Overhaul Set for Gifted Programs

Entry to gifted and talented programs in public schools could become even more competitive this year, following a push by the city's Department of Education to set a higher admission standard — and to get more children to apply.

Moving away from the current system, in which admissions standards vary widely from school to school, the department is proposing a single standard of giftedness for all schools. Every student deemed gifted would be guaranteed a spot, but the bar would be raised substantially higher, likely so high that many students admitted under last year's process would be shut out, the schools chancellor, Joel Klein, said.

Mr. Klein said as many as half of the students admitted to some programs under last year's process might not make the cut under the new rules. But he said raising the bar is an important step to bringing integrity to the gifted programs, which parents complain can vary widely in quality, sometimes offering little discernible difference from the regular curriculum.

"When I started here kids who took the test were fundamentally kids whose parents would pay for the tests," Mr. Klein said. "You have to have a reasonable criteria."

He also touted efforts to open the gifted programs to a more diverse group of students. The programs are quite popular among middle-class families, but Mr. Klein said that racial minority groups and the poor are not well enough represented. To that end, he is pushing to expand screening for giftedness, with free tests this year made available to any child whose parent requests it, and all kindergarteners receiving testing next year.

Parents and city leaders yesterday praised that recommendation as a boon for children who might be qualified but lack the resources to be tested for the programs.

Last year, far less than 10% of students from some districts in the Bronx and Brooklyn even applied for the gifted and talented program, compared to more than 60% in a district on the Upper West Side.

Many parent advocates were more cautious, however, about Mr. Klein's proposed new standard for entry. The proposal would only let students who score in the top 95th percentile on two national tests attend gifted and talented programs.

Mr. Klein defended the mark, citing research that the top 5% of students tend to be especially developmentally different from other students, while the top 10% are barely distinguishable. He said public schools in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle all use a 95% guideline to define gifted programs.

A consultant who helps guide parents through public school admissions, Robin Aronow, said she was happy that the administration is pushing for a new test of giftedness. A test used last year, the Gifted Rating Scale, which based its measurements on teachers' observations of students, was criticized as subjective.

But Ms. Aronow said a 95% mark sounded "too high."

A City Council member who represents the Upper West Side, where gifted and talented programs are especially popular, Gale Brewer, said she is also concerned about the cutoff. "Would students who are now clearly flourishing in a Gifted & Talented program have been rejected under the new system?" she asked. "How will the 95th percentile cutoff affect the enrollment of students from previously under-served communities?"

The president of New York Civic, Henry Stern, applauded Mr. Klein's push to guarantee a seat for every qualified student, but wondered whether parents would consent to having their young children bused somewhere else to get it.

"The coordinator of a program for gifted education at Hunter College, Daniel McCormick, said the proposal could raise some difficulties in implementation, but he said any effort to help gifted students, who he said need just as much help to flourish as low-performers, is welcome.

"They need a push too," Mr. McCormick said. "At least the city is doing something about it."