Is the child gifted? It also depends on the address: The gaps revealed in screening tests

A new Knesset Research Center report reveals significant gaps in identifying gifted students in Israel: more than half of the recommended students come from the central and Tel Aviv districts, while the recommendation rate in low socioeconomic clusters stands at only 1.3%. The report points to the impact of economic background, transportation accessibility, and expensive preparatory courses on the chances of children from the periphery.

A new report by the Knesset Research Center reveals significant gaps in identifying gifted students in Israel, influenced not only by students' abilities but also by their place of residence and socioeconomic background. The report, produced at the request of MK Meirav Cohen from Yesh Atid, found that more than half of the students recommended annually for gifted programs came from the central and Tel Aviv districts. In the 2023-2024 school years, the recommendation rate out of all second-grade students stood at 5.3% in high socioeconomic clusters, compared to 2.2% in medium clusters and only 1.3% in low clusters. The report points to barriers such as expensive preparatory courses, poor transportation accessibility, and a lack of emphasis on education in the periphery. Dr. Nurit Paz-Baruch from Bar-Ilan University noted that part of the gap may arise even before the admission stage, in the scope of participation in the screening process and access to information. Additionally, a gender gap emerges: in 2024, 60.4% of examinees were boys compared to 39.6% girls, although the success rate for girls is higher. The Ministry of Education responded that it operates a systematic, multi-layered system for identifying and nurturing gifted students, and is expanding the distribution of programs, including new classes and centers in Kiryat Shmona, Umm al-Fahm, Netivot, and Mughar.