NYC Gifted and Talented: District Programs

All children in New York City are qualified to take the gifted and talented test in pre-kindergarden. If the child scores 97 or above he or she may apply to the citywide gifted and talented schools as well as multiple district programs.  If your pre-kindergarten child has scored 90 or above on the city G&T (gifted and talented) test he or she is guaranteed a spot in a district gifted and talented program for kindergarten.  In order to receive a guaranteed spot the parent must rank all of his or her options on the application, including citywide programs (if the child qualifies) as well as all the district programs.  Parents who do not rank all the available options are not guaranteed a seat for their child in a kindergarten G&T program.

A child may also take the gifted and talented test while enrolled in kindergarten (to qualify for first grade admission) and in higher grades. However, the child has a lower chance of being admitted into a district program (due to limited number of spots opened after kindergarten) and almost no chance of being admitted into a citywide program.  The city does not guarantee placement if the test is taken at the kindergarten or above levels.

Programs vary widely by district with some districts offering as few as 3 district wide programs, and some offering as many as 12.  If you reside in Sheepshead Bay (district 21) depending on your actual address you may have as many as 12 programs to choose from. These include popular programs such as Manahttan Beach Gifted and Talented (PS 195) and Mill Basin Gifted and Talented (PS 236).

In Bensonhurst (district 20) at least 8 programs are available (maybe more depending on your address). A popular district program in district 20 is  (at ps 200) is a bilingual english russian program called “GLOBE.”

In order to qualify for admission into a district Gifted and Talented program the child must score at least 90 on the G&T test and reside in the correct district.  As with citywide schools children with the highest scores are given first priority on a lottery basis.  For instance, lets say 4 year old Alfred scored a 94 and his friend John scored a 96.  Because John has scored 2 points higher than Alfred he will be placed much faster (even if he pulls an unlucky number in the lottery) and therefore has a better chance of getting picked for his first or second choice program.  Alfred, no matter how lucky he might get in the lottery is still going to be placed after John. The best he can hope for is to be the first of the 94s picked. When it comes to district program placement, every point counts.

This article is part 3 of a 3 part series.  Part 1 is available here.

NYC Gifted and Talented Citywide Schools

New York City’s 5 citywide gifted and talented schools (see this post for list) are thought by many to be the pinnacle of New York City’s Board of Education system.  Admission into these schools is fiercely competitive, it requires both skill and luck.   According to the Board of Ed a child can be admitted into one of these schools by receiving a grade of 97 or above on the gifted and talented test which can be taken at pre-kindergarten or higher level.  In reality, the process is somewhat more complicated.  It is crucial that parents understand how to navigate the New York City’s citywide system if they are to maximize their child’s chances of being admitted into one of these schools.

In 2011 around 1,000 students qualified for the admission into the five schools.  Only about 250 spots were available.  Any child scoring 97 or above from anywhere in New York City can apply into one of these “citywides” as they are commonly called by the parents.  However, most people who apply to a particular school do so only if they can provide a reasonable commute to and from the school for their children.  Rather than apply to all 5 schools simply because their child has qualified to, majority of people will choose 1 or 2 schools within commutable distance as their top choices and district options as choices 3 through 7.  The city guarantees admission for any child who scored 90 or above into one of district options IF their parents rank all the possible options on their application.

The first priority for admission goes to siblings of children currently enrolled in one of these schools. Based on this “sibling priority” a sibling of any child currently enrolled in a citywide who has scored 97 or above will receive any available seats in this school. This is true for all grade levels, kindergarden and up.  On occasion spots do open up in grades above kindergarten.  However, those spots will almost always go to siblings.  So the only realistic way to be admitted into a citywide is to apply for kindergarten admission, which means testing in pre-kindergarten.

After the siblings are placed in the schools, the second priority goes to children who scored 99.   All children with that score are assigned a unique number based on the results of a closed lottery conducted by Board of Education.  A child with a lucky (low) number will  often receive placement in their first choice program.  If the first choice program for this child is not available they will then receive a placement in the second choice program or in the third.  This child will be placed into a program before the next child is placed.

For instance lets say a little girl named Afina scored a 99 on her test.  So did a little boy named Bob. Afina got lucky in the lottery and pulled a number of 5.  Bob was not so lucky and pulled a number of 149.  Afina was the fifth child (after siblings) to receive a placement in the citywide gifted system.  Her mom selected Anderson as #1 choice, Nest as #2 and a district gifted option as #3.  Because Afina was lucky she received her first choice.  

