With the new school year comes a fresh start.  Each September we, as parents, have another opportunity to help set up our children to have a stress-free (or at least greatly reduced) school year.  While the major exams, projects, and term papers are still just blips on the horizon, we can guide our children in developing a course of action that lays the groundwork for success in academics and beyond.

For the beginning of the school year a few years ago, Partners With Parents wrote an article for NY Metro Parent about when and how to be involved in your child’s homework and academic life.  In the article, and in our workshops based on the same concepts, we provide a structure for parents to help their children take ownership of their learning.  (more…)

1) Find Out Your State’s Regulations — The first hurdle when choosing to homeschool your child is learning the legal requirements where you live.  Education laws governing homeschooling vary widely from state to state.  For the most part, no matter what your home state is, the bureaucratic details are manageable once you have the proper resources and know what you are doing.   For New York State regulations, click here.

2) Consider Designing Your Own Curriculum — You have many options when it comes to curricula.  The beauty of homeschooling is choice!  Many families decide to homeschool with Partners With Parents so that they can create their own curriculum, tailoring a homeschooling program unique to their child’s interests and aptitudes.  (more…)

See Part 1 – What is the SHSAT and how do you register?

What is on the SHSAT?

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is a 2-hour and 30-minute, multiple choice test consisting of two sections – Verbal & Math.

Verbal Section – 3 parts — 45 questions –75 minutes

• Scrambled paragraphs – 5 questions

For each question, you are given the 1st of 6 sentences.  You must correctly order the 5 subsequent sentences in order to form a coherent paragraph.  This is intended to measure your ability to organize written information in a logical sequence.  Questions in this section are worth twice as much as all others.

• Logical Reasoning – 10 questions

This section contains 10 questions that assess your ability to reason, drawing valid conclusions based on information provided.  There are different types of questions: figuring out codes, determining relative positions of things or people, and identifying correct assumptions, among others.  One of the keys to success in this section is to make sure you do not jump to conclusions that are not justified based on the conditions provided. (more…)

What is the SHSAT?

The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) is the test taken by 8th or 9th graders who are interested in applying to any of eight of New York City’s Specialized High Schools:

• The 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

The ninth Specialized High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, requires an audition and a review of academic records rather than the SHSAT. (more…)