Month: May 2016

Too many students in America take education for granted. They do not have to work for it or fight for it, it is just handed to them. I am not suggesting that students should have to struggle to get a good education, but it is helpful for us to remind our children periodically that what they have is a gift, and this gift is not given to everyone. It was eye opening for my daughter to read Mala’s book about being shot in the head by the Taliban, simply because she stood up for her right to get an education in Pakistan.

There is a lot of apathy today among students regarding their education. Students expect learning to always be “fun” and for teachers to create games to engage and entertain them in the classroom. Perhaps the digital generation growing up today is spoiled by the instant gratification and feedback they get from social media and video games.

As parents we need to stress to our children that life is not all about fun and games. Sometimes life is hard, and we have to buck up. Resiliency and hard work will see us through when life gets challenging in school, at work, and in our relationships. If we give our children permission to give up when things are difficult, then we do not teach them the critical skills they will need to succeed in life.

Students who work with us on private school admission put in a lot of hard work over an extended period of time (usually a year or longer) in order to achieve a goal (admission to private school). We get a good sense of the student’s character and work ethic throughout this process. Students who are resilient, who are not afraid of hard work, and who realize that achieving a goal is not easy, and it takes dedication and commitment, are the ones who are successful. Parents who support their child through this process, while holding them accountable, are installing important values that will last a lifetime.

A student who can persevere, bounce back from set backs, work hard to achieve a goal, and who values the education they receive is the kind of student a private school wants.

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/

Albert Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

I have clients who will contact me after their student has not been admitted to any private schools and tell me that they plan to keep applying year after year in the hopes of gaining admission.  This is insanity! If you do nothing different, then you will get the same result year after year.

What do these families need to do differently?

1. Be prepared for the test. Strong test scores make for strong candidates. The schools look at the test as a way to measure a student’s skills, and they are looking for students with strong math, reading and writing skills. If your child took the test previously with little to no preparation, then you need to step up your game for the next go around. We recommend an average of 12 months of preparation for these tests.
2. Present strong applications and detailed essays demonstrating why the student is a good fit for the school. Many families underestimate the importance of a strong application. I had one parent tell me that she worked on her parent application and essays between breaks at work. When she showed me what she had submitted to the schools the first time around, I could see why her child was not admitted to any of the schools she applied to. A solid application demonstrates strong interest in a school. Private schools want to see candidates who have a strong interest in attending their school. Your applications and essays must show that you have put a lot of careful thought into why you are choosing to apply to these schools.
3. Do your homework and be ready with well thought out answers to the questions asked at the interviews. This applies to both the parents and the student. The schools interview many families during the admissions season, and after a while it all blurs together. You want to stand out from the crowd, and you want them to remember you and your child. The way to do this is to have a sense of what they may ask you, and be prepared. We work with parents and students to prepare for interviews by conducting mock interviews using commonly asked interview questions. Parents and students tell us that this work pays off big time when they go to the interviews. They are relaxed and able to articulate who they are, what they want, and why they belong at the school. Admissions staff tell me that my families are very impressive in their interviews and they leave a lasting impression.

If you make sure you hit the top three components of the process out of the park (test, application and interview) you are well on your way to getting the result you want, and not falling into the insanity trap!

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/

A friend of mine mentioned the other day that a number of his daughter’s classmates would be leaving her current school at the end of this school year to attend private schools in the fall. He lives in a very affluent suburb of Boston, and the schools in his town are very highly rated. He was questioning whether he and his wife should be looking at private schools for their daughter too.

We talked a bit about his daughter, and what type of student she is. He mentioned that she has an IEP, and she receives services in school currently. He also noted that his daughter is not a big fan of school, and they often have to struggle with her to get her to complete her homework.

Based on what he told me about his daughter, I told him that I did not think that private school would be a good fit for her. If she needs special education services in school currently, then public school is a better fit for her right now. Most private schools are not equipped to provide special education services to students.

Also, private schools are generally looking for good students who are motivated to work hard and excel in school. A student who does not like school, and has difficulty completing homework is not a good candidate for most private schools. This student’s teachers are unlikely to give her high marks on her recommendations, and these recommendations are a critical part of the application process.

When I ask parents why they are looking at private school for their child, I often hear that it is because they have friends with children in private school, or the child’s classmates have left for private school. These alone are not good reasons to apply to private school. Schools want to hear more specific reasons as to why you are applying (smaller class sizes, stronger academics, a more holistic approach to educating the whole child, better arts and sports programs, etc.).

