School Segregation: Why New York’s ‘Gifted And Talented’ Admissions Test Is Not A Good Idea

New York City's "Gifted and Talented" admissions test has long been controversial. Even though its stated purpose is to support the educational needs of exceptional students, it usually amounts to school segregation in practice, where it becomes beneficial to students that have educational advantages to start with.

For a long time, the statistics on school segregation by race and poverty in New York has been discouraging. The reason? Children who mostly relied on public schools for a better shot in life are now struggling in their education.

Despite the tremendous efforts for more equitable funding in New York, the relationship between segregated education and unequal school success remains prominently overt. Thus, many experts believed that school segregation and New York's "Gifted and Talented" admissions test should be eliminated.

What Is New York City's "Gifted And Talented" Admissions Test?

Based on its TestPrep-Online definition, the New York City's "Gifted and Talented" (G&T) admissions test determines a student's eligibility for admission into the gifted and talented schools and programs in the city. The NYC G&T admission test is comprised mainly of the verbal questions taken from the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and nonverbal questions taken from the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT).

School Segregation In New York

The state of New York has the most segregated schools in the United States. New York City is also home to the largest and one of the most segregated public school systems in the nation, as per the study titled, "New York State's Extreme School Segregation."

In spite of the efforts of New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to resolve the issues in G&T segregation by making the admission tests more difficult, experts said better or more testing are not the solutions. According to Quartz, G&T segregation only worsen the racial disparities in New York City, citing this year's majority percentage of G&T students in the city's elementary programs are White and Asian and only a small percentage are Black and Latinos.

Why G&T Segregation In Schools Is Not A Good Idea?

The main reason that G&T programs exist in certain schools across New York City schools is to diversify schools by attracting middle-class parents to the public school system, New York Times notes. Unfortunately, research shows that banking on middle-class parents as key stimuli for urban school reform is not a good idea since it can ostracize low-income families and develop school segregations.

Researchers also suggest that more G&T admission testing is not a solution too. But the biggest problem in New York City is the reliability of a single G&T test score that is linked more to student's socioeconomic status than the actual intelligence.

Experts also stressed that it is tough to determine Black and Latino gifted learners by solely using test scores. The difficulty is due to the fact that low-income kids begin their education with fewer academic skills than children of high socioeconomic status.

How To Address School Segregation Issues

Reforming the admissions criteria does not solve these school segregation issues either. But the best solution for a more equitable G&T education is a radical reform in gifted education by totally eradicating separate G&T programs.

Since there is no special curriculum or instruction required in G&T programs, New York City's approach to gifted education is based on separation. Thus, another solution can be a change in teaching methods, which is considered vital in gifted education.

Meanwhile, four new gifted and talented programs in New York City will not reportedly use tests to assess potential students. According to DNA Info, South Bronx's District 7, Crotona Park's District 12, Bedford-Stuyvesant's District 16 and Ocean Hill/Brownsville's District 23 will admit students based on several factors including demonstrated academic performance, attendance and behaviors like sharp curiosity, motivation and being a fast learner, which are deemed indicators in gifted programs success.

So, is New York City's "Gifted and Talented" admissions test really a bad idea? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.