New York City officials are phasing out the controversial “Gifted and Talented” program for elementary school students, a massive change aimed at addressing racial disparities in the biggest school system in the country.
The entry exam identifying students as “gifted” will be eliminated, officials said Friday. Under the old status quo, about 2,500 incoming kindergarteners per year scored high enough on the optional exam to win a spot, going on to spend their elementary school years in separate classrooms and schools.
That test was temporarily scrapped last year amid the pandemic. The last group of students in the program will still take G&T classes in their current form over the next five years.