Addabbo wants to keep Gifted and Talented Program entrance exam, but make it accessible to more students

“It is disheartening to see that Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE) Chancellor Richard Carranza intend to do away with the entry exam for our schools’ Gifted and Talented programs after the Spring 2021 test. Much like with the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), I believe the Gifted and Talented program admissions test should remain in place, but with improvements to make it more accessible to all children, with better outreach into all communities.”

“I understand the desire to increase diversity in our amazing Gifted and Talented programs, but getting rid of the entrance exam without any details on new entrance requirements is shortsighted. When it comes to the education of our children, we should make sure that we only replace a policy with a detailed, better policy. However, I do stand behind NYC DOE’s efforts to involve community engagement to discuss different ways to enrich the learning experience for our academically advanced students.

“By working together with the community, teachers, parents and students, I believe we can reform the Gifted and Talented entrance exam and the program itself to better service our bright students. I stand with the parents of District 28 — and parents across my Senate district — that do not want to see the standard for admissions for the Gifted and Talented programs abolished, but most importantly for our children, improved and expanded.”