A study has found that the Washoe County School District's program for gifted and talented students is biased against poor or nonwhite students.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that even though white students are a minority in the district, they make up the vast majority of the gifted program. According to a study by research firm WestEd, about 45 percent of the district's 64,000 students are white. However, about 65 percent of students identified as gifted or talented are white.
WestEd senior program associate Sharon Tucker presented her findings to district officials on Tuesday.
District director of gifted and talented programs Cheri DiMartino says the disproportionality must be fixed immediately. The district will give gifted screening tests to all students in first and fifth grades starting this year.