Changes to Hunter Elementary Gifted and Talented Program

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - August 8th, 2012

As you may have heard, there are many changes to the Hunter Elementary Gifted and Talented Program going into effect this year. Here’s a brief overview of the changes we know of so far. Keep in mind, there may be other changes when they update the Hunter web site on August 20, 2012 so stay tuned!      

All applicants for the fall of 2013 must have been born at some point in the year 2008. They must also be residents of Manhattan, as parents will be required to submit New York State income tax documentation before progression to round two of the admissions process. Keep in mind that no P.O Box addresses, business addresses or third party addresses will be accepted. Parents must be full-time residents of Manhattan.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, there are a few administrative things to remember:

• Testing is only given in English. You can request help filling out the form if English is not your first language, but your child must be prepared to not only take the test in English, but to go to an English-speaking school.
• There is a $75 application fee, but that fee can be lowered to $35 if financial need is demonstrated. The fee for scheduling your child’s test is $325, but we’ll talk more about that in a bit.
• Once you apply, you have three weeks to schedule a test and make sure your child takes it.

Now let’s talk about the actual application process and what you and your child will need to do. The admissions process is broken down into two rounds

• Round one starts the moment you submit your application. You will receive the information of four psychologists who can administer the Stanford-Binet to your child, but you are to schedule your test with only one of them. You must also sign confidentially consent form indicating that your child has not taken the Stanford-Binet in the past year and has not been exposed to actual test materials.
• Round two takes place in the final two weekends of January. Children will meet in groups of nine and be evaluated based on how they perform in both individual tasks and how they interact with the others.
• You will be informed of their admissions decision on February 8^th, 2013 and will have a week to make a decision. A waitlist of 12 boys and 12 girls will also be made in the event of open spots.
• If your child is accepted, you will be offered a chance to visit the school and see if it is the right environment for your child, but keep in mind that childcare is not provided and only two people are permitted per visit, so plan ahead!
• There is one other important thing to note. While test takers can be disqualified if the administrator believes they have been exposed to test materials, our goal at Testing Mom is not to “teach the test”. Our goal is to help you practice the abilities necessary to succeed both on standardized testing and throughout their educational futures with your children.

As we hear of more changes we’ll keep you posted!