The G and T results are in! Now what?

Before I begin with what to look for in a Gifted and Talented program, if your child scored at or above the 90th percentile read the DOE information on Eligibility and Placement on their website at:

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/CC1AFB4C-1DC9-427F-ACB6-DA3F281BEA64/46301/LevBDOEnotest.pdf

Be ready to scroll all the way down. Read carefully about the process, it is possible that your child might have the scores but the bottom line that there may not be enough spaces to accommodate the demand. My friend's son scored in the 99th percentile last year which made him eligible for the citywide G and T Schools; Anderson, Nest and TAG. Even with his top score, he did not get into any of the citywide programs. Furthermore, there were children that scored in the 98th or 97th percentile that were accepted and had no siblings currently in the G and T programs. Because he lived in Queens and there were no gifted and talented kindergarten programs in his area, he is at a local charter school and doing fine. The fact is, depending on how many students scored in the same rank as your child and whether or not you have another child already in the G and T system can truly determine whether or not there will be a space for your child. The constraints don’t end there. If you read carefully you will see that the DOE states that seats will be given out randomly after all other priority cases are taken care of - How frustrating is that?! Welcome to the Department of Education. After all, what would prompt them to be efficient since so many of us are banging down the doors to get into their schools? It seems that regardless of the stress and difficulties the city schools might cause us, more parents want to raise their growing families in NYC and in this economy the private school stress comes at a far more expensive price tag. Why not get your stress on the cheap?

So, with all this said there are a few pieces of advice I feel strongly about when looking at the G and T choices. If your child made it into the citywide pool, good luck. All three schools are quite good but each have a very different feel. The best thing to do is visit all three and don't send your preference sheet in until you see all three. Most importantly, keep in mind who your child is. Even though they are considered gifted it does not mean that all programs will be able to fulfill their needs. One school tends to stress to the students that they are "gifted". While another seems to have a more "normal" school feel. Also keep in mind the schlep factor. How well will your kid deal with a commute either with you or on a school bus @ 7:00AM? The DOE's school bus schedule can have children onboard that early. That can be a seriously long day for your child. Make sure you ask on your tour what the earliest time that children have had to be at their bus stop. You also want to consider that if the school is far away from your home or office, what will you do if your child is ill and has to be picked up from school? How will you handle attending after school social functions, attend play dates and birthday parties. While it may sound silly to consider these as factors in making your decision, attendance at social functions is important for bonding and has an impact on your child's social development.

In terms of the district wide gifted and talented programs there is much greater range in the effectiveness in each program. Some G and T programs were initially created to change the dynamic of a school's population. While in some cases, it may have done exactly what it set out to do; it does not mean that the changes were all positive. For some school's it created a "haves" and "have nots" situation. This is what prompted the changes in testing in 2008, hoping to level the playing field to create a more diversified G and T.

Some schools, like P.S.191, in Manhattan dissolved their G and T program because the school was too small and it created animosity amongst the students and parents. They're also some G and T programs that simply give more work rather than better work. Most G and T programs are housed in a regular school. Ask, "How does the G and T curriculum here differ from the regular education program?" You are looking for answers that describe how the students might go deeper in their questioning of a specific topic or that students might be expected to do longer term projects. Also make sure to look at the work in the hallways and make note about how the work differs between the regular education program and the G and T program. While extra arts, chess and foreign language are wonderful opportunities and are often offered in G and T programs, be sure not to base your choice only on these factors. Be sure to find out about the administration (How long has the current administration been in place?, How well do they work with the PTA?, What are the philosophies of the school?, etc.) You might also want to check on the DOE website to see how many parents have responded to the parent survey of those schools.

Keep in mind that when you send your child to any school you are buying into many different people. The NYC DOE is one of the largest and most complex public school systems in the country with an administration that can change at any time, a huge and varied group of teachers (a "bad" one can pop up in the best of schools), a PTA, and a group of children that can create any type of dynamic. One of your most important hopes is that the school will always work with the ever-changing needs of your child. There are many factors for a successful relationship and while you hope you are making the right decision, there are no guarantees. You just need to look at all the variables and make the best choice with the information you have.