DOE OKs new city, Bronx gifted program policy

Education officials voted Thursday to lower admission standards for gifted programs in the Bronx and the rest of the city.Schools Chancellor Joel Klein pushed to drop the cutoff for the city's gifted

News 12 Staff

Apr 10, 2008, 5:00 PM

Updated 6,104 days ago

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Education officials voted Thursday to lower admission standards for gifted programs in the Bronx and the rest of the city.Schools Chancellor Joel Klein pushed to drop the cutoff for the city's gifted programs from the 95th percentile to the 90th percentile. Officials say the change will boost the number of eligible students from about 1,600 to nearly 3,000.Klein said the change is necessary because students with well-connected parents appear to have the upper hand in gifted admissions. However, he says the lower cutoff will still be rigorous and that education officials will be keeping a close eye on it.Critics of the plan say it will cause some districts to lose gifted seats.NYC Department of Education