Private school testing for kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

Three pages along, and I see no one has admitted to buying WPPSI test prep materials and sample tests.

I did! Three years ago, I bought materials from a vendor in New York City who supplies to psychologists. The whole package was closer to $1100, not $800. No kidding.

Then I ran DS through the paces about a month before the test date. He did great, 99%.

Fast forward four years, he is now at the very top of his class in all subjects except art and P.E. in a DC private. So he probably would have done very well without my prepping, I'm guessing. But maybe not, and I didn't feel like leaving that component to chance.

Also, I don't regret in the least what I did.

There is nothing to admit on this end since we didn't buy such materials. Actually, I was spending 45 minutes/day with my children "prepping" them for life years well before the issue of attending private school came up and the necessity to take the idiotic and misguided mandatory WPPSI entrance admission test. Longstanding and consistent face time with my children has created the much deeper academic and intellectual foundation that has made every admission entrance test or national exam a peaceful and breezy stroll in the park without any requirement for "Princeton review type" cramming for a month before any test. Different styles for different folk.

[Anonymous]

Poor kid. Good brains, bad heart.

Why do you chastise the 4-year-old? Did the 4-year-old buy bootleg test material and bring it across State lines?
I guess one will never quite understand your logic and thinking process.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids. One was a fluent reader at age 4, capable of doing simple addition and subtraction. The other was a more typical 4 year old, who recognized letters but was not yet reading. Guess which one got a 99% on the WPPSI? The second child. The WPPSI is not testing their academic achievement but their aptitude. But it isn't an accurate measure of IQ at that age anyway (see "Nurtureshock").

FYI, they are older now and recently took the WISC. Second child outscored the other one again.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids. One was a fluent reader at age 4, capable of doing simple addition and subtraction. The other was a more typical 4 year old, who recognized letters but was not yet reading. Guess which one got a 99% on the WPPSI? The second child. The WPPSI is not testing their academic achievement but their aptitude. But it isn't an accurate measure of IQ at that age anyway (see "Nurtureshock").

FYI, they are older now and recently took the WISC. Second child outscored the other one again.

How do you know? For my child the 99.9% WPPSI reflected his hard work and achievement and not his aptitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Poor kid. Good brains, bad heart.

Why do you chastise the 4-year-old? Did the 4-year-old buy bootleg test material and bring it across State lines?
I guess one will never quite understand your logic and thinking process.

Hopefully the child will escape the cut-throat and unethical influence of the mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have two kids. One was a fluent reader at age 4, capable of doing simple addition and subtraction. The other was a more typical 4 year old, who recognized letters but was not yet reading. Guess which one got a 99% on the WPPSI? The second child. The WPPSI is not testing their academic achievement but their aptitude. But it isn't an accurate measure of IQ at that age anyway (see "Nurtureshock").

FYI, they are older now and recently took the WISC. Second child outscored the other one again.

How do you know? For my child the 99.9% WPPSI reflected his hard work and achievement and not his aptitude.

You realize that the WPPSI is for very young children, right? What 3-year old does "hard work" and what kinds of "achievements" would he have?

[Anonymous]

You realize that the WPPSI is for very young children, right? What 3-year old does "hard work" and what kinds of "achievements" would he have?

I did not know the WPPSI is off limits to children above 4 years of age, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Three pages along, and I see no one has admitted to buying WPPSI test prep materials and sample tests.

I did! Three years ago, I bought materials from a vendor in New York City who supplies to psychologists. The whole package was closer to $1100, not $800. No kidding.

Then I ran DS through the paces about a month before the test date. He did great, 99%.

Fast forward four years, he is now at the very top of his class in all subjects except art and P.E. in a DC private. So he probably would have done very well without my prepping, I'm guessing. But maybe not, and I didn't feel like leaving that component to chance.

Also, I don't regret in the least what I did.

This is why I really detest that private school's use these tests for admissions. All of the 99% scores of prepped kids are changing the national norms of the test. When a child takes this test for it's actual purpose (evaluation for LDs or delays, etc) the results are less accurate because of the private school preppers and their inflated scores. Inaccurate results of a test could change the course of intervention or accomodation for an at-risk child.

