LoL, it seems that G&T is the ONLY political issue over which the UB mommy brigade is more than willing to engage into street-level political violence:
TRuth: without one Test taken by everyone, some people will Have a lot of "help" -- all 5th ave moms as poster above put it, and all minorities. And everyone Else: not so much. Also Truth: grades are a competitive school mean something different than grades at a School with fewer capable students. just a sad joke.
There is no way to take privilege out of the system. But we should try to eliminate the most egregious aspects, such as testing 4 year olds, using attendance as screening criteria, etc. It's the right thing to do.
@anonymous I have never understood the outrage over testing 4 year olds as some iniquity, considering that the most elite TT privates (Dalton, Trinity etc) do ***exactly*** that, and that richest New Yorker line up their kids to these schools so that they are tested.
Also, if the public schooling leads to unequal outcomes, is it not better idea to test the students ***before*** the public school does its damage, i.e., at the age of 4?
Even with a test taken by everyone, it's not a level playing field. The "5th Ave Moms" aka the wealthy--and the BPC moms, Park Slope moms, Cobble Hill moms, all those who consider themselves "middle class" in NYC terms--can pay for all the test prep/"enrichment" classes they can cram into their child's schedule.
There's no perfect answer (given the policy incentives to continue the G&T program to encourage those families to stay in the system), but let's not pretend the test is some great leveler.
Fact is the G&T system is broken.. we need a reset.
Except that DOE is not providing a "reset." It is proposing complete shutdown with no viable alternative.
G&T is not broken. Our society is broken.
They should go back to neighborhood schools and screened schools with holistic applications- no high-stakes test.
Some people make the argument that holistic applications favor the privileged even more.
@AnonymousQ Yes, this is the key issue. The moment the G&T placement is based on "recommendations" you know what all 5th avenue moms will do
TRuth: without one Test taken by everyone, some people will Have a lot of "help" -- all 5th ave moms as poster above put it, and all minorities. And everyone Else: not so much. Also Truth: grades are a competitive school mean something different than grades at a School with fewer capable students. just a sad joke.
There is no way to take privilege out of the system. But we should try to eliminate the most egregious aspects, such as testing 4 year olds, using attendance as screening criteria, etc. It's the right thing to do.
@anonymous I have never understood the outrage over testing 4 year olds as some iniquity, considering that the most elite TT privates (Dalton, Trinity etc) do ***exactly*** that, and that richest New Yorker line up their kids to these schools so that they are tested.
Also, if the public schooling leads to unequal outcomes, is it not better idea to test the students ***before*** the public school does its damage, i.e., at the age of 4?
Even with a test taken by everyone, it's not a level playing field. The "5th Ave Moms" aka the wealthy--and the BPC moms, Park Slope moms, Cobble Hill moms, all those who consider themselves "middle class" in NYC terms--can pay for all the test prep/"enrichment" classes they can cram into their child's schedule.
There's no perfect answer (given the policy incentives to continue the G&T program to encourage those families to stay in the system), but let's not pretend the test is some great leveler.
that's Fair.
They are doing away with G&T, what’s to fight about ?
We do not know that yet. And the point of fighting is so that they do not.
The city is trying to make everything equitable. I feel like the writing is on the wall.