New York City turns gifted education into a glorified lottery, disregarding research

Mayor Adams rescued the programming but is now on track to nullify what made it beneficial

Editor’s note: This week, Advance features a guest article by Alina Adams, author of Getting Into NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High School, and creator of the NYC School Secrets video series, “5 Questions About...” The article was first published by The 74. The other elements of the newsletter were compiled by Brandon Wright, Advance’s regular writer and editor.

New York City has, once again, tweaked qualification requirements for entry into its gifted-and-talented program for first through fourth grade next year. In the process, the district has managed to disregard research that spells out what specifically gave these programs any value.

Previously, kids in kindergarten through second grade took a standardized exam—a combination Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test. Those who scored above the 97th percentile were eligible to apply to all five of the citywide accelerated schools. Those who scored above the 90th percentile could apply to their local district’s enriched programs. An algorithm first placed all 99th percentile students, then the 98th, and so forth down the line. (Siblings received admissions priority and could jump the queue.) So many students qualified that, usually, about three-fourths of those who applied were left without a spot.

For 2023, Mayor Eric Adams claimed that “this administration is fully committed to listening to parents.” Instead of a test, grades would be used for assessment. Students who earned all 4’s (“exceeds expectations”) would be entered into a gifted and talented (G & T) lottery, with no differentiation between those who could apply for citywide accelerated schools and enriched district programs. Adams also added a “Top Performers” category, where all students who were in the top 10 percent of their schools could apply to transfer to newly created district G & T programs starting in third grade. However, students in different types of schools—district, charter, and private—were evaluated differently, leading to a new set of frustrations.

Adams’s predecessor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, had been determined to do away with G & T altogether, unhappy with its lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity. Adams took the opposite approach, making it easier for students from all groups to qualify. But in the process, he is on track to nullify what made the programming beneficial, particularly for those underserved kids in whose interests he is supposedly making these changes.

For 2024, all students who earned 4’s or 3’s (“meets expectations”) are eligible for the G & T lottery, which now extends to fourth grade to accommodate seats created by the “Top Performers” program. Under this system, about two-thirds of all students—roughly 45,000 per grade level—are eligible, with no distinction made between those who earned all 4’s across the three core subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics and those who scored all 3’s.

This turns the process into a glorified lottery. As I tell NYC parents, “Don’t worry if your kids are smart. All kids are smart. Worry if your kids are lucky.” Because that’s what determines whether they receive an adequate education.

In light of these changes, I cannot help wondering: Why is NYC going through the time, resources, and most importantly, expense (amid upcoming budget cuts) to create the charade of a G & T program that goes against relevant research on the topic?

For instance:

• The most highly recommended screening process advocates for looking at multiple factors. Schools in New Jersey, for example, emailed parents of first and second graders advising that “to ensure equitable opportunities for all students ... the results of [IQ] tests will be utilized as one of several data points” that will also include classroom observation and teacher nominations.

• Based on NYC’s 2023 screening technique, the majority of students currently attending kindergarten through third grade now qualify for first through fourth grade G & T. Yet the Department of Education is not opening any new programs to accommodate them all. How can the department, on the one hand, claim these students require special services while providing such services for only those lucky enough to win a lottery? If the district tried the same approach with special-needs kids, it would be in violation of state and federal law!

• Several of the citywide, accelerated schools have already indicated they don’t have the room to accept new students for 2024. As a result, the majority of those who qualify for G & T will be placed not in accelerated classes, but in “enriched” ones. This is the opposite of what’s been proven beneficial. A 2021 study summarized: “Enrollment in a self-contained accelerated class exposed Black and Hispanic students to higher teacher expectations than they would experience in a traditional classroom setting.” The report concluded that: “Acceleration is an effective and cost-effective way to supplement the learning needs of exceptionally talented students.”

• Conversely, the study continued, “enrichment” has been shown to be “not sufficiently intensive.... As national evidence shows that a majority of elementary school gifted programs include four hours or less gifted education services a week, the educational dose of gifted programs may be too slight to yield positive effects.”

Earlier this month, NYC launched an initiative to bring the science of reading to elementary school classrooms, employing rigorously tested best practices alongside “consistent, research-based materials.”

Why, then, has this administration chosen to swing in the opposite direction when it comes to G & T?

