More details on G&T admissions
The Times has some interesting district-by-district G&T numbers in its coverage today of the sudden change in G&T admissions criteria.
First, the Times is reporting that 3,000 children will score high enough to be guaranteed seats in kindergarten and 1st grade in the fall. This is significantly more than the "more than 2,300" estimated in the DOE's press release yesterday and the 2,400 the DOE says are currently enrolled in the entry grades of G&T programs.
The Times reports that there are actually 4,649 students enrolled in G&T kindergarten and 1st grades right now, and that next year 4,916 students will be eligible for seats in those grades, either because they scored high enough or because they are already enrolled in a G&T kindergarten. (In some districts, gifted programs begin in kindergarten; in others, they begin in 1st grade. Children entering both grades citywide are guaranteed a seat if they meet the new standard. Read more about G&T programs. )
Also in the Times article: District 7 in the South Bronx wouldn't have been able to field a gifted program next year had the 95th percentile cutoff stood -- only five children would have qualified. Under the new rules, 13 children qualify -- so the district's kindergarten G&T landscape will shrink from two schools to one, where classes will be very small. Kids in District 16 won't be so lucky; the Times reports that even under the relaxed standard only five kids qualify for G&T, so they will have to travel to neighboring districts if they want to take advantage of their test-earned right.
And some surprising news: While District 22's kindergarten G&T programs will be slashed by at least two-thirds for the fall, there could be as many as 60 percent more children in G&T programs in District 3 -- the Times reports that 310 kids tested at the 90th percentile or higher, compared to 192 students currently enrolled in the entry grades. Still no word about District 2.
2 comments:
Despite the fact that more children have qualified than are currently in the g&t programs, surely many children will turn offers down due to either private school acceptances, geographical undesirability of g&t offers or other reasons. So final numbers could end up being smaller than at present.
Why is Districtr 22 facing a 60% cut in its G&T program. This blog proves what all of us were arguing all along - that the DOE tampering with the G&T is limiting rather than increasing availability. The 95% cut off was ridiculous as even educators did not understand some of the questions and the 90% cutoff still does not include all those children that need accelerated learning.
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