AimeeM Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) What does that mean exactly? Silly question I know, but I'm used to admissions policies for private/Catholic schools stating that they will do more of an "entrance" exam, to make sure the student can keep up to the school's expectations and grade level requirements. Until today, I had never come across one that does a "placement test". Are "placement test" and "entrance exam" used interchangeably? Edited January 9, 2012 by AimeeM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Many schools use placement tests for transfer students to make sure they get placed in the correct grade. It's fairly common for students transferring from public schools to have to repeat a grade when transferring to private school. Occasionally, a student who is advanced will get a recommendation to skip to the next grade (this was recommended for me when I transferred from private to public in 3rd but my parents vetoed it). An entrance exam is typically a requirement for admission for all applicants entering middle or high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Wonderful and thank you. What would happen if a child places behind in a subject (say, hypothetically, writing specifically being waaaaay behind); but places far, far ahead in science and math? Do they call it a wash and place according to age :glare:? Many schools use placement tests for transfer students to make sure they get placed in the correct grade. It's fairly common for students transferring from public schools to have to repeat a grade when transferring to private school. Occasionally, a student who is advanced will get a recommendation to skip to the next grade (this was recommended for me when I transferred from private to public in 3rd but my parents vetoed it). An entrance exam is typically a requirement for admission for all applicants entering middle or high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Is there any streaming in the school? My boys took an entrance test which was also used to place the older one in appropriate streams for different subjects, so that he could be appropriately supported/challenged. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 When I was the dean of students at a very small school, I used to do the "placement test." It was just me sitting in a room with the kid, having them read a little something, write something about it and then talking to them about it. It was a completely informal affair so that we didn't have any complete surprises with kids. Like, oh, despite what all the recommendations and the parents say, so-and-so doesn't appear to be able to WRITE. So... it totally depends on the school. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Is there any streaming in the school? My boys took an entrance test which was also used to place the older one in appropriate streams for different subjects, so that he could be appropriately supported/challenged. Laura I'm not sure, based on the website. I'm having a difficult time filtering it all. It goes on and on about nurturing a child's individual strengths, small class sizes, etc. I plan to call tomorrow. I'm hoping they can get me in for a tour. It is a very small Catholic school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 When I was the dean of students at a very small school, I used to do the "placement test." It was just me sitting in a room with the kid, having them read a little something, write something about it and then talking to them about it. It was a completely informal affair so that we didn't have any complete surprises with kids. Like, oh, despite what all the recommendations and the parents say, so-and-so doesn't appear to be able to WRITE. So... it totally depends on the school. :) Oh I'm very open about Autumn's strengths... and weaknesses :D. She is NOT a writer. Writing is painful for her (seemingly). While she is wonderful at ISOLATED grammar, her spelling and writing is that of a 2nd/3rd grader. Maybe. Her strengths are definitely math and science. Lol. I have no problem telling the school that either ;). This is only a possibility anyway. We may keep homeschooling. It all depends on my comfort level once new Baby Schmoo arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) Wonderful and thank you.What would happen if a child places behind in a subject (say, hypothetically, writing specifically being waaaaay behind); but places far, far ahead in science and math? Do they call it a wash and place according to age :glare:? I think you'll find that they are not going to care about where she is in science at age 10 and focus strictly core subjects......reading, writing, and math. It will probably depend upon the individual school and their resources as to how they deal with uneven skills. (It might also depend on their view of homeschooling. My niece is a 4th grade ps teacher and her school is very antagonistic toward homeschoolers. She says the kids are always way below grade level and that she gets stuck w/ having kids that should be in 5th grade placed in her class for remediation. She has no respect for homeschoolers. :tongue_smilie:) ETA: I missed the part about it being a small private Catholic school vs a ps. They may or may not be equipped to deal with it. Some small Catholic schools only admit students that have no learning/behavior problems while others have the teacher resources to provide more support. Edited January 10, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 They accept student with reading difficulties so long as they are being "taken care of" privately (ie your child must be receiving tutoring or some help for their LD outside of the school). Most of the Catholic schools here have a positive view on homeschooling. Autumn's former Catholic school (that we weren't very happy with) had a homeschooling principal (lol). I am just hoping that her horrible writing wouldn't impact her grade placement... especially since she is gifted in other areas. Her reading is perfectly fine. I think you'll find that they are not going to care about where she is in science at age 10 and focus strictly core subjects......reading, writing, and math. It will probably depend upon the individual school and their resources as to how they deal with uneven skills. (It might also depend on their view of homeschooling. My niece is a 4th grade ps teacher and her school is very antagonistic toward homeschoolers. She says the kids are always way below grade level and that she gets stuck w/ having kids that should be in 5th grade placed in her class for remediation. She has no respect for homeschoolers. :tongue_smilie:) ETA: I missed the part about it being a small private Catholic school vs a ps. They may or may not be equipped to deal with it. Some small Catholic schools only admit students that have no learning/behavior problems while others have the teacher resources to provide more support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen. Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We are considering switching from private to a Catholic school for next year. I was told that a test would be required so the school would know what your kid knows or doesn't know. It would be a formal test - pencil/paper, math, reading... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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