G&T update on citywide and district programs
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This fall, kindergarten gifted andtalented programs opened in 27 of the city’s 32 districts. That’s in addition to five programs which are open to students citywide.
Students who score at the 97th percentile or above are eligible for citywide programs, but last year, because of the large number of students qualifying, only children scoring in the 99th percentile or above were admitted to NEST +M and the Anderson School. To gain admission to the new Brooklyn School of Inquiry, a score in the 98th percentile was needed. Only at TAG and the new STEM Academy at PS 85, in Queens, was a score at the 97th percentile sufficient.
The DOE said last year they planned to open additional citywide programs in the Bronx and Staten Island for the fall of 2010. No decision yet as to whether these programs will actually materialize for next fall. According to DOE spokesperson Andy Jacob they are still looking at that question.
“Our goal is to keep expanding the citywide programs,” he said. Starting new programs would depend on “being able to find a site near enough to public transportation and be[ing] confident that we have enough demand.” He did not rule out the possibility of opening a second site in Brooklyn or Queens. (Last spring a citywide program was planned for PS 20 in Fort Greene but that program was canceled after the principal was accused of assaulting a teacher and not enough families applied for it.)
As for the district programs, overcrowding may have attributed to some popular schools not taking an incoming G&T kindergarten class this year. Those include Manhattan’s PS 116, and in Brooklyn, PS 217 and PS 195 in District 22 and PS 185 in District 20. Neither PS 153 in Maspeth, Queens, nor PS 153 in Coop City, which are both long-standing G&T sites, took in a new class this year.
Meanwhile, there are some rather surprising additions to the list of new G&T programs: PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island and PS 33 in Chelsea. A few schools once again accepted a new G&T kindergarten class, after not doing so for a year, such as PS 3 in Bedford Stuyvesant.
Certain districts lag far behind in the number of children testing and qualifying for G&T programs. Five districts did not have enough students registered to open new G&T kindergarten classes this year: Districts 7 and 9 in the Bronx, and Districts 16, 19, and 23 in Brooklyn. Data about how many students qualified in each district was released by the DOE last spring, and analyzed on GothamSchools.
“We have to have a minimum number to actually open a program,” Jacob said. “If we can’t open a class in a particular district, students are given a placement in another district.” Kindergartners and 1st graders who test at or above the 90th percentile are guaranteed a seat somewhere.
We asked the DOE where children in those districts ended up. Students from Districts 7 and 9 in the Bronx were assigned to Manhattan schools, including the district program at TAG, PS 98 in Inwood, or PS 153 in Morningside Washington Heights. Those who stayed in the Bronx went to either PS 182 in District 8 or PS 214 in District 12.
In Brooklyn, District 16 and District 23 students went to PS 376 in Bushwick; District 19 students went to PS 115 in Canarsie.
Students who arrive in New York City too late to apply for G&T may test for in the summer. According to the DOE, only 25 students tested for kindergarten and 1st grade seats over the summer - and 14 of those qualified and were offered seats.
We’ve heard about overcrowding in some G&T programs, including the kindergarten class at PS 132 in Williamsburg. That school added a para-professional to help teach a class of 29 students. Other programs may be under-enrolled.
We’ll keep you posted as we get updates. Let us know what’s happening in your school.
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In my school in Queens, we were slated to get an incoming G/T program, but we didn’t. We have had G/T in our schools for 28 years.
Why weren’t we mentioned in your blog?
Comment by ReeRee — October 1, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
Hi ReeRee — We didn’t mention every school but please let us know what’s happening at your school! What school is it? And, any idea of why the G&T program got taken away? Maybe parents can lobby to have it come back?
Comment by Insideschools — October 2, 2009 @ 11:59 am
TAG young scholars is a joke PTA serves no purpose how can such a good school have no direction fire the pricipal need new blood Yes I am a parent at the school. Why citywide are racially divided somebody please answer this question because it is obvious. Black and Latino kids have been denied a good education for too long politicians please stand up we need to fight for our future OBama’s and Sonia’s
Comment by hate TWEED — October 2, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
They do need to expand citywide programs in Queens.The one in Astoria is not very convenient.(difficult to commute to if you don’t qualify for the yellow bus)Otherwise also one program is hardly enough. DOE does need to open up one in Forest Hills-Rego Park-Kew Gardens area.
Comment by Anonymous — October 2, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
While I am opposed to this ridiculous idea of G & T programs for very young children and the way the DOE does this, I am also a little put off by the writer’s comment above about a G & T program at Roosevelt Island’s PS/IS 217. This should not be a “surprise” to anyone — this is a very good school with excellent parent involvement and engagement with very good teachers. After struggling with some bizarre demographics when more apartments on the Island opened with more young families with young children, the quality of education at this school was questionable for a brief moment, but it is a good school with dedicated teaching staff, leadership and active parents.
Comment by Anonymous — October 5, 2009 @ 9:57 am
I am confused by the admissions process for the district G&T. As I read the rules on the application form last year, my understanding is that once we accept a placement offer for a G&T seat in a school, we cannot do transfers to another G&T program in another school unless the child takes the test again in the following year and re-applies through the DOE. I was told that there are no waiting lists for G&T spots.
I am therefore puzzled when I heard that there were 2 new children added to a G&T class in a school in Queens on Sept. 15th (the week after school officially re-opened), and yet another 3rd student joined the class yesterday on Oct. 5th. Interestingly enough, I heard the first 2 children were already in Gen. Ed classes in that school during the first week, and the 3rd child was actually attending the G&T program in another school within the same district in Queens. Has the DOE changed their rules? If not, then why were all parents not informed about these loopholes in the system? It is starting to look like a game of musical chairs in the G&T class of this particular Queens school.
