Most public schools in New York offer a “talented and talented” program for aspiring students. Annual performance tests are provided to identify children who outperform standard subjects. Those who qualify are enrolled in advanced placement programs with more demanding curricula, giving them an easier way to be admitted to better colleagues. The programs are open to everyone and cost nothing extra, so every family has the opportunity to try to bring their children.
Unfortunately for Gotham’s parents, the results failed to live up to the expectations of the awakened crowd that runs the city’s government. Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and School Chancellor Richard Carranza have repeatedly complained that the testing program is “unfair,” because students who arrive in the program “do not reflect the diversity of the city’s population.” In other words, there are not enough black and Hispanic students in advanced programs. So, how does the brain trust the City Hall to “fix” this problem? Flower in the ear. They will eliminate the entrance tests. (CBS New York)
A big change is coming to New York’s “gifted and talented” student programs.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and school chancellor Richard Carranza say the city will begin phasing out the entrance exam.
Critics said the composition of the programs did not reflect the city’s diversity.
Chancellor took to Twitter to try to paint some lipstick on this pig.
Gifted and talented programs serve a small percentage of children – but we know many more @NYCSchools the students are exceptional. We need to move away from the test and develop a system that reimagines academic and enrichment programs for the most exceptional students.
– Chancellor Richard A. Carranza (@DOEChancellor) January 13, 2021
So you will “reimagine your academic and enrichment programs for our most exceptional students? ” What this means? You can’t really have an advanced placement program without having a way to identify students who are truly advanced and could thrive in a more challenging educational environment. In addition to placement testing, how do you propose to do this?
Mayor Blasio has been battling talented and talented programs for years, but it has always been a sticky issue for him to try to cope. The problem is that the “lack of racial diversity” he loves to complain about does not normally break down. If it was just a case where most of the spots in the program were for white students, he could simply play the race card and step on the programs. Unfortunately for them, this is not the case. Year after year, most places went to Asian students.
The difference in results is especially strong when you look at the scores per capita. Asians make up only 14.1% of the city’s population, far behind black, Hispanic and white residents. And yet, their students outperform the rest by a wide margin. So this largely concerns Blasio with the chance to play the race card. And if it eliminates the testing program, it will eliminate one of the city’s minority populations in a massively disproportionate way.
Unfortunately, for the students who will be most severely affected, when Democratic politicians talk about minorities, they almost always forget about Asians. In their minds, the word “minority” applies only to black and Hispanic residents, even if both outnumber Asians everywhere in all but a few localized communities.
So if you eliminate the admissions testing system, how can you replace it with something that produces the desired demographic result? If it only works as a kind of lottery, then why have an advanced study program? You will not pick up the most advanced students at random. In addition, how is this correct for children? If a child who fails to score well in the placement tests suddenly becomes introduced to a significantly more advanced program, he will almost certainly go to battle. Then you have to either reload them in the regular school curriculum or move them to the advanced class to the point where they can pass. If you follow the last route, you have eliminated the advantage of having a talented and talented program.
This is simply more virtue signaling from the Blasio administration and the madness of racial pigeons. All they will do is erode the New York public school system even more and make it even more difficult for children to access college. But obviously, that’s a small price to pay when you’re trying to make it look like you’re actually fighting racism, I guess.