Enrollment in Gifted Programs Shrinks in Wake of City Measures Meant to Widen Admissions

The number of kids in the coveted gifted classes plunged 50% this year, as did the percentage of minorities enrolled—after the city changed the admissions process to level the playing field.

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The Education Department dropped the passing score from 95% to 90% to get more kids into the program.

Part of the problem was that children who qualified for the programs didn’t live in the neighborhoods where the classes were offered.

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Advocates bemoaned the drop in diversity.

While the majority of children in the city’s elementary schools are Black and Hispanic, the majority of kindergarteners and first graders in the gifted and talented programs are white and Asian.

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