Alina Adams is a New York Times best-selling romance and mystery writer, the author of Getting Into NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High School, a blogger at New York School Talk and mother of three. She believes you can't have true school choice until all parents know all their school choices—and how to get them. Visit her website, www.NYCSchoolSecrets.com.

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QUOTE OF NOTE

“[A]ll students [in the Dallas Independent School District] who score well on state exams are now automatically enrolled in advanced mathematics, reading, science and social studies—or some combination of the four. Under the current model, students cannot opt out without written parent permission. The move has dramatically increased participation among traditionally marginalized children.”

— Jo Napolitano, “Dallas ISD’s Opt-Out Policy Dramatically Boosts Diversity in Its Honors Classes,” The 74, May 16, 2023

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THREE STUDIES TO STUDY

“Who Gets Identified? The Consequences of Variability in Teacher Ratings and Combination Rules for Determining Eligibility for Gifted Services for Young Children,” by Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez, Carla Brigandi, Syahrul Amin, and Nancy Spillane, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, OnlineFirst, May 12, 2023

“This study illustrates the consequences of accounting for or ignoring teacher variability in student ratings in conjunction with combination rules when identifying students for gifted services in one rural primary school. Teachers (n = 16) rated 282 first- and second-grade students on creativity, motivation, mathematics, and science. Results indicated the most variability in how teachers used the science scale and the least variability in the mathematics scales. Further, teachers rated female students higher than male students in motivation, but not on any other scale. More students were identified if the top students were identified in each class versus the top students in each grade level, and largely, the students who were identified within their classrooms were not the same students who were identified within their grade level.”

“The Where and Why of Accelerated Middle-School Mathematics,” by Scott J. Peters and James A. Carter, Gifted Child Quarterly, OnlineFirst, May 6, 2023

“In this study, we analyzed multiple, large, national datasets to understand which schools provide access to seventh-grade algebra and eighth-grade geometry. Next, we explored what factors predicted school-level access to those courses and the proportion of eligible students enrolled in either course. We found that access varies widely across, and even within, states and districts, with factors such as parental education and within-district economic segregation remaining predictive even after controlling for average school achievement. In general, predictors of the proportion of a school identified as gifted were weaker, but schools in more-segregated districts and those with larger proportions of White students enrolled did tend to enroll fewer students in either math course.”

“Testing the effects of time-on-task and instructions to ‘be creative’ on gifted students,” by Ahmed M. Abdulla Alabbasi, Reem Al-Shehri, Fatima A. Aljasim, and Selcuk Acar, Gifted Education International, OnlineFirst, May 3, 2023

“The current study aimed to examine the effect of instructions and time-on-task on divergent thinking performance in gifted and non-gifted students in a 2 [gifted versus non-gifted] × 2 [standard versus hybrid instructions] design. The results showed that gifted students outperformed non-gifted students in fluency, while no significant difference was found between the two groups in originality. Creativity instructions improved both originality and fluency scores in verbal but not figural tests. As for time-on-task, gifted students took more time when completing DT tests as well as when they were given explicit instructions to “be creative.” Implications for gifted identification are discussed.”

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WRITING WORTH READING

“Bygones: 40 years ago, Duluth expanded options for gifted and talented students,” —Duluth News Tribune, Dave Ouse, May 17, 2023

“Ohio Economists: Scholarships likely to keep high achievers in-state,” Ohio Capital Journal, Marty Schladen, May 17, 2023

“Gifted [Queen Creek, Arizona] sixth-graders build a Ferris wheel,” Queen Creek Tribune, Mark Moran, May 17, 2023

“Dallas ISD’s opt-out policy dramatically boosts diversity in its honors classes,” —The 74, Jo Napolitano, May 16, 2023

“Advanced Placement course participation is growing faster in Illinois than in any other state,” —Northern Public Radio, Peter Medlin, May 15, 2023

“Rejected by a top-tier college? Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your chances for future success,” —Los Angeles Times, Jay Mathews, May 12, 2023

“At New York’s other selective public schools: Auditions for 9th grade,” —City Limits, Gail Robinson, May 9, 2023

“Parental advocacy for gifted children,” —Psychology Today, Davia Sills, May 5, 2023

“AP U.S. History is a ‘race across time.’ That’s an outdated way to teach.” —Chalkbeat New York, Jeremy Kaplan, May 5, 2023

“What Tupac, ‘Dear Mama’ can teach us about gifted students and trauma-informed teaching,” —The Grio, Autumn A. Arnett, May 4, 2023