Edited by: TJVNews.com
Striving for political correctness and bowing to the cancel culture norms that have pervaded our national dialogue, NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio has now made the Gifted and Talented testing of 4-year olds who are entering the New York City public school system null and void, according to a New York Post report.
In his last year in office, DeBlasio has said that this year will be the final one in which the test is administered to children entering kindergarten. The program was originally initiated under the leadership of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an effort to help with accelerated learning and enrichment for children with a proven aptitude for academic success.
The Post reported that schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has promised to find a solution to this educational conundrum by September but the details on an alternative approach to helping gifted children were scant. As to Carranza’s personal perspective on the test given to these young children can be best summarized in what he told Chalkbeat two years ago: “Those tests — and it’s pretty clear — are more a measure of the privilege of a child’s home than true giftedness.”
Parents of kids entering the school system have been pressing the issue with the Department of Education, seeking answers as to whether their children can both take the test that if special curriculum will be available.
Proponents of the continuation of the test for gifted and talented children say that its advantages are that children with a proven aptitude can receive instruction at an appropriate pace and that it will serve as an educational springboard, according to the Post report.
Those who stand in staunch opposition to the administering of these tests claim that the model for admissions to the coveted programs are slanted in favor of families in a high income bracket who can afford to better prepare their kids for the exam. The opponents also say that the test is a poor indicator of academic ability in young children.
The Department of Education waffled on the test for many months until the mayor said on Tuesday that the test will be discontinued next year.
The Post also reported that districts serving predominantly black and Hispanic children stopped administering the gifted and talented tests in recent decades in favor of programs serving underperforming students.
Mayoral candidate, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the Post reported has a plan for reforming the exams. In June of 2017, he and Ruben Diaz, Jr., the Bronx Borough President “outlined changes that didn’t confuse equal access with equal outcomes.”
Many other observers of the suspension of the tests believe that the furtherance of a cultural agenda is involved in the decision. Some have speculated that doing away with the exam will force middle class families to seek educational alternatives for their children such as private schools or that families will seek to move out of New York City all together.
