our website.
3) Collect data from area high schools and compare/contrast with performance data from selective enrollment high schools. Essentially, we are hoping to “diagnose the problem” in order to create solutions for viable high school options. This will be a multi-step process. I believe the first step is bringing all the information together to understand the disparities between regular and selective enrollment high schools.
If interested, please let us know where you would like to help and we will have someone contact you.
6 comments November 9, 2009
If you read this before Friday at 2pm: Re future North Side high schools
I just got this via email this morning. If you have a minute, feel free to email Hub’s assistants.
I actually don’t know anything about this intiative specifically, but clearly it’s something we can all agree on.
I’ll try to find out more about it and report back.
Can you please cut and paste this message and send it to the two email addresses listed below– they are Ron Hubeman’s 2 asistants. We need to show CPS that there are a whole bunch of concerned taxpayers in Chicago who support improving public education. If we can get as many emails as possible to Huberman before tomorrow’s (Friday’s) meeting, we can demonstrate the size of our group. We NEED to show our numbers before tomorrow so start recruiting friends to send him emails. Copy and paste the mission statement in your email to your friends and ask them to use it in their email. The meeting is scheduled Friday at 2:00.
“I am writing to inform you of my support for the North Side High School Initiative. We are citizens concerned about solving capacity issues and creating and/or improving options for secondary education on Chicago’s north side. We are residents from the following wards: 32, 43, 44, 46 and 47.”
mnburgos@cps.k12.il.us
galicea@cps.k12.il.us
13 comments November 6, 2009
Elementary School Rankings
Every year the Sun Times does a handy ranking of the test scores that were just released by CPS for the previous school year. Here’s the most recent link. I like this way of ranking them because it takes an actual average instead of the % of kids who meet the minimum requirements.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1855121,chicago-elementary-schools-rank-1009.article
There are a few schools at the top of the list that don’t require testing in, meaning there is either something great going on there or there’s a group of parents who choose that school/neighborhood who place a strong value on education. Or both.
Oriole Park (neighborhood)
Lincoln (neighborhood)
Hawthorne (magnet via lottery)
Norwood Park (neighborhood)
If you click on the link, off to the left are some other rankings that are fun to look at.
North Side College Prep and Walter Payton are the top 2 scoring schools in the state (of course they require testing and grades to gain admission.)
Make a comment if you notice anything interesting. Keep in mind the elementary scores represent grades 3 – 8.
10 comments November 4, 2009
Bureaucracy Rant – Gifted Classes
I have a series of CPS bureaucracy rants queued up in my head, so I’ll start with a short one:
I found out this school year, that if a child drops out of a gifted (and I assume classical) class during the school year, CPS doesn’t fill the spot. Even if it happens during the first week of school when plenty of families would be eager to get that spot.
A boy in my son’s 1st grade class dropped out right at the beginning of school this year due to transportation issues (never attended, and I’m sure had notified the school.) When I inquired about the spot being filled, I was told that CPS doesn’t do that. So that one spot still sits empty.
In fact, this past week (7 weeks into school) the school added some bus routes so the family inquired about getting their son back in the class, but CPS (GEAP) said no. Policy says no.
* Bureaucracy rant over.*
6 comments November 1, 2009
