Brooklyn School of Inquiry Admissions | How to Get Into BSI School!
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Brooklyn School of Inquiry is one of the most coveted city-wide schools in NYC
Brooklyn School of Inquiry, also known as BSI, is a public school located in Brooklyn with a challenging and progressive curriculum. The school is well-known for its strong arts program and for generally strong academics, making BSI a top choice for families across the city. Read on to see whether BSI might be a good match.
Brooklyn School of Inquiry | School Information
BSI serves approximately 450 students from kindergarten to eighth grade and has grown significantly since its founding in 2009. The school is the only citywide gifted and talented school in Brooklyn and one of only a handful in New York City, leading to fierce competition for its spots.
BSI has grown one grade per year since its founding, and now that it has reached its full K-8 capacity, the school is expanding technology offerings and additional teaching practices throughout its academic studies.
BSI is unique for its grant from the National Science Foundation, which is going toward a rooftop STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) lab on the building’s roof, as well as an urban farm.
Highlights of BSI include its focus on teaching young scholars the cognitive tools they will need to succeed across a variety of disciplines.
In addition, most classrooms include an assistant as well as a gifted and talented certified teacher.
Another key area for the school is its strong arts curriculum, which sees students trying out violin lessons, journalism, film-making, and more.
For more information, visit the official school website.
Brooklyn School of Inquiry | Lower School Admissions Overview
For its lower school, BSI operates as a citywide gifted and talented school.
This means all interested students will be selected based on their gifted and talented exam score city-wide.
Families sign up in October and take this exam in January or February.
Results are out in April, and families can submit their applications based on these test results (for citywide gifted and talented schools, students need at least a 97th percentile result).
However the system is a little more complicated than this. Check out our ultimate guide to the NYC Gifted and Talented test, which explains in detail the why your kid has to score higher than a 97th percentile rank to get into a city-wide school, including the coveted Brooklyn School of Inquiry.
Also please note that Brooklyn School of Inquiry joined a new pilot prgram for the 2018-19 academic year which make the school more competitive for students of families who do not qualify for reduced or fre school lunch. This is because BSI will now give priority to applications (40 percent of Gifted and Talented seats) to children who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program.
Also, see below for more information on the NYC gifted and talented exam for the elementary set.
Brooklyn School of Inquiry | Middle School Admissions Overview
For entrance to BSI after the key entry points of K-3, children will need to follow the middle school entrance procedure along with the other city schools.
First, priority always goes to existing BSI students who want to continue through to eighth grade.
Second priority goes to New York City students based on selection criteria.
Interested potential fifth grade students will be considered based on fourth grade report cards (35%) math and ELA results from the state test (17.5% each), attendance (10%), and academic and personal behavior (20%). **
All of these factors are important for consideration, and BSI is typically far overenrolled for new students.
The NYC Gifted and Talented Assessment
The Gifted and Talented Assessment (G&T exam) drives admissions to a few selective lower schools in New York City.
The G&T exam includes two separate tests: the Otis Lennon School Ability Test, or OLSAT, and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, or NNAT. These two exams measure student performance for verbal and non-verbal abilities.
The OLSAT is thirty questions long and counts for half of the G&T score. This test is verbal-based and designed to test reasoning and comprehension. During the exam, students must hunt for patterns and relationships based on words or numbers, decide how to compare or contract items, and solve basic reasoning problems.
The remainder of the G&T exam is the NNAT, which is a bit longer (forty-eight questions) and measures nonverbal ability. The NNAT is designed to show students shapes and symbols only, upon which they will need to make deductions, find patterns, and compare different items.
Our G&T resource page has helpful information on the G&T assessment. In addition, we offer sample questions so families can decide whether the G&T assessment might be a good match for their child.
Brooklyn School of Inquiry | How to Prepare
For students who are interested in the gifted and talented track for lower school admissions, only the G&T assessment score matters.
While the minimum cutoff is the 97th percentile, as mentioned above due to competition a 99th percentile result is more competitive.
Unless BSI expands again to include additional classes, students should aim for the best possible G&T exam results to join BSI next year.
A great way to start on G&T prep is to review basic info on the test and our top test prep tips.
You can also access a practice OLSAT and practice NNAT test by clicking the buttons below.
Download Free OLSAT Practice Test
Download NNAT Practice Test PDF
For middle school admissions, the key criteria will be fourth year grades, state test results, and general attendance and behavioral reports.
For some students, the coming months may be prime time to revisit some weaker areas or brush up before the state tests in the hopes of becoming more competitive for admissions to BSI.
## How Can We Help?
At Origins Tutoring, we believe that preparation for Brooklyn School of Inquiry admissions does not have to be daunting and exasperating; instead, it can represent an important opportunity along a student’s path to learning mastery. Indeed, the perspectives and abilities acquired during preparation can last throughout a student’s school career and beyond.
Our two-track approach to mastering content and improving test-taking skills means that students will not only thoroughly understand the fundamental concepts and skills on the Gifted and Talented test, but they will also excel in using essential techniques to improve attitude, endurance and focus.
Our students hone their independent thinking skills while developing a resilient mindset so they can perform on test day in a powerful, resourceful, creative and calm manner. Each student in our program receives the undivided attention and expertise of a dynamic and experienced coach who provides the framework to support each student on his unique path to becoming a master learner.
Please call 917.287.7927 now for a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can help your child achieve his or her personal best.