Bob’s parents selected the same schools but due to the fact that he pulled a high lottery number Bob got locked out of Anderson and Nest and instead was accepted in the district program.  Same score, different results.

After all the 99s are placed the system works down to 98s and 97s.  As mentioned before with the possible exception of PS 85 (STEM) all the other citywides are filled up long before all the 99s are placed. Thankfully however, even if your child doesn’t get that magic 99 or doesn’t receive a low lottery number there are many excellent district gifted options available.  After the testing results come out and before program choices are due parents are encouraged to attend open houses at both the citywides and district schools in order to learn more about their options.

This article is part 2 of a 3 part series.  Part 3 is available here.

NYC Gifted and Talented: Testing

New York City department of education announced that Gifted and Talented testing will take place between January 3rd and February 10, 2012.  As in previous years private school and pre-kindergarden students were send letters home indicating date, time and location of the test.   Public school students received a confirmation letter from their school.

When applying for Gifted and Talented testing parents had the option of filling out a paper application or doing so online.  It is generally thought preferable to apply online as this ensures parent will receive proof of application immediately after filing.  The parents who apply online will receive all communications in both email and written form.  In the years past the parents who applied for Gifted and Talented testing online received results of their child’s testing faster than those who filled out paper applications.

In the years past there has sometimes been only 2 weeks between receiving results of the gifted and talented test and deadline to apply for programs.

In order to qualify for admission into one of the city’s prestigious citywide gifted and talented schools a child must receive a score of 97 or above on the test.  However due to a very limited number of open spots only those who have received 99 or above will have a realistic chance of being admitted into 4 of the programs (the exception being the queens based program).  In reality few if any children are admitted into these schools after kindergarten.   New York City’s citywide gifted and talented programs include:

Anderson School (Manhattan)

Nest (Manhattan)

TAG (Manhttan)

BSI (Brooklyn)

Stem (Queens)

Multiple district programs are also available.

This post is part 1 of a 3 part series.  Part 2 is available here. 

New Brooklyn Tutoring and Montessori

Brainy Academy is located in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and is a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility, dedicated to bringing a love of learning to children.

"We believe that the best way to prepare your child for the world of tomorrow is by teaching them to love learning today.  Our child centered, progressive program of education features classes for every age group and interest.  In our state of the art location at 1733 Sheepshead Bay Road children learn in bright classrooms equipped with the latest in Montessori, Lego, Knex and computer technology.   Montessori and Lego classes are 2 hours each.  Tutoring is based on your child’s unique needs and times vary according to your requirements.  Lego Birthdays are held every Saturday and Sunday by special arrangement.

In Brainy Builders with Lego ®Education children learn math, physics, pattern recognition, engineering and construction.  Research indicates that carefully planned Lego ® based  programs boost test scores, increase a child’s problem solving capabilities and increase levels of self esteem.  Specific studies include:

-          Study of Educational Impact of the Lego Dacta materials – Infoscuela, October 1998 – January  1999

-          Educational Impact of Lego Dacta Materials, Sheffield Hallam University, UK, Spring 2001

-          Implications of Brain Research for teaching Young Adolescents, Lucinda M. Wilson & Hadley Wilson Horch, September 2002, Middle School Journal.

For all those parents who understand the extensive benefits of the Montessori environment and would like their children to learn in a Montessori program we created Brainy Montessori, an alternative to a traditional preschool program. Children can attend Brainy Montessori classes in our beautiful Sheepshead Bay location in Brooklyn once or twice a week. In Brainy Montessori children learn math and language skills, including early literacy. 

Emphasis is placed on logic in preparation for the OLSAT and Gifted and Talented testing. Children are taught by an educator with over a dozen years of experience teaching in a full time Montessori school. A special program for English as a second language is available for English learners.  

Studies show that children introduced to the Montessori method aquire both language and math skills faster than their peers who are not taught according to the method. They also show that children in Montessori environments have better social skills and higher self esteem.

-          Angelina Lilliard and Nicolle Else-Quest, Scientist magazine, September 29^th, 2006

-          Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Angeline Lilliard, 2005

In Brainy tutoring children are taught by experienced instructors in a variety of fields.  Because we do not use a one fit all approach we tailor each tutoring program to your child’s unique needs and goals.

In Awesome Birthdays children can choose one of many themes in a Lego based birthday party.  Exciting themes include Lego Star Wars, Lego Harry Potter and many more.

For More information and study summaries please contact Brainy Academy."