Dear ASC Parent/student,
As you know, The Boston Public Schools decided this year to discontinue using the ISEE exam for admissions to Boston Latin High School and the other exam schools. BPS invited test companies to bid for the exam that will be used in 2020 and beyond to replace the ISEE.
On Thursday July 2nd, the BPS announced that they had selected to work with NWEA, a nonprofit educational organization located in Portland Oregon. What BPS wanted was a test that was fair for all students in Boston and would be based on the curriculum being taught to students in their current year. It was also important that the exam have as little bias as possible towards minority and immigrant students.
While there continues to only be a small amount of information available on the exam, we know that NWEA exams are untimed, computer adaptive measures of academic progress. We know that the assessments will match the MA state standards for each grade in which students have been attending and will focus on math skills, reading skills and language usage skills.
Please be assured that your child has already been preparing for success on this new exam. In our summer Boston Exam School classes, your students are strengthening their subject knowledge on the subjects the students will be tested. They are also learning test taking skills the exam will use. As it is likely NWEA will develop a new exam specifically for the Boston Public Schools, ASC will continue to focus specifically on the materials students will need to know to score high.
ASC stays up to date on any information released by the Boston Public Schools on the new Exam School test.
As always, please contact our offices if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Carl Nelson
President
ASC A+ Program.
