Most New York public schools offer a ‘gifted and talented’ program for prospective students. Annual performance tests are offered to identify the children who are outperforming in the standard disciplines. Those who qualify are enrolled in advanced placement programs with more demanding curricula, giving them an easier path to admission to better colleges. The programs are open to everyone and cost nothing extra, so every family has the opportunity to get their children in.
Unfortunately for Gotham’s parents, the results could not meet the expectations of the vigilant crowd that runs the city government. Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor of Schools Richard Carranza have repeatedly complained that the test program is “unfair” because the students who end the program “do not reflect the diversity of the city’s population.” In other words, not enough black and Spanish students end up in the advanced programs. So how does the brain trust the city hall to solve this problem? Easy as pie. They are going to do away with the admission tests. (CBS New York)
A major change is coming to New York City’s “talented and talented” programs for students.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor of Schools Richard Carranza say the city will begin breaking down the entrance exams.
Critics said the composition of the programs did not reflect the diversity of the city.
The Chancellor taken to Twitter to try to paint a little lipstick on this pig.
Gifted and talented programs serve a small percentage of children – but we know much more @NYCSchools students are exceptional. We need to move away from the test and develop a system that re-introduces academic and enrichment programming for our most extraordinary students.
– Chancellor Richard A. Carranza (@DOEChancellor) 13 January 2021
So you go ‘Re-introduce your academic and enrichment programming to our most exceptional students? What does it even mean? You cannot really have an advanced placement program without identifying the students who are truly advanced and can thrive in a more challenging educational environment. Aside from placement tests, how do you propose to do this?
Mayor de Blasio has been inciting against the talented and talented programs for years, but it has always been a tough problem for him to try to deal with. The problem is that the ‘lack of racial diversity’ that he likes to complain about does not break down in the normal way. If it was just a case where most of the spots in the program would go to white students, he could simply play the race card and step on the programs. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Year after year, most seats went to Asian students.
The difference in results is particularly strong when you look at the per capita score. Asians make up only 14.1 percent of the city’s population, far behind black, Hispanic and white residents. And yet their students perform better by a wide margin than the rest. This largely deprives the Blasio of the chance to play the race card. And if he eliminates the test program, he’s going to cut off one of the city’s minority populations in an exorbitant way.
Unfortunately, the students of Asians forget the students who are most affected when democratic politicians talk about minorities. According to them, the word “minority” only applies to black and Hispanic residents, although both in some, except a few localized communities, have Asians across the board.
If you are going to remove the admission test system, how do you replace it with something that produces the desired demographic result? If it’s just a lottery, why do you have an advanced study program? You are not going to upload the most advanced students at random. Furthermore, how is it fair for the children? If a child who does not score well on the placement tests is suddenly slipped into a more advanced program, he will surely plod. Then you need to reload them back to the regular school curriculum or dull the advanced class to the point where they can pass. If you follow the latter route, you have eliminated the benefit of a gifted and talented program in the first place.
It is simply more virtue indicated by the de Blasio administration and racial-devil madness. All they are going to do is further erode the public school system in New York and make it even harder for children to get to university. But it’s obviously a small price to pay if you’re trying to make it look like you’re actually fighting racism.