Parents who cannot articulate why a specific school is a good match for their child are not likely to impress the admissions staff. Schools want to know that you understand their mission and focus. A family who has researched the school thoroughly and can articulate clearly why the school is a good fit for both their family and their child, is a family that the school wants to talk to.

Before you decide to jump on the private school bandwagon, think about why private school would be a good fit for your child. Do your homework and research the schools you have heard about from your friends. Visit the schools and tour the campuses, and talk to parents and students. Picture your child at the school, and think about whether or not they will fit into this environment.  You might find in the end that your child is better off staying where they are now.

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/

I came across an interesting editorial published in The New York Times this week which echoes what we have been seeing for years. Guess Who’s Taking Remedial Classes is in response to a study by Education Reform Now, a non-profit think tank. The study analyzed data from the US Department of Education for students who started college in 2011.

The study found that nearly half of college students taking remedial classes in 2011 were from middle and upper income families. Students taking remedial classes in college are clearly not ready for college level work. These students are also adding to their time in college, and the cost of their education. Even more concerning, is the finding that students enrolled in a four year program to earn a bachelor’s degree are 75% more likely to drop out of college than their peers who did not need remedial courses.

One in four college students in 2011 was required to take a remedial course in math, English or writing. Forty-three percent of students taking these remedial classes were at private colleges and universities. The cost of these classes totaled $1.5 billion in the 2011-2012 school year. Students spend an average of $12,500 to take these classes, repeating material they should have learned in high school.

Many of these students came from suburban high schools that did not adequately prepare them for college. Grade inflation, teacher apathy and parent complacency are all cited as reasons for schools not getting the job done. The article also states that relatively few students are taking a rigorous high school curriculum.

We have seen many high school students over the years coming from some of the “best” high schools in the state, who have very weak skills in math, reading and writing. Some of these students do not have their times tables memorized in high school, they cannot solve basic percentage problems, and they are unable to write a solid essay. These students are clearly not ready for the rigors of college.

Several of our tutors over the years have taught at the college level, and they have recounted stories of how poorly prepared their students are to do the work assigned in their classes. Students often expect to have their grades scaled (as they were in high school) or be offered opportunities for retakes on tests they do not perform well on the first time. They are not used to their work being held to a high standard, and they often complain about how unfair the professors are who will not drop the standards for them.

It is disturbing that so many students from schools thought to be some of the best in the country are so unprepared for college. It is often a rude awakening for students and parents when they realize how far behind they are compared to some of their peers. Public education in America is falling further and further behind each year, and students are the ones who are suffering.

This article should be a wake up call to parents who expect their child’s public school to prepare them for the rigors of college and beyond. It is no mystery why we have so many savvy parents who are coming to us in droves who are unhappy with their child’s “top” public school, and they are looking to get their student into a private school. Private schools are accountable for student outcomes in a way that public school are not, and it makes a big difference when students go to college.

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/

 

 

Parents often contact me to talk about test prep for private school admission, and they are very confident that their child will do well on the test. This belief is often based on the fact that their child attends a math enrichment program outside of school (many of my students attend such programs). They also believe their child will do well on the test, because they do well on state standardized test like MCAS. The ISEE and the SSAT are MUCH harder tests than MCAS (or most other state administered standardized tests).

One of the reasons we meet with parents and students privately to conduct a diagnostic evaluation is so that they can learn about the test, and we can evaluate the student’s skills relative to the test material. Parents are often shocked at how challenging the test material is for their child. The evaluation also helps identify how well students can pace themselves on a high stakes, high stress test, with very limited time per question.

The diagnostic also helps to identify gaps in a student’s math skill set (some students do not have their times tables memorized). We also learn how well (and how quickly) students can think under pressure, how good they are at using logical thinking, their ability to apply techniques to standardized test questions, and whether or not they can apply higher level thinking skills (such as inference and extrapolation) when answering challenging questions.

These tests are hard. They are meant to be hard. The tests are used to screen the best students in the country, applying to the most elite schools in the country. The tests measure the skills schools want in top students: advanced math skills, sophisticated reading skills, an expansive vocabulary, solid writing skills, an ability to think critically, and problem solving skills. The tests are meant to flesh out these strengths in students, and also identify weaknesses in key areas necessary for academic achievement at a high level.

