Private School Admission Myth #1
- By Carolyn Means
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- 30 Jan, 2018
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HOUSTON PRIVATE SCHOOL ADMISSION MYTHS
Real Information Parents Can Use
Carolyn Means, M.Ed., CEP, Houston’s Day School Consultant
Myth #1: Top Houston private schools select students with the highest grades and test scores.
Parent: “Our son Jack just earned a perfect ISEE score of four 9’s! His OLSAT score was 140!! He has dedicated his school years to becoming a perfect student. Test prep and tutors have taken up all his time, but with his high honor roll grades Jack should get into all the best high schools. What more could the schools want?”
Myth #1: The Truth: The truth is that low test scores may keep a student out of a school, but it takes more than high test scores to get a student in. Without a doubt, admission committees will take notice of ISEE scores of 8 and 9 stanines. However, schools know high test scores are not predictive of success in school. High test scores could be the result of test prep, but not an inquisitive, creative mind. That is why teacher recommendations, class visits, and interviews are highly valuable parts of the admission process.
When choosing candidates for a new 9th grade, schools today want to make a diverse class of students who will add richness to the educational and social experience of their peers during their years together as a class. Schools look for students with a variety of academic strengths, athletes for every sport, actors and stage crew, musicians, artists and dancers, filmmakers and journalists. Applicants with much to offer outside the classroom may not have top entrance scores and grades, but they may be curious and gifted and role models for leadership.
If you want to know more about entrance tests and the range of test scores that Houston private schools typically like to see, make an appointment for a SCHOOL SOLUTIONS Consultation. We can discuss test prep resources and a reasonable approach to helping your student become sufficiently prepared for the next admission season. If you want some ideas for helping your child develop the talents and strengths schools are looking for, that is also a good topic for a Consultation with SCHOOL SOLUTIONS Consultant, Carolyn Means.
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After all of the hard work of getting our students back into school and establishing a new normal under the cloud of the virus, we find our schools once again in the throes of indecision regarding in-school or virtual school learning. The argument against masks on preschoolers seems doomed to fail, so millions of little children will never know what their first teacher's face looked like, and teachers will not know what emotions were hiding under those smiley-face masks. The largest body of research among psychologists today is said to be on the subject of anxiety . I do not doubt it. I see fewer carefree and happy children these days than in years past. Four and five-year olds seem to have lost the spontaneity of childhood, the ready laughter and childlike wonder. They do not engage readily in play, and they seem to have acquired much less knowledge than their same age peers in prior years. Of course, my observations are not at all scientific, but they do correlate with current literature. So I urge parents to do all they can to stimulate their children by playing games, reading books that promote laughter and finding time to just be silly. There certainly is no time for that in school with social distancing. Three books I read some years ago come to mind: Einstein Never Used Flashcards, The Importance of Being Little and Becoming Brilliant offer parents the latest research on early childhood learning and ways to engage the mind and heart of the young child. Old truths are back in vogue: "The brain learns through play," and, "Learning is a social activity". If children can't play and be social at school, then they need to have this environment as much as possible at home. Look for ways to introduce fun and stay away from flashcards and worksheets. Family games teach strategies and vocabulary and number sense while having fun and building relationships. And these don't require face masks.