Gifted and talented for 1st through 4th grade

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By Joyce Szuflita
Gifted and Talented is back baby! and it is more opaque and imprecise than ever!! If you were interested in G&T for kindergarten in fall of 2023, that process is over and placements have been made. If you are interested in moving your child from their current program for a change at first through fourth grade for the fall of 2023, you have until May 15 to apply. You can only apply if your child has been identified by their course grades to be eligible and you would have received notice from the DoE. Read this to find out what you actually get and don’t get at G&T. This is a large city and there are neighborhoods with very different environments and needs. In this blog I am speaking to the families who live in northwest Brooklyn where there is a bounty of quality, stable, progressive elementary schools filled with talented educators.

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one list for kindergarten. one placement.

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By Joyce Szuflita
The big change in kindergarten admissions this year is that G&T choices are included on your application along with your zoned school, un-zoned programs, out of zone programs, and dual language programs. You only get one placement from this list. This has been confirmed by the DoE.

There are two things that are important to understand.

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What does Gifted & Talented mean?

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What does Gifted & Talented mean?

By Joyce Szuflita
I have listed the schools with available programs for lower elementary here.
There is no Citywide or even district wide information about curriculum or expectations in these classrooms, because there is no different curriculum and there is no uniform approach. They say it is "accelerated" but what that means is something that the DoE will NEVER explain.

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gifted and talented over-offer at PS 32

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By Joyce Szuflita
First let me say that PS 32 is blameless in this fiasco. Last year, their first year with a g&t kindergarten, PS 32 in Carroll Gardens had a small under capacity classroom. Over the 2011/12 year, PS 32 gained a reputation as a strong, happy and conveniently located program. This year many families placed it high on their g&t wish lists. The DoE, seeing that last year, there was a less than 30% registration rate, decided to assign 70 students to the classroom, thinking that only a small percentage would actually want to attend. They didn't realize that the school had become a "go to" program in the district in one short year.

So what is happening at PS 32 today? They already have over 30 families registered with more coming. They are registering all families through the June 5 deadline and trying desperately to find out what to tell the families to calm their fears. Families are worried that they won't be able to attend the school that they chose and were placed in. Many of these families have already been saddened by the fact that there are not even close to enough seats in the city wide schools that they qualified for, but they were happy to have this new local option that looks so promising.

G&T at PS 32

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By Joyce Szuflita
When I made my way to Carroll Gardens to visit PS 32 last week I wondered, "has the DOE just placed a G&T classroom in a school that has room or have they found a fit in a school that can support the special needs of gifted and talented learners?"

I came away excited and energized by what I saw. Gifted and Talented programs should be more than just accelerated environments that keep bright kids from being bored. These learners are at the far end of the special needs spectrum and they have their own issues. A child reading at a fourth grade level in kindergarten is all good right?! But that forth grade book is dealing with themes far beyond the social development of the kindergartner. What about the child who has the ability to comprehend and write far above grade level but doesn't have the finger strength or fine motor control to actually do it? What about the child with extraordinary ability with numbers who is struggling with reading?

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No Citywide G & T at PS 20 in Brooklyn

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PS 20 will no doubt weather its troubles, but it is sad news for children who tested into the citywide gifted and talented program. One less option is always a sad story. Many parents saw the placement of a citywide program, which would consist of a single class on a grade, into an existing school as a curious move on the DOE's part. Considering the three citywides in Manhattan are full schools (although petite) it enables the teachers and administrators to build school wide programs especially designed for this end of the special needs spectrum. I would imagine that the school wide staff development geared to G&T would be invaluable and help produce fine and sought after programs.

The city has for years placed single G & T classes in general ed schools and although the talented teachers that lead these classes have toiled in solitude (one on a grade) they have done a fine job. It seems to me that the citywide program is serving a different purpose. I believe that was the thinking of the many parents that left their northern Brooklyn neighborhoods in droves to seek out Brooklyn School of Inquiry. Insideschools has reported that because of the huge popularity of the school that they will be adding a third kindergarten to the school and only opening one first grade class.

So, were Principal Keaton's troubles the reason that the program has closed? Was it the fact that it looked like this program, that had been given special development and attention at other schools, a seeming afterthought at PS 20? Was it a lack of focus and expertise in gifted and talented education that put parents off? We won't know. The DOE has a challenge finding the resources, the location and the educators to pull off this kind of program. I think that they have made a great bet in Donna Taylor and Brooklyn School of Inquiry.