My August 17, 2025 article for The 74 entitled NYC Teachers Believe Many Kids Are Gifted & Talented. Why Doesn’t the District? was my second attempt. The editor thought my first draft went into too much detail about how many children actually qualified for NYC’s Gifted & Talented public school programs. She explained that the nitty-gritty wouldn’t be of interest to those in the rest of the country, and The 74 is a national publication. However, I suspect the parents of NYC would be very interested in that data, which is why I am sharing the original version below:

In 2022, the last year for which figures are available, of the 10,958 students who applied for New York City public school Kindergarten Gifted & Talented programs, 9,227 were deemed eligible to enter the placement lottery. 

This is in contrast to 2020, when, of 12,979 applicants, only 3,568 were deemed eligible. The following year, 2021, a slightly lower 11,570 applied, yet a much larger 10,028 were found eligible.

What happened between 2020 and 2021 to raise the number of those dubbed “gifted” by the Department of Education from 27 percent to 86 percent?

The difference was the screening method. In 2020, as in the dozen years beforehand, four year olds were tested via the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and the The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). Those who scored above the 97th percentile were eligible to apply to citywide, “accelerated” programs. Those who scored above the 90th could apply to district-wide, “enriched” ones. Even then, 78 percent of kids who made the cut didn’t get a G&T seat due to demand far outstripping supply.

In 2021, allegedly due to pandemic limitations, the process was changed. Now, instead of a test, students in public Pre-K programs request a recommendation from their teachers, who are instructed:

Review the following key areas and corresponding indicators. If these strongly apply to your student, you should consider nominating the student for the Gifted and Talented program. Consider that observation of even one of the indicators could signify that the child would thrive in a gifted and talented program.

They are asked whether the child, among other things:

• Is curious about new experiences, information, activities, and/or people
• Asks questions and communicates about the environment, people, events, and/or everyday experiences in and out of the classroom
• Explores books alone and/or with other children
• Plays with objects and manipulatives via hands-on exploration in and outside of the classroom setting
• Engages in pretend/imaginary play
• Engages in artistic expression, e.g. music, dance, drawing, painting, cutting, and/or creating
• Enjoys playing alone (enjoys own company) as well as with other children

As I reassure worried parents, “Basically, they’re asking if you have a human child.” (This video illustrates how “gifted” characteristics can be applied to… anybody.)

Parents in America, especially in NYC, have been advised that standardized test scores are not a valid metric for evaluating academic achievement. Teacher observations are more reliable and should be elevated above numerical assessments.

Well, the teachers of NYC have spoken! They have overwhelmingly indicated they believe the vast majority of their students are capable of – and would thrive from – doing work beyond what is offered in a General Education classroom.

And how has NYC responded to this assertion from those they themselves decreed the best judges of children and their potential?

They have done… nothing.

The number of available G&T seats has stayed consistent. When around 4,000 rising Kindergarteners per year qualified as “gifted,” there were about 2,500 seats open. Now that around 11,000 qualify, there are still… about 2,500 seats.

But those 11,000 or so teacher certified “gifted” students are just a small percentage of the overall NYC student population. Since G&T is an opt-in program, not all children were evaluated. If we extrapolate 85 percent to the around 70,000 enrolled at every grade level, that would mean there are 59,500 gifted students in each academic year, for a whopping total of 773,500 “gifted” students in the entire K-12 public school system!

If we extend those calculations to the whole of the United States, then 85 percent of 74,000,000, i.e. 62,900,000, five through 18 year olds, are “gifted.” And they are not being served adequately by their current education.

On the one hand, this is terrible news. Think of what we are losing. To start, up to 25 percent of gifted students drop out of school. (I know, mine was one of them.) That’s a huge brain drain and loss of potential in all fields.

On the other hand, this is wonderful news!

Almost 63,000,000 American kids are, if not “gifted,” then certainly capable of doing above grade level work. Their teachers testified to it. Academic expectations can be raised across the board, and the majority of students will not only subsequently rise to the occasion, they will be thrilled to do so.

As for the minority that might not be capable of keeping up… what if it turns out those students don’t actually exist?

The Pygmalion Effect has demonstrated that when teachers are told their students are “gifted,” they treat them differently and by the end of the year, the children are performing at a “gifted” level. In addition, school integration advocates argue that seating low-achievers next to high-achievers will magically prompt the latter to perform better. Since the bulk of the class will be high-achievers, this will happen quickly and organically for the few at risk of falling behind!

We are enjoined to listen to teachers. Teachers have certified America’s students capable of performing at a higher level than what they are currently being subjected to. Based on teacher feedback, the NYC school system should be the first to raise standards across the board, with the rest of the country inevitably to follow.

Is your child one of the gifted students not being well served by the NYC school system? Join us on Tuesday, November 18 at 6 PM for a workshop discussing all of your gifted child’s school options, from pre-school through high-school. RSVP, here.