The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) has trashed the AABL exam. The AABL exam, administered to prospective kindergarteners since 2014, has been quietly relegated to the dumpster starting this admissions year. Recently, only Riverdale and Horace Mann required the test for admission, but since many families applied there, many students took and prepped for this iPad-administered test.
The AABL measures reading and math skills, skills that are not necessarily developmentally appropriate to the child taking the test. A difficult test, an intelligent child can still score poorly. Repeatedly, I had poor scoring clients still get into Horace Mann and Riverdale, a great relief and joy after families’ initial disappointment when their children’s scores did not seem to be aligned with their abilities.
With the AABL’s demise, there is no standardized test required for admission to NYC private school kindergarten and 1st grade. Testing starts for 2nd grade with the ISEE Primary.