Tag: high school admissions

Private School Admissions Student Essays: What Do I Say?

Posted by: admin on December 7th, 2021

One of the most stressful parts of the private school admissions process is the looming idea of writing an essay, or even multiple essays. In many ways, the essays make this process feel much like the dreaded college admissions process, even though you may be in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade now. I work with […]

Parent Essays for Private Schools

Posted by: admin on December 2nd, 2021

Sometimes they look a little sheepish when they ask. “Katy, do you have any advice for us about the parent questions?” The private school admissions process is often one that seems to throw unexpected curveballs every step along the way. And right when it feels like you are rounding third base, you notice that the […]

Test-Optional Private School Admissions

Posted by: admin on September 22nd, 2021

One truism that we often see in education is a policy trickle-down effect. Often, something gets enacted at the higher education level, and a few years later, we start to see that policy gain momentum at the secondary school level. The latest version of this pattern is Test-Optional Admissions. The Washington, DC area is disproportionately […]

Cultivating Responsibility Through High School Admissions

Posted by: admin on September 1st, 2020

Many families with rising 8th-grade students are well into the process of looking at potential secondary schools for their children. Although parents naturally want to do everything possible to ensure their student’s successful entry into the right school, it is important during this process to recognize opportunities to shift a sense of responsibility for this […]

SSAT Testing in 2021

Posted by: admin on September 1st, 2020

For students considering the SSAT during the new testing year (August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2022), there are significant changes to available testing opportunities, and families will have several options to consider as they sketch out their child’s individual application plan. Register to Take the SSAT At Home Students may take the test via SSAT-At-Home. […]

6 Common Questions About High School Admissions Testing

Posted by: admin on January 23rd, 2020

Recently, one of our most experienced SSAT tutors, Kate Kula, sat down with Katy Dunn, Director of Educational Planning, to discuss the most common questions they hear about private high school testing. Here’s the highlights of their conversation, with Kate interviewing Katy: 1. Should I submit the highest overall SSAT percentile score or the highest […]

What Can We Learn From Our SSAT or ISEE?

Posted by: admin on January 22nd, 2020

The SSAT & ISEE Differ From Schoolwork When working with families on the SSAT and the ISEE, I make a clear distinction between academic success generally and success on standardized tests. There are several reasons for this. Nobody, especially not 11-to-14-year-olds, should feel that their value is measured by bubbling in the correct circles on […]

What Role Do Scores Play in High School Admissions?

Posted by: admin on November 7th, 2019

As fall takes a firm position in our lives and the winter holidays loom on the horizon, our students are visiting schools (in person or remotely) and preparing for the next round of standardized tests. Clearly, we want our students to maximize their scores and to give themselves as many options as possible. We want […]

Why Do Test Scores Go Up and Down? (Consistency is Hard)

Posted by: admin on November 4th, 2019

I often deemphasize the score from individual practice tests, and I worry that this makes parents suspicious. “Like jazz, it’s about all the mistakes they didn’t make!”  Here are some actual reasons your child’s score could vary from test-to-test — all of which address the challenges to being consistent: First, students will leave practice one […]

How to Approach the SSAT and ISEE Essays

Posted by: admin on October 23rd, 2019

The essay is the first section that students tackle on the SSAT and their final task on the ISEE. On the ISEE, each student is given 30 minutes to answer a single prompt — typically, a question that asks for their position on a somewhat-relatable issue for students (say, “Do you think the driving age […]