Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Exam Schools
Exam School Notification Online
Applicants for the 2012-2013 school year will receive notification of invitation status in mid-March 2012. We are pleased to offer a new service that will allow parents to access your child’s admission decision online! All applicants will receive a letter shortly with instructions on how to access the website. Please note that should circumstances prevent you from going online to view admission results, we may be unable to provide any information via telephone.
BPS 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.
The next admission season will begin in September 2012 for students interested in applying to an exam school for the 2013-2014 school year. The next entrance exam will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2012.
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 planning to take the test in November 2012 for admission to one of the district's three exam schools must demonstrate Boston residency in person at a Family Resource Center beginning October 1st, but no later than Friday, November 2, 2012.
The residency requirement for the exam schools applies to students currently attending private, parochial, METCO, charter schools, and schools outside the City of Boston.
Test registration
The test registration materials for students applying for the 2013-2014 school year will be available in mid-September 2012 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 3, 2012, and the deadline to register was September 28, 2012. Please note that walk-in registration will not be available on November 3rd.
BPS will offer a make-up administration of the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) on Saturday, November 17, 2012 for students who were not able to take the test on November 3rd. This administration of the test is free and open to Boston residents only.
If these dates do 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 17, 2012. Students applying to multiple schools including the exam schools may 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
Each candidate 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. 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 grade system 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 detailing a health concern, or neurodevelopment 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.
For more information
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Contact Enrollment Planning & Support, 617-635-9512
