School Fieldwork Study
School Setting
My field study was conducted at the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars (T.A.G.) Middle School located in the East Harlem section of Manhattan. T.A.G. is a selective public school, governed by the NYC Department of Education. It was founded in 1989 as a magnet program within the school system’s District 4, and became an independent K-8 gifted and talented school in 2004. T.A.G. is one of only three gifted and talented programs in New York City. It serves students identified with gifted abilities in grades K-8. Children are admitted to kindergarten through 2nd grade based on their scores on two tests, the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA). Children whose scores put them in the 97th percentile nationally are eligible. There are a handful of seats open in the upper grades. Middle school admission is based on grades, standardized test scores and teacher recommendations. There are approximately 500 students comprised mainly of African-American, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, reportedly only 2% of the student body is Caucasian. Each grade level has two classes of up to 25 students each. The school is located in a building that houses four other mini schools, a common practice in schools these days. For instance the high school I attended has been divided into five different high schools.
T.A.G. is located in a community which could be described as a lower socioeconomic area, 36% of the children live in poverty. A majority of the students, approximately 63% are on free or reduced lunch. TAG serves a predominately minority, working-class population, mostly from Upper Manhattan, the Bronx and nearby parts of Queens.
The students' standardized exam scores are consistently strong, with 92% scoring at or above grade level in ELA and 97% in Math during the 2008-2009 school year. 8th graders take Regents exams in Science, Social Studies, Math, and Spanish.
I observed the sixth,
My field study was conducted at the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars (T.A.G.) Middle School located in the East Harlem section of Manhattan. T.A.G. is a selective public school, governed by the NYC Department of Education. It was founded in 1989 as a magnet program within the school system’s District 4, and became an independent K-8 gifted and talented school in 2004. T.A.G. is one of only three gifted and talented programs in New York City. It serves students identified with gifted abilities in grades K-8. Children are admitted to kindergarten through 2nd grade based on their scores on two tests, the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA). Children whose scores put them in the 97th percentile nationally are eligible. There are a handful of seats open in the upper grades. Middle school admission is based on grades, standardized test scores and teacher recommendations. There are approximately 500 students comprised mainly of African-American, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, reportedly only 2% of the student body is Caucasian. Each grade level has two classes of up to 25 students each. The school is located in a building that houses four other mini schools, a common practice in schools these days. For instance the high school I attended has been divided into five different high schools.
T.A.G. is located in a community which could be described as a lower socioeconomic area, 36% of the children live in poverty. A majority of the students, approximately 63% are on free or reduced lunch. TAG serves a predominately minority, working-class population, mostly from Upper Manhattan, the Bronx and nearby parts of Queens.
The students' standardized exam scores are consistently strong, with 92% scoring at or above grade level in ELA and 97% in Math during the 2008-2009 school year. 8th graders take Regents exams in Science, Social Studies, Math, and Spanish.
I observed the sixth,