G&T: Parents consider options before May 14 deadline

Last week may have been a school vacation, but thousands of parents stayed close to their mailboxes, waiting for long-anticipated letters to tell them whether their young children had qualified for admission to gifted and talented programs around the city.

Parents of 4- and 5-year-olds passed the time communicating with peers in their neighborhoods and on online communities, including the Insideschools blog, where hundreds of comments posted over the weekend reflected the uncertainty, pressure, and anxiety of the admissions process.

"This whole experience of waiting for G&T applications...waiting for testing date/testing/scoring/waiting forever for the results... has been a NIGHTMARE, and she hasn't even started her school career yet!," wrote one anonymous parent.

But, by the end of the weekend, virtually all of the roughly 23,000 families whose children tested for G&T and are entering kindergarten or 1st grade in the fall learned their scores on two assessments taken earlier this year. Some 13 percent of those children – about 3,000 – met the cutoff score. Children whose combined scores on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) put them in the 90th percentile of test takers nationally received an application for gifted programs in their district. Families whose children scored at the 97th percentile or higher are eligible to apply for three citywide gifted programs – TAG, Nest+M and Anderson. Families of children who didn't make the cutoff got a thin envelope containing a score report.

Parents of eligible students now must rank the schools and return the applications by May 14, a few days later than the original May 9 deadline. The Department of Education has promised school placements by "early June."

In the meantime, parents are now scrambling to learn more about programs in their district – some of which will be new next year – and families of the highest-scoring students are considering the pros and cons of sending their 5-year-old to schools that may be far from their homes.

Here's our advice for parents who are considering what to do.

My child didn't make the cut! What can I do?

Relax. Most kindergartens throughout the city are quite good and provide a warm and inviting atmosphere where all children will thrive. You'll have another chance to try for G&T or other magnet or unzoned programs next year. If your zoned school is considered failing under the No Child Left Behind act, you can try for an NCLB transfer once you're enrolled.

My child scored high enough for a district G&T program. How do I evaluate my options?

Start by reading Insideschools' reviews. Consider where the school is located. Is it convenient? There's much to be said for a school within walking distance of your home. The absolute best way to know if a school is right for you is to visit it. Some schools are holding open houses this week, and DOE officials say they've "strongly encouraged" schools with new programs to hold open houses. Check out our open house listings and individual school websites. Even if a school isn't hosting a formal tour, it may let you visit. Contact the school's parent coordinator to find out how.

Some things to consider: Is the program established? An existing G&T program will have its own sense of identity and experienced teachers and curriculum; new programs will not. Ask where the teachers are being trained to teach gifted classes. Will the curriculum and tone be different from the regular classes? Read Insideschools' guidelines for evaluating elementary schools to know how to look for characteristics of good programs, both gifted and non-gifted.

I don't see my preferred G&T program on the list. Why not?

The final accounting of how many children might be enrolling in district programs in the fall led the DOE to eliminate gifted programs in some schools and open new ones in others. Department officials say they made these decisions with schools' cooperation, using demand and geography among their criteria. In District 22, where previously every school had a gifted program, some will be eliminated because too few children qualified to warrant maintaining all the programs. All G&T programs in districts 7 in the Bronx and 16 and 23 in Brooklyn are being phased out and will not accept new students because too few qualified to support even one program per district. Elsewhere, such as Manhattan's districts 1, 2, and 3 and District 25 in Queens, the application for gifted programs included new options, schools that will open G&T classes this fall to accommodate the higher number of eligible kids. (Read more about admissions by district.)

Generally, the schools on your application are the ones available to you, although a few families received applications with errors and are being sent amended applications. If you suspect your application doesn't accurately reflect the programs in your district, or doesn't include the citywide schools if you scored above the 97th percentile, let the Office of Student Enrollment know. Try calling 212-374-5567 or 212-374-6815.

How should I rank the schools?

A computer will match your child to a gifted program based on his score and your preferences listed on the application. You should rank the schools in the order you'd like your child to attend. Think about what's most important to you. Would you prefer your child to enroll in the gifted program nearest your home? Or do you think a school's strong reputation is worth a lengthy commute?

Whatever you decide, only rank schools you really want your child to attend. Does that mean that if your child scored at the 90th percentile, she may not get into a gifted program if you list only the most popular program in your district? Yes, it does; in order to be guaranteed a spot in a district program, you must rank all of the options. It's up to you to decide what's best for your family. And remember, even after you find out your placement, you can always choose to stay in your zoned school.

We got into G&T but we might prefer our zoned school.

If you're happy with your neighborhood school, it's almost a "no-brainer" — enroll there. At the elementary level especially, there are real benefits in staying local: you can get involved in your child's classroom and the PTA, your child can make neighborhood friends, and he can eventually walk to school by himself. A gifted child will continue to be gifted no matter what school he attends.

What if my child is eligible but there are no programs in my district?

In Staten Island and most of Queens and the Bronx, G&T programs begin in 1st grade. If your rising kindergartener made the cutoff for citywide programs, you can apply to the three citywide G&T schools located in Manhattan, although you'll have to figure out transportation on your own. If he or she scored high enough for district programs, you're in good shape for next year. You'll have to retest, but your child will already have the experience of testing — and qualifying — behind her.

My child's score doesn't make any sense. How can I review his test?

There are many reasons your child might not have done as well as you expected or hoped. First, the two tests assess different skills. A kid who does well recognizing shapes and numbers on the BSRA may not do as well on the OLSAT, which tests comprehension and reasoning, and vice versa. Also, your son or daughter might just have had a lousy day or been confused by the testing conditions. Remember, he's only 4 or 5! You can request to review your child's test. Mail your request, explaining the reason you want to see your child's test, to the Office of Accountability, G&T Test Administration, 52 Chambers St. Room 309, New York, NY 10007.

Stay tuned to Insideschools and our blog. We'll continue to post updates as we get them.

--Philissa Cramer, April 29, 2008

And if you've got something to say about the G&T process, continue the conversation on our forum.