The tests should not be taken lightly! Schools use the tests results as a way to evaluate a diverse group of applicants coming from private, public, charter, parochial, Montessori, and even home school environments. There is often no one standardized curriculum used consistently by these schools. Private schools need a way to evaluate an applicant’s skill set using a standardized measure, and so they use test scores from the ISEE, SSAT, or HSPT as a key piece of the application process.

Students who score at the upper end of the test scale often have their pick of schools, and they will often also receive generous scholarship offers. School want good students, with solid skills, who are good test takers. They are willing to “pay” (or at least discount their tuition) in order to get these students in the door.

It is critical to learn as much as you can about the test and to prepare your child for the test. We often see families who send their child to take the test with little to no preparation, and their child does not do well. Subsequently, the student is not admitted to the school(s) of their choice. The parents realize the mistake they made, and they are now ready to respect the test. Sometimes it is possible to apply to the schools again, with better test scores, and get a different outcome, but other times it is too late.

Don’t set your child up to fail. As with most things in life, the better prepared you are, the better the outcome.

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/

Your children have homework, and in the private school test prep and admissions process parents have homework too.

First, you have to research what test the schools require for admission. Most private schools require the ISEE for middle school admission, and the SSAT for high school admission. This can vary from school to school.  Some schools will take either test, you need to look on the web sites of the schools you plan to apply to and see what they require. There is also the Catholic High Schools Entrance Exam, which many Catholic school require for high school admission.

In the Boston area, the Catholic high schools often use the ISEE for middle school entry and the HSPT (High School Placement Test or Catholic High Schools Entrance Exam) for high school entry.  These schools also use the results of the HSPT to award scholarship money and place students in advanced classes.  We often have students currently enrolled in a school come for HSPT prep, so that they can increase their chances of being awarded scholarship money in high school.

Do your homework on test prep programs. Do not go it alone; respect the test! These tests are hard, and the material is well beyond grade level for most students. The timing is also fast, and many good students have trouble pacing themselves when they take these tests. Test prep can make the difference between success and failure in this process.

A good test prep program will have tutors with years of experience teaching the test material, and the techniques. A program that just teaches the tricks of the test, or how to guess is not a quality program. Look for programs that have their own curriculum to teach the test material. Most of the test prep books on the market are incomplete, or provide limited material. Ask about success rate and average scores for students who have gone through the program. It is shocking how many test prep programs do not track their results. If they cannot provide you results and reference, then they have something to hide.

Once you have the test prep sorted out, you need to hone your list of schools. We recommend our clients apply to no more than 5 schools, and at least 3 schools. The schools should not all be stretch schools for your child. Think about the impact on their self esteem if they get 3 rejection letters. You should always have a safety school in the mix, so that your child can feel good about being accepted to at least one of their target schools.

Make a list of all the things you want in a school, and use this list to help you choose your schools. Think of this exercise as analogous to when you bought your house. You likely had a list of must haves (neighborhood, price range, number of bedrooms, etc.) and a list of like to haves (central air, modern kitchen and bathrooms, landscaped yard, pool, etc.). Now narrow down your list based on which schools have the must haves, and which schools have the like to haves. There is no perfect school, just like there is no perfect house, so you will have to make trade offs as you go through the process.

Next, research the schools by spending several hours on their web sites taking copious notes, and then by visiting the schools and talking to parents and students. I suggest that families pick an event that is open to the public at these schools (a sporting event or a concert or play) and attend the event to get a sense of the school “unscripted”.

Open houses at private schools are sales presentations, and while they are very valuable in helping families learn about the school, they are scripted events with an agenda. Visiting the school when it is not being showcased for the public is a better way to get a sense of what it is really like to be a student at the school. I suggest families listen to how parents, students, teachers and staff interact with one another at these events, to get a true sense for the culture of the school.  It can be very eye opening to visit this way, and it is a very different experience from the open house.

Finally, talk to as many people associated with the school as possible (parents, students, teachers, staff, alumni, etc.) to find out what they like (and do not like) about the school. Ask them what is special about the school, and what they wish they could change. Find out what kind of student is a good fit for the school. Ask them why they chose to be associated with the school. Then take all this feedback, which can be overwhelming, and sort it based on what is valuable to your family.

If you do your homework, you will be rewarded!

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
617-553-8083
www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam

Boston Tutoring Center
617-553-8083
www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12

Boston Private School Search
617-553-0540
www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions

Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/