Comment by concerned parent — October 6, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
Does anyone know the gender breakdown of the G&T tests? The entering K class at NEST is 2/3 girls; I’ve heard that Anderson has precisely the opposite situation: 2/3 boys. Both schools added an extra K class to deal with overload (NEST now has 6 K classes, Anderson 3); there are no comments yet from Tweed about how they plan to handle the space issues that will be created as these extra bodies move up through the grades. Nor is it clear whether the DOE will now see these “extra” classes as the standard number for each school, thus continuing to put pressure on already tight classroom spaces.
Comment by DebQ — October 7, 2009 @ 9:10 am
#6’s comments sound like P.S.101Q in Forest Hills. I have many friends’ children who attend P.S. 101Q so that story sounds right, and the dates sound right. I also find it highly unusual that 3 children would be added to a G&T class DURING the school term, and not at the BEGINNING of the school year. I would also be interested in getting my child a transfer this month to P.S.101Q G&T’s class from a G&T program within District 28. Can Insideschools help and advise me as to whom shall I contact to get this done?
Comment by fed-up parent — October 7, 2009 @ 10:02 am
#6, I did contact PS101Q and they said they were all booked up!If they have space you could contact the Office of Enrollment.Anyone has any thoughts about the G&T program at 174Q?
Comment by Anonymous — October 7, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Sorry the above was in response to #8 not #6!
Comment by Anonymous — October 7, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
To the editors: PS 153 is located in Washington Heights, not Morningside Heights.
Comment by Anonymous — October 7, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
In response to No. 4, for years, many of us in the Forest Hills/Kew Gardens area (which sits on top of a transit hub - subway, express buses, railroad)have begged DOE and local politicians for a G&T school (not program) to be established in our area. Yet, somehow, this never happens. Instead, we have PS 303 established in space that many in the community wanted to see become at very least, a G&T middle school, perhaps even one with an arts focus. (There is space on the site to expand, by the way.) DOE seems to have no understanding of how difficult it is to get around in Queens (we’re not Manhattan!) and how we need a G&T school in central Queens, on top of a major transit site, such as FH, Kew Gardens, and possibly parts of Rego Park or Elmhurst, along the Queens Blvd. corridor. There are sites available, but somehow, DOE never seems to consider them. Many kids in Queens get into G&T schools in Manhattan and ultimately decide not to attend, even for middle school, as the commute is too difficult. Give us a break, DOE!
Comment by Queens Parent — October 7, 2009 @ 7:08 pm
To No. 9, I sympathize with you, but it appears that PS 101 was not forthcoming with their information given to you, and/or the DOE Enrollment Office messed up and enrolled 3 children into a G&T class that is already maxed out. How can the Principal allow this overcrowding to happen? Doesn’t DOE communicate with the Principal and confirm numbers anymore?? If DOE can’t even manage to place students in a district G&T program without even checking to see if it is filled, it’s no wonder that DOE can’t make good decisions about establishing a G&T school in an area in Queens where it is easier for the commute of many families.
Comment by g+t parent — October 7, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
#12, I totally agree with you. We do need G&T school in Forest Hills/Kew Gardens area. This area is very convenient unlike Astoria. (Actually getting to Anderson’s in Manhattan is easier than getting to stem in Queens!!)
Is there any way we can get the message across to DOE?Maybe they can put up a program in Central Queens for the coming school year?
Comment by Anonymous — October 8, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
I am the parent of a child in the G&T class at PS101 in Queens. The statements above that are true regarding the class are that 3 children were indeed added to the class this year. It is also true that all 3 children were already students at 101. The first 2 children were in gen ed classes at 101 initially and the third had transferred from 101 to another G&T class in queens and then came back to 101. What is not described in any of the above comments is the uproar that occurred at our school last year in response to the composition of our class. The G&T class that began in first grade last year was composed of about 12 students from outside of our zone. Students whose parents chose our school after they met the standards as set by the DOE. They did EXACTLY what they had an option to do….which was to choose our wonderful school. This unfortunately led to overcrowding in the other gen ed classes….up to 31 students in some classes. This created tremendous distress and concern to the parents at our school. Many of us still cannot understand how this was not better prepared for by our school’s administration.
Many wanted the program removed, some suggested relocating the out of zone students to other schools. Needless to say, it got very ugly. In some instances, totally inappropriate and embarassing.
As the class was already at its cap of 26 students, our school (or really the PA with support from the parents of the G&T class) proposed that we allow the class to be larger to attempt to ease the overcrowding. We proposed to the DOE that they only allow these slots to be filled by 101 students who met the G&T requirements based on re-testing. This would maintain the G&T standard requirements and serve the main purpose of easing overcrowding. Thus, this was a DIRECT response to OUR PARENTS concerns about overcrowding in our classrooms at 101. I believe this proposal was evaluated and approved by the DOE. I cannot attest to who chose these students or how the selection was done. I am going to believe that it was done fairly and accurately.
This is the truth as I know it. So #8, there is likely “no room at the inn” in the PS101 G&T class.
Comment by G&T parent in Queens — October 9, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
Pamela please I want to know how many black and latino kids scored 995 AND HOW MANY WERE ACCEPTED TO aNDERSON AND nEST
Comment by hate TWEED — October 9, 2009 @ 4:21 pm