There is an excellent article I came across on the NY Times Blog that I wanted to share with everyone. It describes  studies that show the world’s IQ scores have been improving and attempts to answer why with an analysis of working memory.

We have been working on memory skills with children for years in our belief that improving those skills will gain significantly higher standardized test scores as well as IQ scores for those in our Play Prep program for 3 to 6 year old children. Link below…

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/guest-column-can-we-increase-our-intelligence/?apage=9#comments

Working memory is “defined as the ability to hold information in mind while manipulating it to achieve a cognitive goal. Examples include remembering a clause while figuring out how it relates the rest of a sentence, or keeping track of the solutions you’ve already tried while solving a puzzle.”

The key contributor in these studies is James Flynn. ” Flynn has pointed out that modern times have increasingly rewarded complex and abstract reasoning. Differences in working memory capacity account for 50 to 70 percent of individual differences in fluid intelligence (abstract reasoning ability) in various meta-analyses, suggesting that it is one of the major building blocks of I.Q. (Ackerman et al; Kane et al; Süss et al.) This idea is intriguing because working memory can be improved by training.”

Did you get that?  …. “working memory can be improved by training.”

Many of the games we play through our Play Prep program focus on improving working memory in our children. We know that this work helps on the various tests … ERB, Stanford-Binet and OLSAT – that is why we do it.

What is Success?

To laugh often and much;to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great weekend!

Harley Evans

I had recently written about the conference I attended but failed to mention that we saw the tests and went over them in the group sessions with fancy whiteboard presentations. Company officials were on hand to go over details of their educational assessments and we were enlightened (and delighted). The evidence shows that children that are enriched will score higher on these tests than children with little or no enrichment.

Manhattan Edge is the only test prep company in New York for the pre-k through 2nd grade children that has this information.  No other company in New York even has experience in this area of test prep. We have refined our methods, tested our games on hundreds of children and gone through endless workbooks to find the right mix to boost the capability of the children entrusted to us for enrichment. Below is information on the various NYC tests. I will be adding more daily.

NYC  OLSAT/ BSRA

We have been busy meeting with people today who went to the NYC DOE to see their children’s OLSAT / BSRA tests.  Many brought with them sketches they made of the different questions they saw on the test. I also made the request and went to see my daughter’s OLSAT/BSRA tests. After seeing this year’s test, one point I will have to make is that the material on the KTSS package does not cover what is on this test given in New York City. All of the individuals we met with said the same thing, some had used it instead of hiring us and were disappointed with their results. There was so much more on the NYC OLSAT that the package was lacking.

BSRA hint for the day, make sure your child knows the following terms : similar and alike and can identify a curve and an angle in a group of drawings.

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), published by Pearson Education, Inc., is a test of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children pre-K to 18. The Otis-Lennon is a group-administered (except preschool), multiple choice exam,  which measures verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning ability. It is organized into five main sections of verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning.The test yields verbal and nonverbal scores, from which a total score is derived, called a School Ability Index (SAI). The SAI is a normalized standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16. Scoring is measured against peers in age groups of 3-month bands. For example, children born October 4 through December 4 are compared with each other and children born January 4 through March 4 with each other and so on. With the exception of pre-K, the test is administered in groups.

Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) is a cognitive test designed for children, pre-K through second grade. It assesses six basic skills:

• Colors — identify common colors by name
• Letters — identify upper-case and lower-case letters
• Numbers | Counting — identify single- and double-digit numerals
• Sizes — demonstrate knowledge of words used to depict size (e.g., tall, wide, fat, thin, etc.)
• Comparisons — match or differentiate objects based on a specific characteristic
• Shapes — identify 2 and 3 dimensional shapes by name.

Raw scores can be converted to percentile rank scores and standard scores. The BSRA can be used with children as young as 2.6 years of age.

ERB / Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) is an intelligence test designed for children ages 2 years 6 months to 7 years 3 months. The current revision is called the  WPPSI–III. Harcourt claims it provides subtest and composite scores that represent intellectual functioning in verbal and performance cognitive domains, as well as providing a composite score that represents a child’s general intellectual ability (i.e., Full Scale IQ).

Some studies show that intelligence tests such as the WPPSI-III, especially for pre-K level, are unreliable and their results vary wildly with various factors such as retesting, practice (familiarization), test administrator, time and place. There are claims that some commercially available material improve results simply by eliminating negative factors through familiarization which in turn puts children at a comfortable frame of mind.

There are 14 parts

1. Block Design – child uses one- or two-colour blocks to re-create a design within a specified time limit.

2. Matrix Reasoning – child looks at an incomplete matrix and selects the missing portion from 4 or 5 response options.

3. Information (checks enrichment base) – child responds to a question by choosing a picture from four response options or the child answers questions that address a broad range of general knowledge topics.

4. Vocabulary – child names pictures or gives definitions for words that the examiner reads aloud from the stimulus book.

5. Picture Concepts – child is presented with two or three rows of pictures and chooses one picture from each row to form a group with a common characteristic.

6. Symbol Search – child scans a search group and indicates whether a target symbol matches any of the symbols in the search group.

7. Word Reasoning – child identifies the common concept being described in a series of increasingly specific clues.

8. Coding – child copies symbols paired with simple geometric shapes. Using a key, the child draws each symbol in its corresponding shape.

9. Comprehension (checks enrichment base) – child answers questions based on his or her understanding of general principles and social situations.

10. Picture Completion – child views a picture and then points to or names the missing part.

11. Similarities – child is read an incomplete sentence containing two concepts that share a common characteristic. The child is asked to complete the sentence by providing a response that reflects the shared characteristic.

12. Receptive Vocabulary – child looks at a group of pictures and points to the one the examiner names aloud.

13. Object Assembly – child is presented with the pieces of a puzzle in a standard arrangement and fits the pieces together to form a meaningful whole within 90 seconds.

