Private School Evaluations:
Thinking & Engagement Assessment
(NYC)
Overview
Due to the COVID Pandemic, a group of New York City Independent School Admission Directors hired two experts in early childhood development to develop a virtual assessment to formally assess Kindergarten applicants.
The assessment, called the Thinking and Engagement (T&E) Assessment, is designed to reduce the burden of administration of multiple tests in this current environment. T&E is administered for children applying to attend Kindergarten in participating schools. Participating schools are members of ISAAGNY such as Dalton, Chapin and Spence.
Timing
Parents will receive a link to register their child for the T&E. when they apply for admissions to any participating school. Children can only take the test once and the results will be shared by all the participating schools. Appointments for the T&E may be scheduled from September 8 through December 18, seven days a week.
Administration
Schools want well-behaved kids. Your child doesn’t need to be perfect but they need to not raise any red flags for schools. Children need to be able to express their feelings in a way that isn't aggressive or involves crying. They are expected to follow directions even in a group setting; play well with other kids and do not engage in any aggressive behaviour.Schools are increasingly looking for kids who are focused and have a good attention span even if they are only 4 years old. Children need to be able work on a task consistently and answer questions as needed.
Test Structure
The T&E Assessment is administered via Zoom on a computer, or tablet at home. During the assessment, the child will be required to wear headphones. During the T&E session, one adult is required to be present at all times.
Parents or guardians are required to sign a consent and release form that prevents them from recording the session, helping the child answer questions, and sharing content of the T&E test with others.
Content
The T&E assesses skills that Kindergarten readiness skills along with problem solving ability in young children:
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Verbal Reasoning
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Non-Verbal Reasoning
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Expressive Language Skills
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Receptive language Skills
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Traceability
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General Problem Solving Skills
Scoring
The T&E test results will not be shared with families. The results will only be sent to the participating schools to which you have requested that reports be forwarded.
Preparation
Bright Kids has been working with private school admissions testing for many years and has engaged teachers, psychologists and consultants to help create fun and engaging materials. Our teachers are early childhood educators who are experts in teaching young children.
We start with a T&E diagnostic to help assess your child and create a curriculum based on results. Children will practice on tablets and will work at least 45 minutes each session to help build focus and stamina for the test.