The New York City Department of Education has announced the tentative test dates for the SHSAT (Specialized High Schools Admissions Test) in Fall 2010:

September 15 – October 6, 2010 – SHSAT Registration (through school counselors)

October 23 & 24, 2010 – SHSAT Test Days for 8^th graders

October 30, 2010 – SHSAT Test Day for 9^th graders, as well as 8th and 9th graders with testing accommodations

November 14, 2010 – SHSAT Test Day for all 9 ^th grade Sabbath observers, 8^th and 9^th grade Sabbath observers who need testing accommodations, as well as make-up tests (with permission only and must register by November 4^th)

Taking the SHSAT is a requirement for admission to the following high schools:

• Bronx High School of Science
• The Brooklyn Latin School
• Brooklyn Technical High School
• High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College
• High School of American Studies at Lehman College
• Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
• Staten Island Technical High School
• Stuyvesant High School

If you are interested in more specific information about the SHSAT or other entrance exams for New York City’s public and independent schools (like the ISEE, SSAT, or COOP), please give us a call at (212) 928-5016 or e-mail us.

To read the bios of a few of our favorite SHSAT tutors, click here.

This is the time of year when New York City families with late elementary and middle school students begin to think about preparing for the ISEE, SHSAT, or SSAT in the fall.  Partners With Parents has a long history of successfully preparing students for these tests.  If you are considering tutoring, we recommend scheduling a couple of sessions before the summer to lay out a cohesive study plan for the next 6 months.  If you get an early assessment of your child’s needs then the appropriate plan can be set in motion with enough time to make substantial progress.  Our students benefit from preparation that focuses on test taking strategies and building academic self confidence, as well as simply mastering the test content.  Remember, the best tutors book quickly, so the sooner you contact PWP, the more likely you’ll be to get the best match for your child.  Below are the bios for a few of our favorite test prep tutors. … Read more

I am the mother of a 5 and 7 year old. I am a conscientious parent so I am beginning to think about how to teach my children about “community service.” I want my kids to be justice oriented, aware and appreciative of differences, and immersed in the joy of giving. Being Jewish, I want to teach them the mitzvot and help them become active and generous community members, engaged in “repairing the world.”

I know that parents are the most important teachers, whether we like it or not, so it’s on me to pass these values along. But, I will be honest, I bristle at the notion of making up a community service project and “doing it,” rather than living as someone who serves my community.  What I really want to teach my children  is to become people who see being of service as part of their daily lives.   Recently, a neighbor’s experience crystallized things for me. . . … Read more

Over the last 10 years, we have seen a new breed of homeschooling family.  In the past, homeschooling was largely reserved for families who were devoutly religious, lived in secluded, rural communities, or resisted exposing their children to the local school system.  In this generation, the concept of the typical homeschooling family has expanded to include a much wider array of students and circumstances.  While Partners With Parents continues to provide full-year curricula for some homeschooled students, many of the families we work with are doing it to bridge a gap—a short-term solution for a temporary situation such as physical or mental illness, relocation in the middle of the school year, or suspension/expulsion.  Sometimes, given the nature of the academic calendar, families just need an at-home education for a few months so they don’t fall behind while figuring out their options for the next September.

Many of the homeschool families that work with Partners With Parents value the traditional school environment and have the eventual goal of returning to it.  We find the most successful transitions happen when the school that the student has left and/or will be attending can be involved in the process.   … Read more