January 2024 update: the brand new 2024-2025 NYC gifted and talented program post is available for your viewing pleasure!
Summer 2023 update: this post gives pointers on what to do if you’ve received a G&T waitlist offer. If you didn’t get a seat in the gifted and talented program, take advantage of the comprehensive pre-reading and phonics guide for preschoolers – it’s the hill I’ll die on. If you want your kid to succeed, you can’t afford to leave their reading instruction to the whims of the DOE. More than half of NYC schools will not have access to structured literacy programs until the 2024-2025 school year.
April 2023 update: this post walks parents through the decision process for the NYC gifted and talented program. Good luck parents!
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City parents received some bombshell news this week regarding Kindergarten admissions and the NYC G&T program. I’ve been stewing in anxiety even though I know that there’s nothing I can do about the process or the outcome. Let’s recap what we know as of December 2nd and I’ll update this post again once I attend the December 8th DOE sponsored virtual admissions chat for parents of 3K, PreK, and Kindergarten students.
Facts and figures: the odds of getting a spot in the NYC G&T program
It’s not looking pretty parents, but the semi good news is that it hasn’t gotten worse?
There are 2,500 G&T Kindergarten seats (100 seats were added in 2022 versus seats available in previous years) and over 70,000 Kindergarteners. Not every Kindergartener is going to receive a nomination for an NYC G&T program, but it has become the Wild Wild West in the name of equality and local education consultants estimate that 15,000 – 20,000 children received a nomination for the 22-23 school year.
I say “estimate” because just like Trump’s tax returns, the city for the first time declined to release actual figures of how many students received nominations for the 22-23 school year. We do know that in the most recent year for which data was available, 10,000 students were deemed eligible for the 2400 available seats.
But even though you’d think this means you have a 24% chance of getting a seat, the odds are actually lower. If you live in Brooklyn for example, you are unlikely to commute to East Harlem for a G&T program. Heck, I don’t even know that the commute to Bensonhurst is realistic for someone in the Northern part of Brooklyn.
So the realistic number of seats to consider is the number of seats available at the handful of schools you would actually commute to. That might mean there are only 5 schools, and most have just 1-2 classes per grade. The Kindergarten maximum number of students is 25, though in theory many try to keep enrollment lower, even popular schools. So best case scenario, you’re looking at 40-50 seats * 5 schools for a total of 200-250 G&T seats that you would realistically consider.
Lies, damned lies, and statistics
The NYC G&T program is not a true gifted program. Only 5 schools in the entire city offer accelerated education (meaning students learn material that is one year ahead of peers; 1st grade material in Kindergarten, 2nd grade material in 1st grade, etc.). This means EVERY and I mean EVERY local school only offers an enriched program.
What pray tell is an enriched G&T program?
Simple: no one knows what it means! In practice, it’s one where teachers have immense leeway to do as they please as long as they complete the prescribed learning plan for the general education program. If the class finishes the year’s prescribed curriculum in 6 months, the rest of the time is spent doing additional projects or going on additional field trips. Or a teacher can choose to perhaps spend 3 months spiraling into an ecology unit instead of just spending two weeks on it.
Because there is no such thing as a gifted and talented curriculum (not just in NYC), there is no way to actually measure the worth of an NYC gifted and talented program. And as always, it all depends on how good the teacher is at implementation and teaching.
There are plenty of stories where parents with one child in the general education program and one child in the G&T program report that the child in the GENERAL education program is learning much more and having a better year.
Tour, tour baby
The best way to find out if gen ed or the local NYC Gifted and Talented program is for you is to take a Kindergarten tour. Of course, it doesn’t help that the NYC DOE hasn’t released information on eligibility criteria, and that they want parents to rank all G&T programs alongside gen ed and DLP programs WITHOUT having expanded the number of schools you can put down (still capped at 12).
This is a huge downgrade for the 2023-2024 NYC Kindergarten class. In the past, parents could list 12 gen ed schools, then another 12 G&T schools if they were deemed eligible.
In an even more head scratching twist, parents are being asked to rank G&T programs without knowing if their child is eligible. Talk about idiotic. Woe is you if you waste 5 of your 12 slots on G&T programs and aren’t actually eligible. Your chances of getting a school you want has gone down!
Also, horror story alert: some very unfortunate parents never received G&T nominations even though their teachers said their child would receive one when parents had inquired. You really can’t know that your child will receive a nomination unless you ask for proof and obvs that is awkward as hell.
Finally, ask the principal about their G&T program if they offer one. I was surprised to hear the strong disdain that a local principal had towards her school’s G&T program last fall. I had the distinct impression she looked down upon it because it did not support her vision of equality, and it made me think that it was a pure competitive play for enrollment.
To add insult to injury
Siblings get priority for G&T programs even though there is no evidence that they are actually as smart as their older siblings. This is a ludicrous exemption tantamount to legacy admissions at colleges and goes against every claim of diversity and inclusion out there. Yes, I agree that parents with multiple kids should have a shot a having a consolidated commute. BUT, not at the expense of a more qualified child.
And, also – plenty of kids got nominations last year simply because they were well behaved meaning they listened, did as they were told, and were social with other kids. It had nothing to do with whether they were academically ahead – I know a handful who didn’t even know basic decoding principles for pre-reading.
TL:DR: NYC’s G&T programs are being diluted to the point that a regular gen ed program might be better and less of a hassle to commute to. But if you’re honest and think your child would benefit from a G&T education AND would not hold back peers, rank those schools.
Also if you don’t get in, supplemental learning for kids is the way to go. NYC kids will have another shot at admissions in 3rd grade (sometimes even in 1st and 2nd grade), and many believe that the criteria used to determine eligibility in 3rd grade are actually more realistic.
Finally, there is always private school! I jest, but you know – it’s good to have options.
And to readers who are meeting me here for the very first time, I am passionate to a fault about this topic. I think you either have to do away with G&T programs entirely and treat the entire student population as deserving of top-notch instruction (my vote), or go to a merit based system for entry because otherwise, it’s truly just not fair.
