After several months of declaring that a gifted and talented announcement would come, Mayor Adams and Chancellor of Schools David Banks finally announced details of their plan today to expand the Accelerated Education model in public schools across the city.
“For the first time, there will be a Gifted and Talented program in every school district in New York City,” the mayor announced this morning, tuning into a press conference virtually as he recovered from Covid.
Former mayor de Blasio had announced the end of the program, but Adams has repeatedly promised to improve and expand it instead.
The city will now provide two entry points for students to enter the program: 100 kindergarten spaces will be added and 1,000 third-grade spaces will be added as part of a pilot program.
For the coming school year, the new kindergarten places will bring the total to 2,500.
To fill these seats, current pre-K students will be assessed by their teacher for nomination.
Applications for both programs open May 31.
“We are now expanding our gifted and talented third-year pilot program to include all districts in the city,” Banks explained. “The top 10% of sophomores from each school will be invited to apply to gifted and talented programs, with preference given to students applying to their home district, using academic grades from their four majors.”
“We screen students for gifted behavior based on their total academic performance, not just a single test,” Banks added in reference to the high-stakes, contested exam that was previously given to 4-year-olds.
“For too long we’ve had districts in our city that didn’t have programs for the gifted and talented,” Mayor Adams said. “We’re giving every child in every ZIP code the chance they’ve often been denied.”
The Chancellor said today’s announcement is just the start and the Department for Education will continue to listen to families and improve the curriculum.
“Today we’re just setting a baseline, not a cap,” Banks said. “What this announcement does today is provide families in Soundview in the Bronx, East Flatbush in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway and Jamaica in Queens and Port Richmond in Staten Island with expanded access to gifted and talented programs, fulfilling our commitment to developing accelerated learning in our city.”
Michael Garcia, parent of two students at PS 56 from Richmond Hill, spoke at the press conference. He learned today that the school will now receive a gifted and talented program.
“We didn’t have the opportunity to have a school with this type of program, so I wasn’t eligible, but I’m really excited that this opportunity now exists for other parents and families as well as for all New York residents across the city,” he said. said, adding that the programs offer inclusivity.
“When all of these things are going well, it’s good for the schools, it’s good for the parents, it’s good for the kids, and it’s good for the community,” Garcia said.
Elected officials also weighed in at the press conference, including MP David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) and MP Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven).
“We were so upset when the programs were scrapped last year and this is a wonderful opportunity for every district in the city to get a gifted and talented program,” Weprin said.
Rajkumar drew inspiration from her parents’ immigration experience and attributed her ability to become an assemblyman to the educational opportunities afforded her.
“Now, with the expansion of gifted and talented children, we are providing similar opportunities for children across the city,” she told the Chronicle.
“It also shows how the mayor is setting a national standard for education, because if we New Yorkers and Americans want to compete in the global marketplace and the world, we need to make sure our children have educational opportunities. like this one,” she said.
In a statement, State Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside), chairman of the New York City Senate Committee on Education, stressed the need for continued parental engagement.
“An expansion is good news, even if it’s based on a lottery and nebulous recommendations that many parents and families are concerned about,” Liu said. “Beyond this school year, the administration needs to make sure to engage parents and students who have long called for more accelerated learning to address these outstanding issues.”
Jenn Choi, a parent advocate for Woodside special education, worries about admissions criteria for students applying to gifted and talented programs, especially in third grade, the age around which students are most likely to be diagnosed as dyslexic.
“What concerns me right now, given the new news, will these new admissions methods be fair for students with disabilities?” she says.
The top 10% of sophomores will be invited to apply and their ELA scores will be among the top four considered, which Choi finds worrying.
“If they’re going to identify people based on their ELA scores, then I’m very concerned that students with dyslexia will automatically be taken out of that equation,” she said, adding that students in this population had very high levels. students. intelligence.
“I support accelerated education, absolutely, but if it’s not provided for in the means, I don’t even know if you could even call it accelerated education…Often the gifted and talented programs in one way or another another hurts students with disabilities,” Choi added, noting that she has not heard of any DOE engagement with parents in special education communities.
A press release from the mayor’s office said “the DOE met with a diverse set of parent representative groups and advocacy groups with a particular interest in this topic who provided thoughtful and nuanced comments.”