By: Ellen Cans
City Hall received a heated letter signed by about 1,600 parents, blasting it for its silence regarding admissions for next year’s Gifted and Talented program. Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled middle and high school entry criteria, however, officials did not make any mention of the accelerated academic programs for the 2021/2022 school year.
“It is highly concerning that the DOE has not yet renewed the contract for the G&T entrance exams in July,” the parents’ letter read. “It is even more alarming that after the DOE opened Kindergarten application on December 14 the G&T information was notably absent in Mayor de Blasio’s December 18 middle school and high school announcement,” said the letter, which was addressed to Mayor de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.
The letter was penned by Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education, an advocacy group formed in September 2019. The group maintains that all NYC students have a right to an appropriate education, including accelerated learners. Kids, ages 4-years-old and up, can be admitted into accelerated programs based on a standardized exam score.
As reported by the NY Post, City Hall has scrapped academic screening for middle schools next year but allowed them for high schools, citing the need to address the impact of the coronavirus. Nothing has been announced yet, however, as to the status of the Gifted and Talented programs. The parents’ letter requests the preservation of the program and the administration of the exam without delay. “We oppose any drastic, wholesale changes to successful programs during a time of uncertainty without family input and without due diligence on the merits of such programs,” the letter reads. “Instead, the DOE should expand G&T programs to all districts with additional 3k and pre-k programs to support families interested in G&T,” the letter further says.
As per the Post, the screened school admissions have critics who hold that families with better resources are the beneficiaries, while few African-Americans and Hispanics are enrolled. Supporters of the screened programs debate that advanced children should get the opportunity to learn at their appropriate pace, and argue that many low-income immigrants are enrolled.
“Last month’s announcement focused on middle and high school admissions, and we look forward to sharing more information with families regarding the gifted and talented exam soon,” said DOE spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon, in response. “As always, health and safety is our number one priority and the previous contract vote was rescheduled to address questions about potential modifications to the test that account for the global pandemic.”