Saturday, February 4, 2012
Exam Schools
If you missed the registration period for the November 5 ISEE administration, BPS is offering a make-up test on Saturday, November 19 at Boston Latin School for Boston residents only. Students must presently be in grades 6, 8, or 9 to sit for the exam. Click here for the bulletin.
Boston has three “examination schools” for grades 7–12 that admit students on a competitive basis: Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.
All three schools accept new students for grades 7 and 9. The O’Bryant School also accepts a few new students for grade 10. Students are admitted to the exam schools based on results of an entrance test, called the Independent Schools Entrance Exam (ISEE), and grade point average (GPA). The Boston Public Schools ISEE administration does not include the essay component.
Residency policy
The residency policy requires that students must both reside in Boston and prove residency by the first Friday in November of a given year. This means that students taking the test in November 2011 for admission to one of the district's three exam schools must demonstrate Boston residency in person at a Family Resource Center beginning October 3rd, but no later than Friday, November 4, 2011.
The residency requirement for the exam schools applies to students currently attending private, parochial, METCO, charter schools, and schools outside the City of Boston.
Residency Verification Schedule
Test registration
The test registration materials for students applying for the 2012-2013 school year will be available in mid-September 2011 through the city’s middle and high schools. If you do not receive these materials from your school, you may also pick them up from any of the Boston Public Library’s 27 branches. The next time the test will be given through the BPS will be Saturday, November 5, 2011, and the deadline to register was September 30, 2011. Please note that walk-in registration will not be available on November 5th.
BPS will offer a make-up administration of the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at Boston Latin School for students who were not able to take the test on November 5. This administration of the test is free and open to Boston residents only.
If these dates does not meet your needs, you can register online with the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) for a different test date and location; however, all exam school applicants must take the test on or before November 19, 2011. Students applying to multiple schools including the exam schools ma want to consider taking the ISEE at a national test site since the BPS test administration does not include the essay component. Please note that ERB charges a test fee for this process. For more information visit: http://www.erbtest.org/schools/admissions/isee.
Student Identification
ISEE admission tickets will be delivered the first week of November. Each candidate also is required to bring personal identification to the test center.
Acceptable student identification includes a passport, green card, or school ID with photo. The Student Identification Letter template detailing the student physically (e.g., height, weight, hair color) may also be completed by a school staff member or Principal/Headmaster. Parents are not allowed to write physical description letters. All student identification documents will be examined by personnel at the test center.
GPA
The grade point average is based on final marks in English and math from the previous school year (grade 5 or 7) and from the first two marking periods of the current year. In mid-January of each year, all applicants are sent a Candidate Release Form. The applicant's current school must complete the form and return it to BPS Enrollment Planning & Support beginning Monday, Feb. 6th. It must be received no later than Friday, February 17, 2012.
Candidates with fifth grade academic records from Boston Public Schools, only the Spring term marks in Reading, Writing and Math will be considered. The 1-4 scale will be converted into a letter gradesystem for the purposes of the GPA process.
Special accommodations for students with disabilities
For students with disabilities, arrangements may be requested to take the test with special accommodations. Requests must include a completed Principal/Headmaster statement form and supporting documentation (IEP, 504 Plan, physician’s letter, or evaluation). The Principal/Headmaster statement must be completed by the head of the school or specialist responsible for assessing the students’ academic needs and signed by the Parent/Guardian. The deadline to request a special accommodation for the November test administration is October 7, 2011.
Special Accommodation Request Form
For more information
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- 2011 ISEE Bulletin of Information
- Procedures for Admissions to the Boston Exam Schools
- Contact Enrollment Planning & Support, 617-635-9512.
