Sign Up For Gifted/Talented Program

The Department of Education has released information for families interested in applying for seats in elementary school gifted and talented programs for September 2009.

Parents of students interested in Kindergarten through third grade placements must submit a "request for testing" form in order to register their child for the required admissions test. Students entering Kindergarten or first grade will be guaranteed a placement in a district gifted program if they score at the 90th percentile or above.

For the first time, eligible students in all districts will have access to gifted and talented classes in Kindergarten. Students who score at or above the 97th percentile are also eligible to apply to citywide gifted programs.

The request for testing form, a complete timeline, and more information about the admissions process are all part of the 2008-09 Gifted and Talented Test Information Handbook, which is available on the Department's website. Hard copies are available at all public elementary schools, borough enrollment offices and borough presidents' offices as well.

The deadline to submit the form is Nov. 19.

Like last year, admission to elementary school gifted and talented programs will be based on students' scores on two assessments—the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA).

Students seeking Kindergarten and first-grade placements will be tested between Jan. 5 and Feb. 15, 2009. Students seeking second and third-grade placements will be tested between Feb. 22 and Mar. 23, 2009.

Students will receive their test results by mail in the spring—early April for students testing for Kindergarten or first-grade placements, early May for students testing for second or third-grade placements. In the same mailing, students who scored at or above the 90th percentile on the admissions test will receive an application on which they can rank their preferences for gifted programs in their district. Families will also have the option of completing the program application online this year.

Like last year, a gifted program placement is not guaranteed for students testing for second and thirdgrade seats, even if they score at or above the 90th percentile. Only empty seats in existing classes are available in these grades.

Students who score at or above the 97th percentile will also be able to rank the citywide gifted programs on their application. However, admission to these programs is not guaranteed in any grade.

More information about admission to these programs is available in the handbook.

The Department is in the process of identifying sites for a citywide program in Brooklyn and a citywide program in Queens for September 2009. Applications will be due approximately two weeks after parents receive them. Families will receive placements approximately one month after the application deadline—late May for students applying for Kindergarten or firstgrade seats, mid-June for students applying for second or third- grade seats.

The Department will host information sessions for families on the gifted and talented admissions process in all five boroughs. Each session runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Information sessions will be held Oct. 30 at P.S. 58, located at 330 Smith St. in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood, and Nov. 6 at J.H.S. 194, located at 154-60 17th Ave. in Whitestone.

In addition, the Department will host native language forums at locations throughout the city from Oct. 27 to 29. A list of these forums, along with more information about the gifted and talented admissions process, is available on the Department's website.