Partner School Admission TestinG
NEC believes that admission testing best serves both the applicant and the receiving schools when accurate scores are produced through a calm testing environment created by an experienced and compassionate test administrator.
As the admission testing partner for participating Nashville Independent schools, NEC looks forward to working with your family.
Within our child-centered office setting, experienced and nurturing testers provide individual assessments to preschool and school aged children. Results are shared with parents and with each child’s applicant schools.
Through this collaborative coordination among participating schools, young applicants are protected from over-testing as well as from multiple community exposures during this time of caution due to COVID-19. The goal of NEC and all participating schools is to ensure appropriate school placement decisions can be made for every child applying to a Nashville Independent School.
Partner Schools
NEC is conducting Kindergarten and Pre-K admission testing for many of Nashville’s independent schools. A child must be an applicant for the 2021-2022 academic year and be referred by one of our partner schools in order to participate in this specific branch of testing.
A family’s cost for testing as part of the partner school initiative is $140 and testing reports are sent to participating schools for no additional cost to the family.
Test Scheduling
FAQ
Why are schools offering admission testing at NEC?
When considering the implications of traditional testing models, which take place on school campuses and often in a group setting, a collaborative cohort of schools sought a safe alternative testing option in the midst of COVID-19. NEC’s leader has spent nearly two decades in Nashville independent school admissions and testing, so a thoughtful partnership was formed based on common goals for schools and families, reliability, and knowledge of needs for appropriate school placement decisions.
How long will my child spend in testing?
Actual testing time for PreK and Kindergarten is typically around 45 minutes. However, all sessions are scheduled for 60 minutes to allow children to make a comfortable transition with the tester and have some flexibility with pacing of the test content. The amount of time taken for testing is not indicative of a child’s performance on the assessment and is not an aspect of the score report unless it relates to areas of content difficulty.
What is the format of testing?
Pre-K and Kindergarten readiness testing are administered individually. A variety of hands-on and engaging activities are used to assess developmental readiness in the areas of number concepts, auditory skills, fine motor skills, language concepts, visual skills, and gross motor skills.
How can I prepare my child for what to expect?
In advance to testing, NEC sends parents detailed information about our testers so that children will know the people with whom they will interact. In explaining what our time together will entail, most children respond well to understanding that they will do similar activities with us as they do with their teachers at preschool. If children are accustomed to an electronic format in their learning, it can be helpful to explain in advance that there will not be any tasks on screen during their assessment. Most children thrive in our one-on-one test environment and enjoy the variety of activities presented during the assessment.
What if my child is sick or it snows the morning of my test?
NEC requires health checklist questions and a temperature check for each tester prior to an assessment. Any child exhibiting a fever, any symptoms related to COVID-19, or generally feeling unwell will be rescheduled for testing at a later date. Rescheduling will be prioritized to occur within the admission process timeline.
In the case of inclement winter weather on a test date, NEC will contact families directly about the ability to continue with the test appointments for the day. Families will be advised to use their discretion on such days, and NEC will happily reschedule for families who feel unsafe traveling in winter weather conditions.