Schools Ask: Gifted or Just Well-Prepared?

Key

Question 1

a)  False. The city’s leading private schools are even considering doing away with the test they have used for decades, popularly known as the E.R.B..

b)  True. For the 2012-13 school year, nearly 5,000 children qualified for gifted and talented kindergarten seats in New York City public schools. That was more than double the number five years ago.

c)  False.   Natalie Viderman, 4, spent an hour and a half each week for six months at Bright Kids NYC, a tutoring company, working on skills like spatial visualization and serial reasoning, which are part of the new test. She and her mother, Victoria Preys, also worked every night on general learning, test prep and workbooks.

d)  True. “Every time these tests change, there’s a lot of demand,” Bige Doruk of Bright Kids, said.

Question 2

a)  Organisations publish materials and run sessions to prepare for the tests. These focus on the development of abilities covered by the tests.  Parents are also involved in this process.

b)  Ms Preys believes that the preparation does children good and that parents are right to take advantage of the aid available.   She followed the same approach with her son

Question 3

a) (to) vie for/vying for        b) tailored      c)  reasoning

Question 4

a)   Ms. Preys said that it was her philosophy that if she could get more help,  why not?

b)   Although administrators try to keep ahead of companies who aim to bring out the genius in ever young child, they find it difficult to do.

c)   Doing away with the test which the city’s leading private schools have used for decades is even being considered.