Those of you who have been reading these columns know that I am ambivalent towards NYC’s gifted and talented program. Ever since Mayor Adams scrapped screening for admissions, I reason that basically any child who isn’t acting out or being a nuisance in their current PreK classrooms will receive a nomination for Kindergarten G&T. This makes it harder to know what to do if you received a seat in an NYC G&T program for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.
For someone like our son who is now reading at a 1st grade level based on Fountas and Pinnell’s assessment and is nearing year-end Kindergarten competency in math, the 2022 change in admissions means that the ongoing risk of decreased student ability within the gifted and talented program has neutered the advantages it is supposed to provide.
A gifted and talented program that lacks testing and clear standards for entry might not be as effective as one that has these requirements. Without objective measures of giftedness and talent, it is difficult to ensure that the program is serving the students who truly need and benefit from it. Additionally, a lack of clear standards may lead to inconsistencies in the program’s quality, with some students receiving more challenging and enriching opportunities than others.
Especially in NYC where only the five citywide G&T programs are accelerated by a year, the lack of standards not just for students but for what an “accelerated curriculum” looks like means that increasingly, there is only the most negligible of differences between a gifted and talented program and a general education one. Those are:
- On average, more vested student body that takes academics seriously
- On average, more involved parents who care about education
It’s important to note that you can have an IEP and be gifted, so for parents who think that a gifted and talented program means no children with IEPs, chuck that misconception out the door. You can also be gifted and still have social and emotional hurdles to overcome, so being part of a gifted and talented program will not mean having a magical classroom where the kids are all well adjusted.
To accept the gifted and talented seat or not?
Something is better than nothing, right? So yes, accept that gifted and talented program seat. If there are schools you’re on the waitlist for that you want, keep working the waitlists.
But know this: the reality is that your child will have one teacher for 25 students in Kindergarten – gifted and talented program or not. There is only so much that one adult can do with a gaggle of 5 year olds. If there are fewer kids in the general education program that you received an offer for, you’ll have to weigh the benefits of having a lower teacher:student ratio. I personally would take more adult oversight.
In older grades, there is one adult for up to 32 students from 1st-6th grades. Governor Hochul did sign a new law last year capping class sizes as follows:
- 20 students for Kindergarten through third-grade classes,
- 23 students in grades four through eight, and
- 25 students for high school classes. 1 teacher for 20 students will still be tricky, but a welcome change.
Once you’ve accepted your seat, be prepared to supplement school anyway. Last year, this was our supplemental learning at home plan during our son’s PreK year – we had a ton of fun and it didn’t require more than 30 minutes a day.
More ideas to support curious children in a gifted and talented program
Here are some additional ideas for how parents can support their gifted children in kindergarten:
- Foster a love of learning: Encourage your child to explore their interests and provide opportunities for them to learn about topics that excite them. This is stuff you probably already do all the time: involve them in reading books, watching educational videos, or visiting museums and other cultural institutions.
- Provide a stimulating environment: Set up a space in your home where your child can engage in creative play and exploration. Stock it with art supplies, building blocks, puzzles, and other materials that encourage open-ended exploration and experimentation.
- Promote social-emotional development: Help your child develop social and emotional skills by modeling positive behaviors and providing opportunities for them to interact with other children. This can involve playdates, joining clubs or teams, or participating in community events.
- Encourage critical thinking: Challenge your child to think deeply and critically about the world around them. Ask them open-ended questions and encourage them to come up with their own solutions to problems.
- Support independent learning: Provide your child with opportunities to learn independently, such as through online resources, educational apps, or books. Encourage them to take ownership of their own learning and pursue their interests at their own pace.
- Partner with your child’s teacher: Work closely with your child’s teacher to ensure that their educational needs are being met. Share information about your child’s interests and abilities, and work together to develop strategies for supporting their growth and development.
Do more research
Finally, take a look at the comprehensive educational plan of the school your gifted and talented program is at to see if it has additional information you can glean. You can find it here under the reports section. I also like the report on the arts!
You’ll see if the program is aligned with the science of reading (spoiler alert: many DOE schools in the city are not. Even NEST+m still uses the cueing method which has been debunked and just raises guessers rather than readers).
Caveat: some schools don’t do a great job filling them out. The one for NEST+m for example isn’t particularly great. But you do find out a bit about what curricula the school uses.
Help! I didn’t get a gifted and talented program seat!
All is not lost – in addition to what I mentioned above about supplementing school at home, remember that there’s another entry point in the later grades, but it doesn’t eliminate the problem of having non-qualified children in the program.
Also, the comprehensive educational plan I listed above is worth a glance. I’d go and see what curricula the citywide gifted and talented programs are using and find out if there’s a program for parents’ use. Singapore Math for example is used at NEST+m and they have a popular homeschooling version of the program.
FWIW, we have tried it and while it wasn’t for our son (he’s a Math with Confidence dude), I can see that it would appeal to other kids!
Finally, I will die on this hill: reading to learn and improving your child’s reading comprehension abilities is the most important academic skill a parent can help their child achieve (academic! not life skills!). Young children who learn to read early have more exposure to print, which creates a virtuous circle that solidifies reading and writing skills. Children who lag behind in reading skill development are more likely to develop negative attitudes about reading and school. This does not mean you have to formally teach preschoolers to read. It does mean teaching pre-reading skills, which is the point of emergent literacy. Adults can foster emergent literacy at home and at school.
This comprehensive guide to unlocking phonics helps you understand the scope and sequence for teaching reading skills and demystifies the jargon you’ll hear professional teachers use so that you confidently get your child reading to learn.
I also created the Confident Decision Maker’s Toolkit to help parents evaluating programs. If you’re on the hunt for a new school or program for your child, this toolkit has the data, questions, and decision making tools you need to choose the right program for your child. It is the most effective $50 you’ll spend!
