Test-Taking for Gifted and Talented Kindergarten: Underscoring the Importance of Outreach

Abstract

Using proprietary data collected prior to the establishment of the public Universal Prekindergarten program in New York City, this study finds statistically significant differences in test-taking rates for the city’s Gifted & Talented (G & T) program between two matched samples of students—those who attended a public prekindergarten (pre-K) program and those who did not—for each of four cohorts from 2008 to 2011, favoring the public pre-K group. Results also demonstrate that access to information about the G & T program is a plausible mechanism underlying the higher test-taking rates among the public pre-K group, especially for underrepresented groups. With the establishment of the Universal Prekindergarten in New York City in 2015, our results highlight the importance of instituting new policies for promoting the dissemination of information regarding the G & T admissions process within the public school sector. If targeted to address diversity in G & T, such policies could help reduce inequality in gifted education.

Determining Accessibility and Availability of Gifted Information on School District Websites

“…The results of these efforts indicate that researchbased practices, including access to information, work to improve the participation of diverse student populations in gifted programming. Lu et al (2020) used New York City's Department of Education data to examine the relationship between test-taking gaps for participation in gifted and talented (GT) programs and access to information regarding GT programs among public school and nonpublic school kindergarteners from 2008 to 2011. The authors found that the public school cohort had greater access to information and higher rates of GT test-taking than the nonpublic school cohort.…”

“…In our study, we examine the accessibility and availability of information on district websites. Research has shown that when parents are made aware of gifted education programming within school districts, gaps in equity close (Lu et al, 2020; Olszewski-Kubilius et al, 2004). Understanding the accessibility and availability of information can help frame a possible cause for gaps in equity.…”

“…As such, it is paramount that information about gifted education services be made available and accessible for all parents. The lack of availability and accessibility of information can exacerbate gaps in representation (Ford, 2015;Lu et al, 2020;Peters, 2019). If parents of students from historically underrepresented populations have access to information about gifted identification, programs, and services, this can increase students' opportunities to participate in gifted programs and services (Borland, 2004;Ecker-Lyster & Niileksela, 2017;Ford et al, 2008;Koshy et al, 2013).…”

“…Scholars in gifted education have firmly established that inequitable identification practices or unwillingness to use alternative identification practices lead to disparities in representation in gifted education programming (Bernal, 2001; Borland, 2004; Goings & Ford, 2018; Hodges et al, 2018; McBee, 2006; McBee et al, 2012; Peters & Engerrand, 2016). In addition to identification, lack of access to or even awareness of gifted education programs is likely an underlying cause to disparities in representation that plague gifted education (Assouline et al, 2017; Goings & Ford, 2018; Lu et al, 2020; Peters & Engerrand, 2016). Borland (2004) posited that the underrepresentation of CLED students has permeated gifted education by catering to the needs of more affluent, well-resourced school districts while failing to provide access to gifted programs and services for economically disadvantaged students.…”

“…An essential component to successful identification of students from marginalized populations is information and access to information about gifted education services in the local education agency (Ford, 2014a; Ford et al, 2008; Grantham, 2003; Lu et al, 2020; Olszewski-Kubilius et al, 2004; Peters et al, 2016). In other words, a first step in closing gaps in equity is for those who are marginalized to know that gifted services exist within the district and what those services entail.…”