Homeless, low-income, at-risk, and Black students participating in Houston ISD’s Gifted and Talented Program are underrepresented. White and Asian students, on the other hand, are overrepresented, according to the district’s G/T evaluation.
Per the Texas Education Agency, a G/T student is one who “performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment” or who:
- Shows high-performance capability in different areas
- Embodies leadership qualities
- Excels in academics
HISD’s Gifted and Talented Program Evaluation report analyzes the effectiveness of the district’s GT program and its conformity to legal policies and procedures.
HISD served 26,532 G/T students through two program designs: Vanguard Magnet or Gifted and Talented Neighborhood. Out of the 269 schools serving K–12 in HISD, 260 campuses identified G/T students based on Fall PEIMS Snapshot data.
Of these, 245 campuses offered a Gifted and Talented Neighborhood program (K–12), which a majority (80%) of students participated in, while 20% of students chose the 15 campuses that offered a Vanguard Magnet program (K–12).
While the percentage of students identified through the fifth-grade universal assessment has varied over time, around two-thirds to three-quarters of the students identified are African American and Hispanic, per an analysis of two-year cohorts over ten years.
Breaking down the numbers
According to the Gifted and Talented Program Evaluation: 2022–2023, 37,692 Black students make up 21.3% of the HISD student population, but only 2,836 students (10.7%) comprise the Gifted and Talented program.
Black enrollment and representation in the G/T program have decreased since the 2021-22 school year, which the report considers an underrepresentation of the demographic.
The highest percentage of students identified as G/T through the fifth-grade universal assessment were African American and Hispanic students, ranging from 62.2% in 2020–2021
to 76.5% in 2014–2015.
Moreover, these groups of students are also underrepresented:
- At-Risk (29.8%)
- Bilingual EB & Non-EB (7.7%)
- Economically Disadvantaged (48.9%)
- English as a Second Language (ESL) (8.14%)
- Special Ed (2.07%), and
- Homeless (1.13%)
More than 78% of HISD’s students belong to economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and roughly 65% are at-risk students. These students comprise around 49% and 30% of the G/T program, respectively.
On the other hand, American Indian (0.15%) and Hispanic (49.34%) students met the requirements.
White and Asian students are overrepresented in the program.
TEA’s Equity in Gifted Education study says, “Equity exists when the various population groups are reflected in the same proportions as they are represented in the larger population.” In other words, if Hispanic students comprise 60% of HISD’s population, then 60% of the district’s G/T program should also be Hispanic.
If a student’s socioeconomic status is considered, then all of the racial and ethnic groups that are disproportionately economically disadvantaged are underrepresented, the report says.
The total number of students identified as G/T has also dropped from 28,433 (15.6%) in 2021-22 to 26,532 (15%) in the last academic year.
Kindergarten and sixth-grade Vanguard magnet schools
According to data from the report, Black and Hispanic students apply for Vanguard Mmagnet schools, which only take in G/T students, at disproportionately lower rates than they are represented in the HISD entering kindergarten and entering sixth-grade populations. These demographics’ applications are significantly fewer than white students.
Comparing these G/T students with those districtwide, data indicates that Hispanic and African American students are underrepresented in the program as a whole, while white and Asian students are overrepresented.
For example, the percentage of African American students ranged from 0% at Carrillo and De Zavala elementary schools to 41% at Windsor Village Elementary School.
Although Asian and white students apply at disproportionately higher rates than they are represented in the HISD entering kindergarten and sixth-grade populations, they enroll at lower rates compared to African American and Hispanic students.
HISD’s G/T department decided to conduct universal testing of second graders for the program in the current school year. During the previous years, kindergarten students were tested.
Recommendations for improvement
The report makes the following recommendations to the district, among others:
- Universally testing fifth-grade students, participating in the Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) to identify students, incorporating a rating scale, and expanding programs to ensure equity in terms of opportunity,
- Monitor equity of opportunity by digitizing G/T nominations and students who have exited the program, and
- Develop measures to evaluate the rigor of the curriculum.
