We are going to be attending the May assessment and I was hoping that some of the April attendees would share their thoughts and experiences. Did your kids come away feeling excited? Exhausted? Did they make friends that day? Where the interviews pretty casual? Just curious. Thanks!!!

Chrissy

We attended the assessment in April. Our son was very excited about the Academy by the end of the day. He felt as he belonged from the start. Everybody he met made him feel at home. It was a full day for him, but he was not exhausted.
We felt very comfortable during the interview. It felt like we were sitting down and visiting with a friend.

Mark

Hi Chrissy,

My DS12 had never been to anything like this before, so his impression is not informed by experience. Nor is mine. He found it somewhat interesting but not particularly inspiring. His thing is math. He didn't really get an opportunity to discuss anything with their math guy, who was pretty busy. He loves learning, but he hates demonstrating what he knows to others, so this sort of thing is not much fun for him.

His characterization of their interview and assessment process in general is that it was like an achievement test. Their questions seemed to be much more about what you know than whether you can think. This surprised him because it didn't seem to be all that useful for determining really smart people in his opinion.

I tried to take part in opportunities to socialize with other parents and kids. My take is that he got along with the other kids, but there was no "wow, kids like me" moment that I observed. For me the parents were like all other parents -- everybody wants the best for their kids. I think I saw a bit more frustration than usual among an average group. Some people had come a long way and were prepared to sacrifice if only this would be exactly what they believe their kid needs, so they really wanted it to be exactly right and had little patience with reality. They'd been disappointed many times before. The reality is that the organizational issues of a startup are difficult, and Davidson Academy can't be all things to all people. So many won't fit.

My take is that the best thing for a kid going into this is to have low expectations and an open mind. If I were doing this again, I'd try to have my kid think of a couple of things that he would like to get out of the day and how he can get them: questions to ask, people to talk to, etc. Then he can consider his own goals and not worry too much about theirs.

Good luck,
Jon

Since I've had the opportunity to sit back and watch the assessment process evolve over the past couple of years, I thought I'd chime in with the how I've seen things unfold.

As I understand it, there is more to assessment, than just the official "assessment day." The process begins when a student submits an a completed application. This application includes IQ scores and/or college admissions test (SAT/ACT) scores, short answer writing samples, a formal essay, and numerous recommendation letters. These items provide the foundation for the overall assessment, and (I would think) go quite a way in demonstrating whether a child can "think." The official assessment day probably is, then, more about achievement-type testing -- and rightly so. Knowing how to think is critical, but so is having the requisite knowledge base for successfully participating in the Academy's advanced and rigorous curriculum. If students aren't working at that level, they can have a tougher than usual transition to their new school, lose confidence, and develop low self-esteem. I believe in my heart that no one within the Academy community would want that for any child.

I'm just a DA mom, not a member of the admissions committee (so please take this in the strictly unofficial spirit intended), but it seems to me that If the Academy put too much emphasis on either whether a child could think or what he/she knows, the admissions process would be compromised. The two truly do go hand-in-hand, I don't think it's an either/or situation. I believe the Academy is looking to connect with students who are able to think and are working at the appropriate academic level. The once-a-month assessment day, is just one part of that process.

Hope that helps!
Valerie

Hi Chrissy,

Sorry, but what is the Assessment????

Hello Alecia,

For details on the assessment aspect when applying to The Davidson Academy, please see the Application Review Process page (http://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=200&NavID=1_45) on the Academy website. Scroll down to "Step 3" for detailed information on assessment. Please email applications@davidsonacademy.unr.edu if you have any questions. Thank you!