My love Zoe,
Given the sub optimal public education system in Seattle, many parents explore additional public education services to supplement your standard learning. Two programs are Advanced Learning and Highly Capable Cohort. To be eligible for either one of these programs, first you need to take a screening test, and if you score in the top 94th percentile, you take the real qualification test.
We knew we had to prepare you for these tests, but we didn't want to make you nervous or stressed. You spend full days at school ,and when you come home you want to relax, and we knew it could be too much. So we decided to make it fun. Papa bought some practice tests, and I bought some cookies. When you came home from school one day, you found a plate with a big cookie and a cold glass of milk waiting for you next to the computer. You sat down with papa and practiced. We did this evening after evening, with different cookies. We called it a game. Your goal was to win the game, and we were measuring the effect of cookies on your performance. Which cookies were making you perform better. When things would get heated up, I'd switch with dad, and continue your practice. Of course, after a while, things would heat up with me. It's so hard to stay calm when we want you to do well, and you make a silly mistake or don't pay attention. I also know that it is too much to ask from a six year old, full of life and energy - to sit and answer questions after a long day at school. One thing I'm sure of, you were a great sport. You bore with it, and we all did our best.
Exam day came. We all drove down to a school in South Seattle. Kids in the waiting hall were sitting quietly next to their parents. One girl was playing chess with her dad. All the kids were calm, except for ours. You and Echo were running around, moving from seat to seat. We were the only ones who spilled their drink. We can't compete with these families, papa and I thought. You two light up the space with energy. You are not mellow, with a mysterious ability to ignore stimuli.
It was your time to go in to the exam room. We stayed in the waiting hall, entertaining Echo. Then kids started coming out at varying intervals. Finally you stepped out, content and relaxed. You mentioned that there was a problem with your booklet but that they fixed it. We were not going to let that info slide after the effort we all put into it. I went to speak to the supervisor who explained that your booklet had extra pages with extra questions. You noticed the problem and raised your hand to alert them! He said they fixed the problem for the time being, and they separated your booklet from the pile to make sure it is further fixed so the computer can scan it. "This never happened before," he added, which to me meant, they had no process already in place to fix it. I told him that I needed to be further reassured that it will be fixed, so I needed to know how. I suggested that they copy your answers to another booklet in my presence. He wanted to hold off on that, to explore other options. I wasn't rude, but I was persistent. I added, as a concerned mother, that for the system, Zoe is one of the thousands of kids taking this exam, whereas for me, she is the one. He understood me. He said his name was Tom, and volunteered to give his cell number. I eyed his badge for a last name, but that too only said Tom. He told me to call him on Tuesday, after he talks to the school district office. It was way past lunch time, and we were starving. We drove to a pizzeria nearby where I asked dad to go back and talk to Tom. Not having a last name worried me. What if he didn't answer the phone... There are so many Toms. On Tuesday, I called Tom. He said that they decided to copy the answers to another booklet in the presence of a witness. He said something polite about understanding the type of person I am and offered to meet so I can compare the answers in both booklets and see if they were copied right. I gave a sigh of relief that he offered it first. I didn't need to explain myself to this guy. He already knew me. He said he would have wanted the same if it were his child.
Next Saturday, I drove back down to the same school to meet Tom and inspect the booklets. The answers were copied correctly. We were focusing only on the answers, but I was trying to glance at the questions as best I could to get a sense of how well you did. Your verbal and math were impressive, but I saw errors in the analytical section - consistent with your practice test results. Then the waiting period started. Were you going to qualify for the real test?
A couple of nights ago I logged in to the website and saw that your real test is scheduled for January 7! I called papa and we went crazy. We ran to your room and tried hard to wake you up and celebrate. You are such a deep sleeper! We hugged you and told you that you that you passed. We still don't know your score, but we know that you must have scored in the 94th percentile (top 6% of students) to qualify for the real test. And you did! Now we need to start practicing for it. It's going to be a 3 hour long test. It's insane to expect 6 year olds to concentrate for that long. We promised you we would do the cookie experiment again while we practice. We also promised to do anything you want and go anywhere you want after the exam. You are such a smart little girl with a gem of a brain. Everyone who interacts with you closely notices that about you. Your class teacher during the parent-teacher conference said "what I like most about Zoe is how her brain works."
It's going to be tougher to pass the full test. The passing requirements are higher (top 5% in verbal and math + top 2% in at least 1 of the 3 categories), and you'll be competing against the very best who already passed the first test! From what we hear, a lot of the kids will be on the autism spectrum with great ability to focus on single things but with limited social skills... If you don't meet the required criteria, nothing bad will happen. You will still be my happy, smart and charming Zoe. You might actually end up being a happier child if you don't qualify, or we can try again next year.
I love you!
Mommy
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