Standards for NYC Gifted Programs Could Be Eased

NEW YORK (AP) -- The schools chancellor has suggested loosening new admissions standards for the city's coveted gifted and talented programs, likely doubling the pool of students who would qualify.

The new plan still would replace a patchwork of individual programs' admissions practices with strict citywide criteria, Chancellor Joel I. Klein said. A city schools policy panel was expected to vote on the new proposal Thursday.

The school system has struggled to create a fair standard for acceptance to its more than 130 gifted programs. Their varying admissions criteria have engendered complaints from parents who said the setup put savvy families at an advantage and unfairly kept Hispanic and black children out.

Schools officials agreed in November to limit admission to children who score in the top 5 percent of their peers on standardized tests. Klein estimated last fall that roughly half the programs' current students would not have met that cutoff.

Now, Klein is proposing to admit students who score in the top 10 percent.

``We believe students who meet this rigorous standard will be able to thrive'' in gifted programs, he said in a release Wednesday.

Under the latest plan, about 2,300 students would qualify for the programs' starting grades - kindergarten or first grade, depending on the program, the city Education Department said. Those grades have about 2,400 students this school year.