UNCONFIRMED: Seats will be provided (?)

I have heard from a parent who was in touch with Superintendent Composto of District 30. This parents tells us that the Superintendent has been told by DOE G&T office that all D30 kids who qualified for second grade G&T will be provided a seat. If there is not room for them all at PS150 or PS85, a new classroom will be opened.

Where? Who knows. If it turns out to be 122Q, the irony might kill me.

Supposedly, the Superintendent will be getting this in writing from the DOE G&T office.

One lingering issue we do not have an answer for is whether those second graders who end up at 150 or 85 will be able to go to the 122 academy when they reach sixth grade. The middle school academy there is well regarded, and students from 150 and the 122 elementary academy have, in the past, been gone there after fifth grade. Will this also apply to PS85 G&T students?

As soon as we know, and as soon as we have confirmation that all students will be seated, I will post here.

Private and Parochial School Scores Missing?

We have heard that there are a number of families who still have not gotten scores for their current first grader. These seem to be families whose children are not currently enrolled in public schools who tested on March 15, a Saturday. That's when private school children tested.

If you had your child tested, contact the DOE at 212-374-5165 and ask about your child's scores. They were supposedly mailed off Tuesday, May 12.

18 Spots for Second Graders

This evening I took a tour of the very lovely PS 85. They have a very friendly staff and some nice facilities, especially in science, music and a fantastic playground.

After the program, I and a few other parents asked the principal about district-wide G&T seats at her school. She said she has only one class, which is the class they started there last year, and they have only ten seats open.

A parent with a first grader at 150 said they have 17 kids in her child's class. This means only 18 seats are available for second graders.

This means fewer seats than would be available (25 at 122Q plus whatever is available at 150 and 85) had they not decided to go ahead as they want to. If your child is at 150 or 85, you can certainly expect a full classroom of 25 next year. Hope that's OK with you!

More on Insideschools

Have I mentioned how much I like this site? I used them to pick my apartment within spitting distance of 122 a few years back (you know, when the academy started in second grade).

Anyway, they are aware of the 122 situation:

The situation with PS 122 in Queens continues to evolve:

Insideschools contributor Laura Zingmond contacted the principal last week, and reported that “starting with the 2009-10 school year, the entry grade for G&T will be kindergarten (one G&T class per grade). FOR ONE YEAR ONLY, the 2009-10 school year, the school will also accept a class of 1st graders to the G&T program. Going forward, students will no longer be able to enter the G&T program in 2nd grade.” Yesterday, Jacob added, “there is no guarantee of a G&T placement in grade 2, even at programs where this has been the entry grade in the past.” (Qualifying 1st graders are guaranteed seats.) Jacob adds that seats are open at two other District 30 schools, PS 85 and PS 150, and that “PS 122 does not have any available G&T seats in grade 2 at the moment.” PS 85 will also house Queens’ new citywide G&T program.

Logistically speaking, sending children to new schools for G&T programs will surely challenge families in their morning commute, and as they organize after-school or daycare coverage for their children, making us think we haven’t heard the last word on G&T at PS 122.

Parents of rising 2nd and 3rd graders who say they haven’t yet received test reports, you’re right — they’ve yet to go out from the DOE, according to Jacob, but “will be mailed this week.” (We have asked him how parents can gain access to open houses and school tours without paperwork in hand and hope for a prompt response.)

Whatever they do, I hope they don't think they're sending those "three kids" out to 150...

(initial post edited later to include first para of info from insideschools and deal with wonky blogger editor...)

How Many Families are Impacted?

Notice below that the DOE response claims that there were only three children who qualified for G&T programs in the PS122 zone.

This number doesn't include:

• Younger siblings of children currently in the 122 academy, who live out of the zone but in district 30. Are their parents supposed to send them to separate schools? How are they going to collect their children after school?
• Children whose test results mark them as going into the first grade and not going into second grade. This would represent a clerical or computer error on the DOE's part, but I already know of one case.
• Families that live much closer to the 122 school who would then be faced with trekking down to PS150 every morning.
• Children who qualified last year but perhaps did not test this year because they thought they were grandfathered in to PS122.

Testing results arrive next week, at least according to the DOE rep I called Friday. When parents see that PS122Q is not an option, that's when we're likely to hear about more.

In the meantime, please talk to other parents who had their children tested and make sure they know about this website. Have them email me through this site or post a comment.

If you do not know what zone or district you or a friend may live in, please look at insideschools.org , find the schools near you by entering your zip code. Each school has a "zone map" on its page, on the right an inch or two under the other basic information.

PLEASE also remember that the principal and administration of 122Q has no real voice in this (which is half my complaint, by the way). Their hands are tied, so don't call them.

A Response from DOE

We received a response today via email from Anna Commitante, Director of English Language Arts, Social Studies, Gifted/Talented & Enrichment.

It is worth noting that she mentions that of the students who tested while in first grade this year in District 30, "only three of them are in the PS122 zone." We as parents have no idea whether that is a high number or a low number. Supposedly, more students qualified this year. One parent I know of got qualifying results already because the DOE thought the child was in kindergarten (she was in first grade).

She also mentions that there are seats available at PS150 (way across the district) and at PS85. The program at PS85 was supposedly going to be a new citywide program. Is it district-wide only for the class of 2020?

And could someone who has a child there comment whether they ever got air conditioning and does the N/W train sound cause problems?

If I was faced with this choice, I would be loathe to leave 122Q even for a gifted and talented program. The school is a very solid school at all academic levels and is very well managed. It has it problems, especially overcrowding, but my experience as an SLT member has given my tremendous faith in the administration there.

I would urge all parents, whether they tested or not, to contact Councilman Vallone as well as all the names we have listed in our introductory post.

Here's the response:

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your email to Chancellor Klein regarding the changes made to the entry grade for the Gifted & Talented (G&T) program at PS 122 in District 30. The chancellor has asked that I respond on his behalf. In Sept. 2008, DOE made the decision that the entry grade for all G&T programs would be standardized and begin in grade K in all boroughs. We communicated this policy change to the public beginning in October 2008. This means that regardless of a school’s past practice with programs starting in grade 1 (or as in the case of PS 122, grade 2) all G&T programs in Sept. 2009 will open with Kindergarten.

Now that criteria for entry to G&T programs have also been standardized (scores of 90% and above are eligible for district programs and scores of 97% and above are eligible for citywide programs), the DOE is only able to guarantee an offer of placement to eligible K and 1st grade students. Therefore, the priority for placing classes went to grades K and 1. Please note that there is no guarantee of a placement offer to G&T classes in grades 2 and above. These placements have always been made strictly according to seat availability.

There are approximately 20 seats available for eligible D30 2nd grade students at the G&T district programs currently located at PS 85 and PS 150. Of the total number of students in D30 who qualified for G&T placement to 2nd grade seats, only 3 of them are in the PS 122 zone. Given that data and limited space at PS 122, the Office of Portfolio Planning made the best decisions possible to accommodate the highest number of D30 students to G&T programs.

Sincerely,

Anna Commitante, Director
English Language Arts, Social Studies, Gifted/Talented & Enrichment

New York City Department of Education
52 Chambers Street

New York, NY 10007

Results for Class of 2020 Next Week

DOE number I called said that results for kids in first going to second grades will be mailed next week.

If you have yours already, please let us know.