Please see the below update about G&T admissions as well as the corresponding Press Release attached. If you would like to watch a recording of the mayor’s and chancellor’s announcement this morning, you can access it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGwB_l8KoIE
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Dear Families and Friends,
New York City’s Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs offer accelerated instruction to eligible elementary school students. We’re writing today to announce that later this spring, families with children entering kindergarten, grade 1, 2, or 3 in the fall of 2022 can participate in G&T admissions. The G&T application for kindergarten, grade 1, 2, and 3 will be open from May 31 through June 13.
Here’s how G&T admissions will work this year:
FOR CHILDREN BORN IN 2017
This admissions process differs slightly depending on where (or if) a child of this age attends pre-K.
- For children currently attending DOE schools, Pre-K Centers, NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs), or charter schools
- All pre-K students will be evaluated by their current teachers.
- If eligible, children will be nominated for G&T admissions.
- Families of nominated children will receive a G&T eligibility letter before the application opens, inviting them to apply; if interested, they can apply when the application is open, between May 31 and June 13.
- All eligible children who apply will be considered for offers.
- For children currently attending private or parochial school, or children not yet in school
- Interested families can apply when the application is open, between May 31 and June 13.
- After the application closes, early childhood education experts will contact applicants to schedule an interview.
- If eligible, children will be nominated for G&T admissions.
- All eligible children will be considered for offers.
Please note: NYC families who applied to kindergarten are receiving offer letters this week. We encourage anyone who receives a kindergarten offer (either now or in the coming months through waitlists) to accept this offer by the deadline provided, even if they are hoping for a waitlist or G&T offer. Accepting this offer now secures their child’s seat at that program and will not affect their chances of getting a waitlist or G&T offer later.
FOR CHILDREN entering grades 1, 2, and 3:
Interested families with children entering grades 1, 2, or 3 can also apply between May 31 and June 13.
LEARN MORE
- All G&T programs are expected to welcome and support all students, including children with accessibility needs, children with disabilities, multilingual children, and children in temporary housing. All families, regardless of immigration status, can apply.
- For the most up-to-date information on G&T admissions, including details on upcoming virtual information sessions, how to apply, and how offers will be made, visit our website, schools.nyc.gov/GT.
Best wishes,
The Elementary Admissions Team, Office of Student Enrollment
NYC Department of Education
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THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2022
CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958
MAYOR ADAMS, CHANCELLOR BANKS ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS CITYWIDE
Addition of Over 1,000 New Kindergarten and Third Grade Gifted and Talented Seats
Brings Access to Accelerated Learning to All New York City Public School Districts
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks today announced the expansion of the New York City public school’s Gifted and Talented program serving elementary school students. Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks are adding 100 kindergarten seats and 1,000 third-grade seats, expanding both entry points to all districts. Through this expansion and updates to the admission process, the city’s Gifted and Talented program will serve every community citywide for the first time. Applications for both programs open on May 31st.
“Expanding our Gifted and Talented program to all New York City districts is about giving every child, in every zip code, a fair chance and making sure no child is left behind,” said Mayor Adams. “We’re doubling down on this administration’s commitment to our youngest New Yorkers by adding additional seats and removing inequities in the admission process to allow students throughout this city to gain access to accelerated learning. And thanks to this expansion, for the first time ever, there will be a Gifted and Talented program in every school district in this city. This is how we give every young person an opportunity to grow, to learn, to explore their talents and imagination.”
“Today we move to end the era of scarcity — the era of making families fight amongst themselves for limited Gifted and Talented seats in far off schools,” said Chancellor Banks. “Through this expansion, we are providing more opportunities for accelerated learning to more families, while providing an equitable, fair process to identify the students who will excel with accelerated learning.”
The 2022-2023 elementary Gifted and Talented expansion is the result of the DOE’s engagement with parents and community stakeholders to establish priorities for this year’s admissions. Specifically, the DOE met with a diverse set of parent representative groups and advocacy groups with a dedicated interest in this topic and which provided thoughtful, nuanced feedback.
“All students, regardless of race, income, or the neighborhood they live in, deserve equal opportunity to accelerated academic learning and challenges,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council looks forward to continuing working with all stakeholders to make sure the new version of Gifted and Talented not only helps more students to succeed, but also reflects the diversity of our city’s students.”
“I’m excited by the announcement of the expansion of Gifted and Talented in all school districts,” said New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph. “Moving forward, we must place a special emphasis on ensuring that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status or familial wealth, are able to benefit from the program.”
“Expanding the number of Gifted and Talented programs is essential to addressing the inequalities afflicting New York City’s public schools,” said Ronald Lauder and Richard Parsons, co-founders, Education Equity Campaign. “While some Manhattan districts currently have as many as seven Gifted programs, some communities of color in Brooklyn and Queens have just one. By adding 1,000 new seats for gifted students across the boroughs, Mayor Adams is taking a giant leap forward for our public schools and we are deeply grateful he answered our call to action. We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks to make New York’s public education system the best in the country.”
Even though their perspectives may have differed, three focus areas became clear: 1) Expanding the number of seats, 2) Creating an equitable screening process, and 3) Providing an expanded third-grade entry point in every district. These perspectives helped the DOE shape its plans, and the agency looks forward to even more expansive engagement on this topic in the future.
Historically, kindergarten has been the initial entry point for New York City Gifted and Talented programs. For the 2022-2023 school year, approximately 100 new kindergarten seats are being added to the Gifted and Talented portfolio — expanding the program to all 32 districts and bringing the total number of seats to 2,500.
To fill these seats, every current pre-K student will be evaluated by their current teacher for a potential nomination. Universal pre-K screening takes the initial burden off families and creates access for more children with a more diverse eligibility pool. First implemented for the 2021-2022 school year, universal screening led to a more diverse pool of students receiving invitation to apply for Gifted and Talented programs. Students enrolled in non-DOE programs and those not yet enrolled in school will participate in an interview with DOE staff to confirm eligibility.
Families of eligible, nominated children will receive an eligibility letter inviting them to apply before the application opens.
For the first time ever, every district in New York City will provide an additional third-grade Gifted and Talented entry point, amounting to a baseline of one program in every district and a total of 1,000 seats. Child development research shows that identifying gifted behavior in later grades may provide a more accurate assessment of gifted ability.
Determined by grades in the four core subject areas, the top 10 percent of second graders in each school will be invited to apply to a third-grade Gifted and Talented program. Using grades in the four core subject areas ensures the DOE is using multiple measures to determine eligibility for the program. Grounding the screen at the school level will ensure that district programs are representative of the district’s population. Families will be considered for placement at all of their application choices and offers will be made based on district and sibling priorities, as well as seat availability. Grade three programs will grow to grades four and five in subsequent years.
A pillar of the Adams administration is authentic parent, family, and community engagement on the issues that matter most to our students. As previously announced, engagement and conversations about the future of enrollment and admissions in New York City public schools will continue this spring and summer. More information about how families can participate and have their voices heard will be announced soon.
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