First-Ever Citywide Programs in Brooklyn and Queens
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced that three new citywide gifted and talented programs will open in September. Two of the programs will be located in Brooklyn, and the other will be located in Queens. These are the first citywide gifted programs that will be located outside Manhattan. Students entering kindergarten and first grade in September will be eligible to apply to these new programs and the three existing citywide programs if they score at or above the 97th percentile on the City’s gifted and talented admissions test.
“We’ve worked hard over the last few years to expand access to our gifted programs, which is why I’m thrilled to announce that we’re opening new citywide programs in locations that are more convenient for families who live in Brooklyn and Queens,” Chancellor Klein said. “We’re going to open citywide programs in other parts of the city in the coming years as we continue to increase our outreach about the admissions process and identify as many of our City’s gifted students as possible.”
The three new citywide gifted programs are the Brooklyn School of Inquiry in Bay Ridge; the Technology, Inquiry, Enrichment, and Research (TIER) Program at PS 20 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; and the Science, Technology, Enrichment, and Math (STEM) Academy at PS 85 in Astoria, Queens.
The Brooklyn School of Inquiry is a new school, and all students at the school will be part of the citywide gifted program. The school will open with kindergarten and first grade classes in September and expand to serve grades K-8 in the coming years.
The programs at PS 20 and PS 85 will be located in existing schools that also have general education classes. Both of these programs will open with kindergarten and first grade classes in September and expand to serve grades K-5 in the coming years. The Department of Education is working to identify nearby middle schools where students in these programs can continue after fifth grade.
The three existing citywide gifted programs—all in Manhattan—are New Explorations into Science, Technology, and Math (NEST+M), Tag Young Scholars, and the Anderson School.
The Department plans to add more citywide gifted programs in the coming years and is in the process of locating sites for programs in Eastern Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island that would open in September 2010.
Families registered their children to take the gifted and talented admission test last fall. Students who will enter kindergarten or first grade in September have already taken the test and will receive their test results in early April. Any of these students who score at or above the 90th percentile on the admission test are guaranteed a seat in a gifted program in their district. Students who score at or above the 97th percentile will be eligible to apply to the six citywide programs, although admission is not guaranteed because there are a limited number of available seats.
Both district and citywide gifted programs teach an accelerated curriculum that provides students with a variety of enrichment opportunities. Teachers in these programs use methods and materials specifically designed to meet the instructional needs of academically gifted students. The level of acceleration is higher in the citywide programs, since all students in these programs scored at or above the 97th percentile on the admissions test.