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 them child to the office of an HCES-approved tester, trained to administer a portion of the Stanford Binet V (SB V), an assessment of intellectual reasoning. The fee for this test is $375.00. (Financial assistance for Round 1 testing is available. Please visit the "Reduced Fee" section of this website for more information or contact the office directly at admissions@hunterschools.org, or at 212-860-1401.)
  

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

  
  An email is sent to the family once the application is submitted with a list of approved R1 testers. Parents/guardians must make contact with ONLY ONE tester to schedule an appointment by the deadline indicated in the email. Unless given permission to do so, contacting more than one tester WILL jeopardize a family’s chance to continue with Round 1. (Do NOT contact multiple testers to check availability.) When the appointment is scheduled, the parent submits the following to the tester prior to the appointment:

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

  
  2) The fee of $375.00 (check, money order, or electronic method) made payable to the tester. (Financial assistance is available to those who qualify.)

  
  These two items shall be sent from the family to the tester in a manner specified by the tester (via email, regular mail, or other method requested by the tester). Unless instructed by the tester, any form of delivery that requires signature for receipt is not acceptable. Again, all documents and payment 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 SBV is available only in English. Children must have adequate, fundamental skills in English to progress through the test, and, ultimately, to benefit from the HCES program.
  
  *Non-native English speakers may contact the Admissions Office for assistance with completing the application.*

  
  THERE IS NO ADVANTAGE GAINED BY DELAYING THE TESTING OF YOUR CHILD BY 1-2 MONTHS. THE SBV TEST IS SCORED ACCORDING TO A CHILD'S AGE AT THE TIME OF TESTING. 
  
  Contact the Admissions Office via email to inquire about testing accommodations for children with physical difficulties, or documented disabilities, such as color blindness or hearing impairment.

   

  Testers will send a report of each child’s performance to the HCES Admissions Office - parents will NOT receive scores or a report of their child's performance.
  
  In December, the Director of Admissions will determine advancement to Round 2 based on a R1 data. All families will be notified (via email) of the Round 1 decision and informed of whether or not their child is advancing to the next round.

   

  
  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 SBV 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. Details about the second round will be shared only with those advancing to Round 2. There will be no fee for the Round 2 phase.

   

  Any child advancing to Round 2 has 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 letter requirement. Birth certificates or adoption records are required of all applicants in the Round 2 process. Proof of NYC residency will be demonstrated ONLY with a 2021 IT-201 NY State tax return. Residency cannot be proved with other documents.

  
  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 50 children. 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. 

  
  All families who have advanced to Round 2 will be notified of decisions via email in the spring of 2023. Typically, any offer of admission or offer for a place on the wait list, must be accepted or declined within one week.

  
  NOTE: Traditionally, the HCES wait list comprises 24 children from the Round 2 finalist pool. The HCES wait list is NOT ranked. Students not advancing to Round 2 will not be considered for wait list placement.