DEKALB COUNTY, GA — DeKalb County is working to change the way blacks, Latinos, Asian, and other students are represented in the schools’ gifted program. Black and Hispanic students make up the majority of DeKalb’s enrollment, but district leaders say both groups have been underrepresented historically in gifted classes.
Dr. Norman Sauce, DeKalb’s Chief of Student Services, said the district lowered the qualifying threshold on an initial test from the 90th percentile to allow more students to advance to additional screening.
“If a student was 75th, 78th, or 87th percentile in MAP, we allowed them to take the ITBS, which is another instrument the state of Georgia approves for achievement,” Sauce explained.
The change has already resulted in more students qualifying for gifted services. The district says numbers grew by 47% in one year, with increases across every subgroup: Black, White, Latino, Asian, multiracial, students with disabilities, English Learners, and economically disadvantaged students.
WSB’s Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story