[Anonymous]

Bravo, 11:18! 8:56, DCs and I spent a ton of time together on the floor, in bed or a chair, reading books, playing blocks (I miss that!), singing songs. I don't even know what is the other stuff you mentioned, but we enjoyed our time together as many parents do with their children. No, I do not think that is prepping. But we did not find out what was on test in advance, etc. because we need the original purpose of the WPPSI was a diagnostic tool. We were, therefore, interested in our kids' aptitudes and if they needed intervention. If they did well, then, yes, we would push for the best independent in which they could be admitted. But if the test revealed an underlying situation, then we would want to address that.

I get the sense that a lot folks on here are more interested in the admission than the child.

[Anonymous]

13:22 here: "knew" not "need".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You realize that the WPPSI is for very young children, right? What 3-year old does "hard work" and what kinds of "achievements" would he have?

I did not know the WPPSI is off limits to children above 4 years of age, right?

And your 4 year old does "hard work" and has racked up "achievements"? And anyway, beyond that most kids would be taking the WISC, not the WPPSI. I have a feeling you don't know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bravo, 11:18! 8:56, DCs and I spent a ton of time together on the floor, in bed or a chair, reading books, playing blocks (I miss that!), singing songs. I don't even know what is the other stuff you mentioned, but we enjoyed our time together as many parents do with their children. No, I do not think that is prepping. But we did not find out what was on test in advance, etc. because we need the original purpose of the WPPSI was a diagnostic tool. We were, therefore, interested in our kids' aptitudes and if they needed intervention. If they did well, then, yes, we would push for the best independent in which they could be admitted. But if the test revealed an underlying situation, then we would want to address that.

I get the sense that a lot folks on here are more interested in the admission than the child.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have two kids. One was a fluent reader at age 4, capable of doing simple addition and subtraction. The other was a more typical 4 year old, who recognized letters but was not yet reading. Guess which one got a 99% on the WPPSI? The second child. The WPPSI is not testing their academic achievement but their aptitude. But it isn't an accurate measure of IQ at that age anyway (see "Nurtureshock").

FYI, they are older now and recently took the WISC. Second child outscored the other one again.

How do you know? For my child the 99.9% WPPSI reflected his hard work and achievement and not his aptitude.

But, the test is meant to evaluate aptitude. Someone with very little natural aptitude can do very well on an IQ test if they are given the material and study before hand. Your child might be very hard working and will achieve great things but if they are prepped on an IQ test before taking it the results are meaningless.

[Anonymous]

And your 4 year old does "hard work" and has racked up "achievements"? And anyway, beyond that most kids would be taking the WISC, not the WPPSI. I have a feeling you don't know what you're talking about.

But you obviously know what you are talking about? I guess there are no 5 or 5 1/2 or 5 3/4 year-olds where you live that took the WPPSI exam on the recommendation of a tester or D.C. area school (that 1 to almost 2 years older than a 4-year-old... and extra 50 percent more lifetime) ?

I ask you to reconsider again whether it is you who does not know what they are talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bravo, 11:18! 8:56, DCs and I spent a ton of time together on the floor, in bed or a chair, reading books, playing blocks (I miss that!), singing songs. I don't even know what is the other stuff you mentioned, but we enjoyed our time together as many parents do with their children. No, I do not think that is prepping. But we did not find out what was on test in advance, etc. because we need the original purpose of the WPPSI was a diagnostic tool. We were, therefore, interested in our kids' aptitudes and if they needed intervention. If they did well, then, yes, we would push for the best independent in which they could be admitted. But if the test revealed an underlying situation, then we would want to address that.

I get the sense that a lot folks on here are more interested in the admission than the child.

I'm 8:36, and I, too, was truly interested in how DS would do, with no prepping or drilling, just living the life of a 4 year old who enjoys books and conversations and pretend play but isn't a huge fan of puzzles and blocks. To see where his strengths and weaknesses are (with the disclaimer of course that this is a snapshot of one hour of one day with a child). I also want a school that will be best for him as he is and not how he was specifically prepped to perform on a test for one day.