BPS Exam School Registration Flyer

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Register for the ISEE

Eligibility: Students must be currently enrolled in grades 6, 8, or 9 to register for the ISEE and apply to the exam schools.

How to Register: Test registration materials will be available at all Boston area schools, all branches of the , and BPS Welcome Centers beginning September 9th. The link for online registration will available on this web page in early September. The registration deadline is Friday, September 20, 2019.

School-Based Testing: Grade 6 students currently enrolled in a BPS school are encouraged to register for the exam at their current school on Thursday, November 7, 2019.

Weekend Testing: Grade 6 students not enrolled in a BPS school and ALL students in grades 8 and 9 must take the exam during the Saturday test on November 9, 2019.

Sunday Test Option: offers a Sunday test for students who cannot attend the Saturday exam due to their religious beliefs. This special administration will be on November 10, 2019.

National Test Option: Students applying to private and independent schools, as well as the Boston exam schools, are encouraged to register for a national test administration of the ISEE (fee applies). The base fee includes both the multiple choice exam and student essay component required by many independent schools, test scores received two weeks or less after the exam, and the option to send the score report to additional schools.

Please note that students may sit for only one test administration within a four-month period. Families are responsible for the test fee and must schedule a test date between August 1 and November 23, 2019. To ensure that the BPS receives the ISEE score report, families must provide school code 888888 during the test registration process.

Request Testing Accommodations (for students who have Limited English Proficiency and who have a disability)

Test accommodations are any modifications made to the exam or testing conditions that allow students with disabilities or limited English proficiency to fully participate in a testing situation. Common accommodations include extending the length of time students receive to complete the exam and having a small group of 10 or fewer students in the test room. The English Learner (EL) test accommodation allows for the use of a bilingual dictionary and/or extended time on the exam.

Eligibility:

• To request test accommodations based on a disability, the student must have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, neuropsychological evaluation, or physician’s letter documenting a medically treated issue or physical disability. • To request the English Learner (EL) test accommodation based on limited English proficiency, students not currently enrolled in the BPS are required to take an English Proficiency Test provided by the BPS Newcomer Assessment Office to determine eligibility. (Current Boston Public Schools students must have an English Language Development (ELD) level 1-5 to be eligible.)

Test accommodation requests for the Saturday, November 9th exam must be submitted by September 27th. Accommodations for the in-school exam on November 7th (grade 6 BPS students only) will be coordinated by the child's current school.

Test Accommodation Request Form for the November 9th exam

NOTE: For students taking a national test with the Education Records Bureau (ERB), please contact the company directly for assistance with the test accommodation request process.

Residency Verification

Parents with students not currently enrolled in the Boston Public Schools MUST complete the Residency Verification Process at a BPS Welcome Center between October 7 and November 22, 2019. Please click here for a checklist of required documents and Welcome Center locations.

Students who must complete the Residency Verification Process include:

• Students attending private school • Students attending parochial school • Students attending METCO program schools • Students attending Commonwealth Charter schools (excludes UP Academy, Boston Green Academy, and other “in district” BPS charter schools) • Students attending schools outside the City of Boston • Students being home-schooled must demonstrate that both the student and parent/guardian live in the city of Boston through the residency verification process

*If the student is planning to attend the November 9th exam, the residency verification must be completed by November 8, 2019.

If the residency verification process is not complete by the required deadline, the student will not be allowed to take the ISEE and will not be eligible for admission to a Boston exam school.

If the student currently attends a public school outside of the Boston Public School district we will require a letter from the respective Superintendent from that city or town stating that they are aware of Boston residency, as per our requirement, but attending their public school. The letter must be original, notarized, on school district letterhead, and must be presented in person with the BPS required residency documents during the verification period.

Note: The residency verification must be completed even if you have other children enrolled in the Boston Public Schools; your student is receiving special education services from BPS; you are a current city employee; or if your child was previously enrolled in the BPS.

Test Preparation

The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) provides a preparation book for each level of the exam free of charge when downloaded from the website https://www.erblearn.org/parents/isee- preparation#what-to-expect-on-the-isee. Preparation books may also be purchased in a hard copy format for $25. The book is titled "What to Expect of the ISEE" and is the only preparation material authorized and approved by ERB. Each book includes level-specific background information about the ISEE test and experience, sample questions, a full-length practice test, and scoring information.

The Exam School Initiative (ESI) strives to increase diversity in the three Boston exam schools – , and the John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science. The program utilizes certified Boston Public Schools’ ELA and Math teachers to assist students in preparing for the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) in November. The annual program hosted at Boston Latin School runs for two-weeks in August with fall refresher courses in the weeks leading up to the ISEE exam. The program accepts students by invitation only. For questions please contact the Office of Opportunity Gaps at 617-635-9419.

Take ISEE

The ISEE administered by the Boston Public Schools consists of four subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics Achievement. Please note that we do not offer the essay section. The Middle Level test is used for candidates entering grade 7 and the Upper Level test is used for candidates entering grades 9 and 10.

The exam administration is two hours and ten minutes; however, there are a number of administrative tasks that must be completed by the ISEE staff member prior to the start of the exam.

Test Day Checklist:

1. ISEE Test Admission Ticket 2. Student Identification 3. Residency Verification Receipt (not required for current Boston Public Schools students) 4. Five sharpened No. 2 pencils and an eraser

The majority of students will receive the ISEE admission tickets at their current school the week of the test. Home-schooled and METCO students will receive the test ticket at the home address.

Examples of acceptable student identification include:

• a passport with a recent photo of the child • a green card with a recent photo of the child • a BPS One Card or School ID • a Social Security Card • a Report Card from the previous school year • a Progress Report from the current school year • a Birth Certificate

Students will not be admitted to the test center without the required documents under any circumstance.

Rank Exam School Choices and Submit Grades

In January 2020 the Exam School Admissions Office will distribute school choice forms to collect ranked preferences between the three exam schools and other district BPS school options. Parents are able to apply to one, two, or all three exam schools for grade 7 and 9 admission. Students currently in grade 9 may only apply for grade 10 admission at the John D. O’Bryant School.

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is based entirely on the grades submitted by your child’s school. If your child attended a different school last year, other than a Boston Public School, please make sure the current school has a copy of the official transcript (previous year marks are not required for students applying for grade 10 admission). Student grade information will be collected directly from the applicant's current school.

Notification

Admission decisions are sent to families in mid-March to both the mailing address and parent email address on file. The decision letter will include the ISEE scores, GPA, candidate rank, and admission status.

Admission decisions are final, and the exam schools do not have waitlists. BPS does not offer an appeal process since admission is strictly based on student academic performance.

Criteria for admission: The ISEE score counts for 50% of a student’s score, and the Grade Point Average (GPA) counts for 50% of a student’s score.