In tomorrow’s Times, Jenny Anderson breaks the story of how the private schools are reacting to the ERB prep explosion. In Private School Screening Loses Some Clout we learn, with the schools themselves. We also learn that Mandell and Calhoun are dropping the ERB as an admissions requirement. This is big news.
Anderson’s article also makes clear the confusion in the private school ranks about how to deal with children prepping. Most admissions directors seem to believe that prepping has “corrupted” the test, ie they no longer can get a true read of a child’s potential from the score. However, they don’t seem to know what to do about the widespread prepping: they may no longer require the ERB, they may continue to require it, they may change it… Aren’t you glad you don’t have to attend one of their group’s meetings? They need to build some sort of consensus.
I love Steve Nelson of Calhoun. He has a refreshingly honest voice, and he doesn’t mind moving away from the ISAAGNY crowd. From the Times article:
Nelson…said he was skeptical that a test could accurately measure a 4-year-old’s intelligence. “Even worse is the emphasis that is placed on the test that creates a culture of frenetic overachievement.”