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CHILD ABUSE: TEST PESTS GOING AFTER 3-4 YEAR OLD MARKET
NY Times - Test preparation has long been a big business catering to students taking SATs and admissions exams for law, medical and other graduate schools. But the new clientele is quite a bit younger: 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents hope that a little assistance - costing upward of $1,000 for several sessions - will help them win coveted spots in the city's gifted and talented public kindergarten classes.
Motivated by a recession putting private schools out of reach and concern about the state of regular public education, parents - some wealthy, some not - are signing up at companies like Bright Kids NYC. Bright Kids, which opened this spring in the financial district, has some 200 students receiving tutoring, most of them for the gifted exams, for up to $145 a session and 80 children on a waiting list for a weekend "boot camp" program.
These types of businesses have popped up around the country, but took off in New York City when it made the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, or Olsat, a reasoning exam, and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, a knowledge test, the universal tests for gifted admissions beginning in 2008. . .
Private schools warn that they will look negatively on children they suspect of being prepped for the tests they use to select students, like the Educational Records Bureau exam, or E.R.B., even though parents and admissions officers say it quietly takes place. (Bright Kids, for example, also offers E.R.B. tutoring.)
"It's unethical," said Dr. Elisabeth Krents, director of admissions at the Dalton School on the Upper East Side. "It completely negates the reason for giving the test, which is to provide a snapshot of their aptitudes, and it doesn't correlate with their future success in school.". . .
No similar message, however, has come from the public schools. In fact, the city distributes 16 Olsat practice questions to "level the playing field," said Anna Commitante, the head of gifted and talented programs for the city's Department of Education.
As for parents doing more - like hiring a tutor - Ms. Commitante said she finds "anything else a little too stressful for young kids" but that "we can't dictate what parents choose to do.". . .
Children often have to be trained to listen to questions from strangers and to sit still for about an hour, the time it takes to complete the two tests.
"If their mind isn't keyed into listening, the whole question can fly over their heads," said one tutor, a retired teacher in gifted programs.
She spoke on condition of anonymity because she has administered the test for the city and wants to do so again.
"Some kids can do well without preparation, but children who are familiar have an edge," the tutor said. From an equity perspective, she said, "it's ridiculous.". . .
Motivated by a recession putting private schools out of reach and concern about the state of regular public education, parents - some wealthy, some not - are signing up at companies like Bright Kids NYC. Bright Kids, which opened this spring in the financial district, has some 200 students receiving tutoring, most of them for the gifted exams, for up to $145 a session and 80 children on a waiting list for a weekend "boot camp" program.
These types of businesses have popped up around the country, but took off in New York City when it made the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, or Olsat, a reasoning exam, and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, a knowledge test, the universal tests for gifted admissions beginning in 2008. . .
Private schools warn that they will look negatively on children they suspect of being prepped for the tests they use to select students, like the Educational Records Bureau exam, or E.R.B., even though parents and admissions officers say it quietly takes place. (Bright Kids, for example, also offers E.R.B. tutoring.)
"It's unethical," said Dr. Elisabeth Krents, director of admissions at the Dalton School on the Upper East Side. "It completely negates the reason for giving the test, which is to provide a snapshot of their aptitudes, and it doesn't correlate with their future success in school.". . .
No similar message, however, has come from the public schools. In fact, the city distributes 16 Olsat practice questions to "level the playing field," said Anna Commitante, the head of gifted and talented programs for the city's Department of Education.
As for parents doing more - like hiring a tutor - Ms. Commitante said she finds "anything else a little too stressful for young kids" but that "we can't dictate what parents choose to do.". . .
Children often have to be trained to listen to questions from strangers and to sit still for about an hour, the time it takes to complete the two tests.
"If their mind isn't keyed into listening, the whole question can fly over their heads," said one tutor, a retired teacher in gifted programs.
She spoke on condition of anonymity because she has administered the test for the city and wants to do so again.
"Some kids can do well without preparation, but children who are familiar have an edge," the tutor said. From an equity perspective, she said, "it's ridiculous.". . .
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