3 Weeks until the JATP Deadline: Are You Ready?
Only 3 weeks remain until all JATP results need to be sent to Atlanta Area schools. Don’t worry if you haven’t made your child’s testing appointment, yet! We’ll walk you through everything you need to know below so you’ll feel confident and prepared checking this off of your to-do list.
Even if you haven't narrowed down your school choices, working your way through a "behind the scenes" checklist will be one less thing on your mind as you visit Open Houses and schedule school tours.
What Is It?
• The Joint Admissions Testing Program (JATP) is a required standardized cognitive test for applicants in grades K-5.
• AAAIS (Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools) has partnered with member psychologists to streamline the admissions process as best they can--by establishing a Joint Admissions Testing Program (JATP) for applicants in grades K-5. This evaluation meets the testing requirements of JATP member schools and can only be administered once per twelve months.
How Do I Register?
JATP testing for applicants interested in the 2019-2020 school year began in October. JATP registration can be submitted at any time. Just remember that no school will consider a JATP evaluation until application has been completed (this is the first step).
1. Registration and payment for testing is electronic. From the JATP website, download the PDF registration form, complete information, save to your computer, and email completed PDF directly to the psychologist of your choice. Remember to indicate school(s) of your choice and respond to all questions and information on your form. You may only submit JATP registration to a single psychologist. All Atlanta-based child psychologists are ethical and professional. However, understanding your child’s personality can only clarify your process of elimination as you “interview” several psychologists by combing their websites and asking for referrals.
2. The psychologist will contact you for an appointment (upon receipt of your registration and payment). All testing appointments are made by individual psychologists--not by schools. Testing begins next month for the 2019-2020 school year. There is truly no advantage to waiting later in the school year under the guise that your child will be "older and more mature." Norms of the standardized tests used in JATP compare students within a narrow age range. Waiting until closer to the admissions deadline will just increase stress and may limit your appointment options.
3. After confirming your testing appointment, add your psychologist's information directly in your Ravenna account. Enter your psychologist's name and contact information in the appropriate field within any one of your school applications. A school application only has to be started (not necessarily completed) in Ravenna and you only need to add the psychologist one time. You will not receive test results until this step is completed.
4. Results of testing is sent electronically to the school(s) indicated through the Ravenna system. Friday, February 8, 2019 is the deadline for test results to be received by the schools.
5. Expect to receive results and test score summary by email or mail (postmarked within 10 days after testing).
All information for registration can be found directly on the JATP website.
What Can I Expect?
Cognitive evaluation is based on a single, one-to-one interaction of approximately 35 to 90 minutes on a particular day in a student’s life.
From the JATP website: During a JATP appointment, a licensed psychologist will administer a nationally standardized measure of cognitive functioning and mental ability on a one-to-one basis. Your child will be involved in many tasks that measure verbal, visual, and visual motor abilities. Depending on the child’s age and individual variation, testing time may range from approximately 35 to 90 minutes. After the test, parents will receive a summary of scores and each school will receive a more detailed report. To receive the detailed report and more fully understand your child’s results, we recommend scheduling the optional feedback session with the psychologist for further interpretation.
Research suggests that there are many kinds of intelligence and types of learning styles, so reports from the JATP testing must be kept in perspective. Many subjective variables which affect the scores can be present in young children. Mental ability tests of any kind – individual or group – measure convergent thinking (where there is generally only one acceptable answer), not divergent thinking (which leads to multiple answers and is often exhibited by highly creative children).
•On test day, your child will meet with the psychologist for his/her private session. Depending on the child’s age, you can expect this to range anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half.
• Your child will be given 9 sub-tests (do the math and you can see that each “mini assessment” is just that—a tiny snapshot. This includes time for verbal directions). Teachers and admissions committees know this—the standardized JATP is simply a measure to “level the playing field” in the private school admissions world.
• You will expect to receive a table showing that IQ classification and national percentile your child scored in based on his/her test scores and psychologist’s observations (think Verbal Comprehension, Fluid Reasoning, Full Scale IQ). Ratings go along the lines of “Very Superior,” “Superior,” “High Average,” etc.
• For an additional $200 fee, you can set up a follow-up appointment with the psychologist to explain the results. We recommend that families take advantage of this opportunity because you will be privy to the exact documentation that the psychologist’s office sends to schools. This report will give a description of the 9 sub-tests and your child’s score (compared to a percentile rank and description of how that compares to the national average). This data is then calculated to compute a full-scale IQ. The JATP is not a measure to calculate your child’s innate IQ. Especially for early learners (think grades K, 1, 2), the JATP simply cannot offer a comprehensive perspective into your child’s learning profile or strengths/weaknesses. Child psychological testing is unreliable in the early age group due to small sample sizes, static results, etc.
• Keep in mind that your child’s scores are being ranked against such a small population of the national snapshot. Case in point—only 13 schools in the Atlanta Area require this test. Given the small sample size of comparison in addition to a narrow number of test questions, please realize that the JATP is not an “end all be all” measurement of your child’s future success as a learner. Understand that the JATP is merely a concise standardized measurement that can be administered to all K-5 applicants fairly and without bias.
How Can I Prepare?
Based on the explanation above on the purpose and design of the JATP itself, hopefully it is evident that the JATP is not a test one prepares for. The JATP is not a "coachable" test. Rather, the evaluation is designed to give schools a glimpse into your student's critical thinking and problem solving skills. Tutoring and coaching are not ethical forms of preparation for this type of test. But, rest assured, there are still some things you can do as a parent to help your child on this aspect of admissions:
- Make sure your child has a good night's sleep the night before the test
- Give your child a hearty breakfast the day of the test
- Try not to stress about the JATP. Children feed off their parents' energy, emotions, and anxiety. Try to de-emphasize the "magnitude" of the JATP and instead, tell your child exactly what the process will be like--a conversation and experience with a new friend who will guide your child through discussions, activities, and puzzles.
- Remember that the JATP is merely one aspect of the entire admissions portfolio. Feel free to discuss with each school how the JATP will be used in the application process. Recognize that each school has its own guidelines for admissions, including observations, interviews, and past school performances.
- Please, please, please reschedule the JATP testing date if your child is sick, ill, overly tired, or otherwise inconvenienced. You want this snapshot to offer the most accurate description of your child's thinking and reasoning. The member psychologists are understanding and accommodating. Especially if you start the process early, you have more "wiggle room" should something come up on testing day.
- There is an option to return to for a follow-up appointment with the psychologist following the JATP (this requires an additional fee). A lot of parents opt to go this route—if even solely for peace of mind. This follow-up will provide some color into your child’s unique results and give you a more thorough perspective of how your child compares to a narrow age range (and more closely mirrors the report which is sent to schools of your choosing). So, take the time to understand the score summary and schedule a post-test appointment with your chosen psychologists (for an additional fee) for more detailed feedback.
How Much Is It?
Test fees are now $240. An optional feedback session fee runs at $200 (we highly recommend!).
Who Are the Member Schools?
• Atlanta Area Member Schools Include: Galloway, Heritage Prep, Holy Innocents', Lovett, Mount Vernon Presbyterian, Pace Academy, St. Francis Schools, St. Martin's, Trinity, Walker School, Wesleyan, Westminster, and Whitefield.
Who Should I Contact If I Have Additional Questions?
The chairmanship of JATP rotates every two years among member schools. The Chair for 2018-2020 is Heritage Preparatory School and the direct contact would be: Ellie Pitt, Director of Admissions at: Ellie.pitt@heritageprep.org or at 404-815-7711.