Frequently Asked Questions:

Are parents required to attend an Open House? Parents are strongly encouraged to attend an Open House but, as we have applicants who are not in New York at the time of the application, parents are not required to attend an Open House.

When are parents allowed to visit the school? In attending an evening Open House, parents have their first visit to the school during which they may  see the classrooms and have an opportunity to review students' work. Singapore math books, reading books and units of study will all be available for parents to read.  After a student has been admitted, parents are again welcomed to the school, this time to observe the classroom in action. Parents are encouraged to stay in the classroom for a variety of different curriculum activities.

How are ERB results used in admission decisions? The profile of subtest scores is carefully studied and the accompanying narrative is read thoughtfully.  When predicting a good fit between a student and the Speyer curriculum, the profile of individual subtest scores is the most useful aspect of the ERB.  The composite scores for verbal, performance and full scale scores are much less useful.

Do you have a percentile cutoff score on the ERB? No. We use a case study format when reading admissions files and look for consistency in the information that we obtain.  While most of our successful candidates have ERB scores in the highest percentiles, occasionally, an ERB score will not reflect the information gathered from our other pieces of the application process, including our on-site activies. When that happens, we place greater importance on our on-site information.

Do you accept results from the Stanford-Binet: Fifth Edition or the scores from the NYC DOE gifted and talented testing program? While we do not accept these scores in place of the ERB, we will add them to a candidate's file. We have found them of limited use to help predict a good match between a candidate and our program.

Do  you have a Birthdate cut-off? Your child should be turning 5 no later than Sept. 1, 2012 in order to apply for placement in our 2012/13 class.

Do you have a sibling policy? The Speyer Legacy School is eager to support families who apply to our school for siblings.  The notification dates and reply dates for siblings are earlier than for other applicants. However, each applicant is evaluated according to the same criteria and all applicants are admitted based upon their likelihood of thriving in our unique program.  Acceptances are offered only to qualified candidates.

Can I get feedback on my child’s application?  We are unable to share information on your child’s application or placement decision. We consider many factors when building our incoming classes and take significant care in the way we go about evaluating the fit of each child and family into The Speyer Legacy School, but cannot share details of any individual’s file.

Are Letters of Recommendation helpful?  No. We do not require nor encourage letters of recommendation. Our existing application process is very comprehensive and gives us the information necessary for making placement decisions.