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Parents Prepare Kids for Gifted and Talented Tests

By Leslie Albrecht | September 28, 2011 6:47am
Parents are considering whether to have their children do gifted and talented tests for special slots in Manhattan schools.
Parents are considering whether to have their children do gifted and talented tests for special slots in Manhattan schools.
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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

MANHATTAN — This week marks the start of the gifted and talented admissions season, but for some families, the race for G&T seats started a long time ago.

Though Monday was the first day parents could submit requests to have their child tested for the highly sought-after G&T slots, some kids have been preparing for the placement tests — given in January or February — since last spring, said Robin Aronow, founder of School Search NYC.

Some parents shell out cash for professional test preparation programs such as Bright Kids NYC or Aristotle Circle.

But going overboard on preparation can backfire and lead to a less-than perfect performance, warned Aronow, who advises parents on the school admissions process.

The gifted and talented program at P.S. 9 won't be accepting new students, starting this fall.
The gifted and talented program at P.S. 9 won't be accepting new students, starting this fall.
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NYC DOE

"You want them to walk into the test and have it still be novel," Aronow said. "If they’re burned out already, they’ll want to just get through the test."

Some parents take a more low-key approach.

Upper West Side parent Jill Steinberg said she'll do the Department of Education's practice test with her kids, but won't pay for professional test preparation. Steinberg said she's learned to take things in her stride.

"I've learned now after four years in the system that whatever is going to happen will happen, and you can’t plan for it," said Steinberg, whose twins Benjamin and Susanna will be testing for G&T seats.

She doesn't plan to talk to the twins about the test too much, an approach that Aronow says is a good idea. Aronow said over-anxious parents can unsettle their children.

She also advises parents not to talk about the test with friends or family members in front of children.

"Kids are barometers," Aronow said. "They pick that up."

When explaining the test to kids, Aronow suggests telling kids they're going to meet with an adult who's like their own teacher "who wants to see what kind of work a four or five-year-old can do, and to help them by doing their best work."

Aronow offered these other tips on how  to survive the sometimes stressful gifted and talented process:

- Read the Department of Education guide and attend the information sessions. The DOE publishes a thorough guide on the G&T process, complete with a 20-question sample test. Information sessions start in October. See the DOE website for a gifted and talented timeline.

- Do activities such as mazes and "what's different in this picture" to help your child get a feel for the test. The gifted and talented placement test evaluates visual perpection, not verbal skill, said Aronow. "Any acitvities that help kids slow down and focus and look at how items are similar and different than each other are really important," Aronow said. "In some ways it's a test of sitting down and paying attention as much as an intelligence test."

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott at a town hall meeting at P.S. 165 on Monday.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott at a town hall meeting at P.S. 165 on Monday.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

- Stay cool. "The most important thing is for their child to be relaxed and to have slept well and to have something to eat before they come, because that will affect test performance as much as intelligence," Aronow said.

The deadline to submit a request for gifted and talented testing is Oct. 28. Check the DOE's gifted and talented guide for more information.