14. Picture Naming – child names pictures from the stimulus book.

Stanford-Binet 5

Since the inception of the Stanford-Binet, it has been revised several times. Currently, the test is in its fifth edition, which is called the Stanford-Binet 5. Low variation on individuals tested more than once indicates the test has high reliability, although its validity is debated. The test has been revised to analyze an individual’s responses in four content areas: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, abstract/visual reasoning, and short term memory. A general composite score is obtained. The test is scored by comparing how the test taker performs compared with other people of the same age. The five factors assessed in the test are: Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Working Memory. Each factor is assessed in two separate domains, verbal and nonverbal, in order to accurately assess individuals with deafness, limited English, or communication disorders. Examples of test items include verbal analogies to test Verbal Fluid Reasoning and picture absurdities (last year’s included a picture of a man sawing a limb that he is sitting on off a tree) to test Nonverbal Knowledge. The test makers state that the Stanford-Binet 5 accurately assesses low-functioning, normal intelligence, and high-functioning individuals.

Be back with more info very soon.

Harley Evans

We are now knee deep in OLSAT / BSRA testing.  Parents are emailing/texting me that they are ill on the appointed day from all of the stress – ready to vomit.  I have a few words of advice – Chill Out! Drink a scotch or do whatever it takes to  keep the stress inside you and away from your child. They are only going to meet a teacher to show them what 4 year olds know.

We had our own little crisis on testing day! Our daughter’s test was on the Lower East Side. We were greeted by a male security guard that told us we should be going to school in our own neighborhood – not there. This made my daughter upset, asking us why they don’t want us – she did not feel welcome to say the least. While waiting, we saw many parents faced with the dilemma of asking to make sure the teacher giving the test spoke some resemblance of English (many teachers did not have this gift of language skill at our location) – we did the same and felt on guard because of this request.  Instead, they gave us a person,  sadly, crippled with an affliction that was scary to our 4 yr. old child. While we can all understand wanting to be politically correct, this is not the time to introduce your child to the unfairness of physical impairments.  A child with no separation issues suddenly began to cling to her mother even as this person promised lollipops afterward – straight out of a witches story in my daughter’s mind. We were forced to ask for a replacement and met with consternation. Another person finally came out asking for my daughter and abruptly took her out of the waiting area. With my stomach in knots, I could only imagine what could happen next?

A friend had told us that a week ago, she was upset that her child had come out from the testing after only 25 minutes. She asked if her child had finished all of the exam and was given the standard reply that it is impossible for the teacher to skip anything, so of course the child had finished. This mother insisted that they check the exam – which they did – to find that indeed, two pages had been skipped over. The only thing this mother could tell us about her testing experience is that if your child comes out sooner than 35 – 40 minutes, then make sure the test was completed. For the most-part, the teachers giving this exam are not well trained and do not care that their input affects the future of the child entrusted to them.  So what happens next to us? … our child comes out after 25 minutes!  … complaining that there are no lollipops!

1. Stay calm, no matter the opposition you face

2. Keep your child free and clear of the stress you feel

3. Bring two books; one to read to your child and then one for yourself

4. Tell your child to show the teacher how smart a 4 yr. old can be

5. Bribes can’t hurt this one time – so promise a treat (lollipop?) afterward

I have been a member of the Wall Street community for over 15 years. A past member of the American Stock Exchange, trading equity and fixed income derivatives for clients and my own account. I co-founded an investment strategy research group called The Alpha Generation (www.thealphageneration.com). I privately coach Wall Street traders to help them stay on top of their game and to help them master the risk – reward scenario.

 I have been involved in educational research from the time I was a graduate student working on my M.A. in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, until today, helping children navigate the gifted and talented programs of New York.

My journey began many years ago, when my youngest brother showed signs of “special” talent. He could read at 3, taught himself Spanish at 4 and to play the piano by 6. He entered kindergarten and was labeled a trouble maker by first grade. He explained, to anyone that would listen, that school was boring. Our family did not know what to do. He was finally tested in third grade and moved into a special program 3 days a week. It was too late. He had already lost 4 years of motivation and viewed school as dull and unfulfilling. Over time, seeing my family’s disappointment in our educational system, I studied the academic research on “giftedness” and learning challenges for children. I saw the potential to apply these strategies as well as solutions for the problems of ADD (attention deficit disorder)to dilemmas affecting “adult” life challenges. I eventually used the literature to develop motivational strategies that I applied to my trading business. Trading is laden with disappointment and fertile ground for individuals in need of motivation. This approach proved to be successful and left me wondering what other problems could be solved in this manner.

This brings us to the present day. I now have children ranging from preschool to college and one presently in a G&T program in NYC. I almost lost this child to the boredom of the NYC school system. I applied the motivational program for traders to her. It was fun. She loved it and loved the challenge the program created. As a father to this pre-tween girl and having been through this process with a son a few years ago, I understand the challenge facing us as parents to help them balance their educational needs with those of being apart of the rest of the world. I mean, Miley Cyrus needs fans, right? They are growing up in an entirely different world than we faced or our parents dealt with when raising us. Being able to rely on our schools, public or private, to educate our children is a fictional story we read long ago. Which brings me to the reason I started this blog and this company. We are sharing this program with others to motivate them to seek success. I believe we need to give our children the best education possible for their skill set. The answer starts with us, as parents, to keep them motivated and to eliminate the negative thoughts that prevent them from reaching their potential. I am very passionate about this curriculum to motivate youth to reach that potential. I will be writing about some of my findings and thoughts on the challenges of educating our children that can help us all excel in life. I am a life long researcher on how we can use education to advance our life’s ambition and I will try to share as much as possible to those of you who care to improve your own lives, as well as those of your children.