“The newly released results of this year’s testing for Department of Education gifted and talented programs shows how much more work we need to do to make these programs accessible to all students, especially minority students. Far too few children in The Bronx are testing for these programs, and therefore many students are deprived of this option. Requiring all students in public universal pre-K programs to be tested for gifted and talented classes in the best way to ensure that more students have access to highest level of classwork, placing them on the path to specialized high school admissions and success in higher education.
“Today’s announcement that the Department of Education will open gifted and talented classes in the third grade in four districts that do not currently have such programs—including two in The Bronx—is a welcome one. The children of these districts deserve the same access as their counterparts in other communities, and I encourage parents in those school districts to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Parents in Bronx School Districts #7 and #12 can learn more about the new third grade programs by visiting: http://schools.nyc.gov/
