Gifted and talented for 1st through 4th grade

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.

So lets take a moment and look at eligibility. “Students are considered eligible if they have course grades of a 3 or 4, or the equivalent, on their report card for Math, Reading and Writing. Students may not have ever had a 1 in any marking period in any of these courses.” A grade of 3 represents work that is “on grade level”. Gifted? Whatever. They must not have a grade of 1 “far below grade level” in reading or math. Right. No disrespect, but that letter you got that says your child is gifted - put it in the baby book and share it with grandma, you knew it was true all along. What it may actually provide for a family who is currently attending a well resourced, quality gen ed is little to nothing other than an alternative option and a disruptive move.

To search for programs, go to the MY SCHOOLS directory. Filter for G&T. Filter for Citywide (5 - K-8th or K-12th grade programs) or District wide (and filter for the Districts that you want). There is some sibling priority (not sibling guarantee unfortunately) and District priorities. The tie breaker in placement is always the random number (lottery) that is assigned to you. As always, rank your choices in true preference order.

There are some very good G&T classrooms K-5th grade as there are also very good Gen Ed classrooms K-5th grade. G&T is not inherently better at elementary. Bright, talented, academic and focused kids have done equally well for decades in both. There is no proper G&T curriculum citywide and no unified approach. Your experience will go classroom by classroom and teacher by teacher.

In my many years of talking to parents, I see lots of kids who are super bright and successful who will “do well anywhere.” They WILL do well anywhere, as long as they are safe and in class with educators of integrity. They are not ‘bored’ or being taught to the lowest common denominator just because they are in Gen Ed. The difference between those very, very bright kids and the truly gifted kids are that the parents of truly gifted kids call me crying. It is not a gift to be gifted in this way. It is super hard, and rare. Those kids who will not do well everywhere need a different environment, and they are often the ones that don’t get it. Those calls break my heart. If you have a child who needs a different environment, you will know it. If your child is happy and thriving - never wake a sleeping baby and never move a happy child.