Testing

List of 2 items.

• ROUND 1

  There are two rounds of assessment within the HCES admissions process. In the first round, a parent/guardian accompanies his/her child to the office of an “approved” tester, trained to administer a modified Stanford Binet test (SB V), an assessment of intellectual reasoning. The fee for this test is $350.00. (Financial assistance for Round 1 testing is available to those who qualify. Please visit the "Reduced Fee" section of this website for detailed information.)
  

  
  Round 1 begins with the submission of the child’s application.

  
  An email is sent to the family once the application is submitted. Parents must make contact with ONLY ONE tester to schedule an appointment by the deadline indicated in the email. Contacting multiple testers WILL jeopardize a family’s chance to continue with Round 1. When the appointment is scheduled, the parent submit the following to the tester prior to arrival:

  
  1) A signed Confidentiality Consent form, provided via email after submission of the application. The Confidentiality Consent form allows parents to affirm that their child has neither been tested with, nor been exposed to, any test-related materials from the SB V in the last year. Children who have exposure to the SB V within 12 months of application submission may not be able to apply to HCES. In these cases, the parents should contact the Director of Admissions to inquire.

  2) The fee of $350.00 (check or money order) made payable to the tester. 

  
  These items are sent via REGULAR mail; certified mail or any other forms of delivery that require signature for receipt are not acceptable. Items must be received prior to the appointment.

  
  Parents are not permitted in the room with their child during the test administration. Though testing time varies, the session generally lasts 30-60 minutes. 

  
  The modified SB V test is available only in English. Children must have adequate, fundamental skills in English to benefit from the HCES program. Contact the Admissions Office for information about testing children from households that speak languages other than English.

  
  THERE IS NO ADVANTAGE GAINED BY DELAYING THE TESTING OF YOUR CHILD BY 1-2 MONTHS. THE SB V TEST IS SCORED ACCORDING TO A CHILD'S AGE AT THE TIME OF TESTING. 
  
  Contact the Admissions Office to inquire about testing accommodations for children with documented learning differences or physical difficulties.

   

  Testers will send a report of each child’s performance to the HCES Admissions Office. In early December, the Director of Admissions will determine advancement to Round 2 based on a review of the modified Stanford Binet V test results. Typically, 250-300 spaces are available for the Round 2 assessment. All families are notified in December via email of the Round 1 decision.

   

  
  A NOTE ABOUT “PREPPING” FOR THE MODIFIED STANFORD BINET V:

  HCES strongly discourages exposing children to the Stanford Binet V prior to the formal administration of the test for the purpose of admission to HCES. Testers will inform the Director of Admissions if they believe a child has had experience with or exposure to any test items or activities. HCES reserves the right to disqualify any child from the admissions process if there is evidence that Round 1 is not the child’s first experience with the SB V test. In the case of disqualification for prior exposure, the testing fee is not refunded.

• ROUND 2

  There are two rounds of assessment within the HCES admissions process. The applicants who advance to the second round will undergo an assessment in January 2019. The Round 2 assessment takes place over TWO weekends only: January 19^th and 20^th AND January 26^th and 27^th, 2019. A parent or guardian accompanies the child to the HCES site on one of the assessment dates listed above. There is no fee for the Round 2 assessment.

   

  Families who are applying to HCES should not make travel arrangements or schedule NYC Department of Education Gifted and Talented testing during these weekends. Round 2 candidates are assigned an appointment only within this four-day period.

  (NOTE: January 19-20 is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.)

  
  Any child advancing to Round 2 has two additional forms that need completing. The Parents’ Observation Form and the Preschool Teacher Observation Form request specific information about the child’s observed behaviors in short, written responses. There is no essay or recommendation requirement. Birth certificates or adoption records are required of all applicants. Proof of Manhattan residency is demonstrated ONLY with a 2017 NY State tax return.

  
  At Round 2, children meet in groups of nine (approximately), where trained consultants observe the behaviors of each child during individual and group tasks, and during their interaction with peers and a teacher. The assessment room simulates a preschool classroom and every effort is made to create a relaxing, fun, and stimulating environment.

  
  Following Round 2, the HCES Admissions Selection Committee submits its recommendations to the Director of Admissions. Based on that feedback, admission offers are made to 25 girls and 25 boys. NOTE: The Selection Committee makes decisions without knowledge of the child’s name, address, family information, or other identifying factors. No preference is given to “legacies,” siblings of alumni, or siblings of current HCES students. Final selection is based on the feedback and observations collected during Round 2.  

  
  All families are notified of decisions via email on Friday, February 8^th, 2019. Any offer of admission, or offer for a place on the wait list, must be accepted or declined by Friday, February 17^th.

  
  NOTE: The HCES wait list comprises 12 girls and 12 boys from the Round 2 finalist pool. The HCES wait list is NOT ranked.