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…)

Below is a thank you that we wanted to share with you because it encapsulates what we are trying to achieve at Partners With Parents.  It is from a family who used us to plan their son’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony. We take great pride in guiding a family through the details of this meaningful rite of passage, from the preparation of family members, to the “feel” of the service, to the music, readings, speeches, and the siddur.  The results are always magical.

Dear Partners with Parents,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for my son’s Bar Mitzvah. Planning an event like this is mystifying, especially when trying to meet everyone’s needs and address each age group.  I just can’t tell you how amazing your team was. Your coordinator was so lovely.  She and our ceremony leader helped me with every aspect, from start to finish. The cantorial student you provided fit in perfectly as well.  She, too, was warm and totally tuned into our specific needs.  Every generation and people from all backgrounds felt welcome and included and thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.

The speeches were a huge surprise. Normally, I would be concerned about leaving them “to fate” but I totally trusted the team, especially our tutor who led the service.  She came so well prepared and was so professional in her communication with everyone involved.  Her talk during the service was beautiful.  She totally understands my son and values him the way I do.  She’s like part of our family.  My son’s speech was amazing.  It was funny, on point, and in his own voice.  She promised me good grammar, my one requirement, and she came through!  I had no fear about what would happen on the big day because I so trusted her judgment.

Most important, my son loved this experience, and it was meaningful for HIM. He was so happy to work with his tutor that he now wants to continue his Jewish education because he finds it fun and interesting!

I just have to tell you and anyone else who wants to know, it was a fantastic process and a beautiful result. The service was intimate and memorable, everything my family and I wanted.

Thank you so much,

Linda Bicks