abacusmom Admissions, Books, Brooklyn Private Schools, Educational Consulting, Educational Toys, ERB Prep, ERBs, Hill Schools, Kindergarten, Manhattan Private Schools, NYC Private Schools, NYC Public Schools, Private Schools, Reading, Riverdale Private Schools, School advisor, Westchester Private Schools

Kindergarten ERB Test Prep: Is ERB Prepping Cheating? Can You Get Caught?

Would you believe that just a few years ago, most New York kids applying to private school kindergarten took the ERB test (WPPSI) cold? More concerned moms bought a few toys like Mighty Mind, Block Buddies and  BrainQuest. Then in 2009, two companies--Bright Kids and Aristotle Circle published ERB prep workbooks, essentially giving parents access to the test questions: Aristotle Circle ERB/WPPSI … Continue reading Kindergarten ERB Test Prep: Is ERB Prepping Cheating? Can You Get Caught?

abacusmom Admissions, ERB Prep, ERBs, Kindergarten, NYC Public Schools, Parenting, Public Schools

NYC Public School Admissions Test Changing?

What do you do when the notion of child giftedness is under siege?  If you're a selective private or public school, you're in a quandary. No longer do parents sit back, passively waiting to see if their children get the label.  No, now parents have learned you can game whatever the flawed ranking system.  In … Continue reading NYC Public School Admissions Test Changing?

abacusmom Admissions, Educational Consulting, ERB Prep, NYC Public Schools, Public Schools

The Lake Wobegon Effect Hits Manhattan

Did you know that all our children are above average?  In fact, about 28% of them tested in the top 10%, and about 14% of them in the top 3% on the test qualifying them for gifted kindergarten programs.  Impressive (and bizarre) numbers. Is tutoring responsible?  From the Times: The increase in high-scoring students was concentrated … Continue reading The Lake Wobegon Effect Hits Manhattan

abacusmom Admissions, Books, Brooklyn Private Schools, Educational Consulting, Educational Toys, ERB Prep, ERBs, Hill Schools, Kindergarten, Manhattan Private Schools, NYC Private Schools, NYC Public Schools, Parenting, Private Schools, Riverdale Private Schools, Westchester Private Schools

Thoughts on New York Times’ “Tips for the Admissions Test to Kindergarten”

Today Sharon Otterman of The New York Times brings to light what's happening behind parents' closed doors:  Tips for the Admissions Test ... to Kindergarten  As I've discussed before, test prep for four year olds is rampant.  Otterman profiles a new test prep company that focuses on both gifted and talented public and private school admission … Continue reading Thoughts on New York Times’ “Tips for the Admissions Test to Kindergarten”