New York City to eliminate gifted and talented school program after years of opponents saying that it segregated students

(CNN)New York City will phase out its controversial gifted and talented student program after years of debate that the exclusive classes further segregated students. City officials say the new policy will allow all rising kindergarteners to have access to accelerated learning, in what the Mayor says will provide an equitable model allowing children to "reach their full potential." The program, named Brilliant NYC, will do away with the test given to 4-year-olds before they enter kindergarten to identify "gifted and talented" students, and instead implement an accelerated instructional model in Fall of 2022 that will serve all approximately 65,000 kindergartners, according to the Department of Education (DOE). "The era of judging 4-year-old's based on a single test is over," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "Brilliant NYC will deliver accelerated instruction for tens of thousands of children, as opposed to a select few," he said. "Every New York City child deserves to reach their full potential, and this new, equitable model gives them that chance." The current gifted and talented program admitted 2,500 students based on test scores, many who were predominantly Asian American and White, according to the DOE.

For years, students, advocates and some educators alleged the city's gifted and talented exam was polarizing and didn't ease the existing debates over the unequal and discriminatory treatment of Black and Latino students.

New York City public schools are some of the most segregated in the US, according the UCLA Civil Rights Project. In an updated analysis using 2018 data, a report released this year found that New York retains its place as the most segregated state for Black students, and second most segregated for Latino students, trailing only California.

The segregation is stark in New York City. In the city's public schools, 74.6% of Black and Latino students attend a school where fewer than 10% of the student body is White. Additionally, 34.3% of White students attend schools that are majority-White, according to the DOE.

Earlier this year, students and advocates filed a lawsuit against state and city defendants that "challenged the racial hierarchies in public education and asserting their right under the New York State Constitution to an education that identifies and dismantles racism."

What happens next

Admission to the program was based on a test score and availability of seats in the program, and not every child that scored high enough received an offer, the DOE explained. But that structure ends as every kindergartener will now have access to accelerated learning.

Students currently admitted to gifted and talented program will continue their elementary education in their current programming, the DOE said.