HIGHLY CAPABLEPROGRAM REVIEW

RECOMMENDATIONSBoard of Directors

May 8, 2014

Highly Capable Review Committee Membership

Position LocationLast

NameFirst Name

Co-Chair District Goldsmith JulieCo-Chair District Mosiman BillConsultant Seattle Ghosh JayasriDifferentiation TOSA District Robbins GlenSecondary Admin

WMSBHS

NelsonHazlip

KristinKristin

Elementary Admin Sakai Brown SteveElem. Principal Wilkes Belt SherylTeacher BHS Goetsch CathyTeacher WMS Kundtz AnneTeacher Sakai Walter JanaTeacher Blakely Cameron SamTeacher Ordway Dodge JanetteTeacher Wilkes Covert BillTeacher Wilkes Collins KristinTeacher COS Wells Martha

Teacher OrdwayBaileyLolley

AmandaCathy

Community   Levine JudyCommunity   Mulhern PegeenCommunity   Stephens StephanieCommunity   Cain Cheryl

Highly Capable Goal:O Develop a Highly Capable Program

that meets the unique needs of students, complies with state law, and establishes a vision for the future.

Process To-dateO Formed CommitteeO Reviewed new requirements with

staffO Surveyed parentsO Conducted parent meetingsO Identified strengths and areas for

improvementO Developed Policy & Procedure

LanguageO Developed 2014-15 Phase-in Plan

Jayasri GhoshEducational Consultant

O PhD, Educational Psychology/ Gifted Education O Research in learning styles of gifted

children and its application to the classroom.

O Current Board member for St. Thomas School, Medina

O Chair of the Multicultural Advisory Committee for Tacoma Community College

O Head of Seattle Country Day School serving gifted youth and Annie Wright School

Understanding Highly Capable

O Not all high achieving students are gifted.

O Not all gifted students are high achievers.

O Some students may be twice exceptional (ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, EBS, etc.)

Parent MeetingsO Goal: To give BISD parents a forum

for expressing their thoughts and suggestions for the BISD program for Highly Capable Students.

Themes from parent meetings:

O Majority of respondents were from the District’s elementary school

O Most parents were aware of the Highly Capable program and its methods of identification. There are those who wished they knew more. Criteria seems arbitrary.

O Clear communication and co-ordination seems to be importantO HC should be offered for earlier grades.  O High achieving students who do not meet HC cut- off criteria

need challenging work as well. Serving these students well will create a great deal of good will as BISD has a higher average number of high achieving students.

O There is need for District-wide leadership and co-ordination with the HC program and a need for clarity, communication and transparency.

Themes from parent meetings:

O General satisfaction with the overall teaching in BISD.O Enrichment opportunities offered by the District and some

parent support groups are a great source of satisfaction; Math clubs, Jiffy Math, Math Olympiad, Engineering, Robotics, Rocket Club Parents appreciate it when teachers take the time to offer extended learning opportunities.

O ILP program needs improvement (meaningful  differentiation for students in Math and LA Social studies).

O While some math acceleration opportunities exist at Sakai and Woodward, there is a need for better differentiation in Math for students who are truly excelling and need a more personalized plan.

Parent Survey ResultsO 324 Respondents (115 self-identified

having children identified as highly capable)

O Parents representing all schools and all grade levels:O High School – 88O Middle School – 69O K-6 - 297(parents have students at multiple grade levels)

Aware of HC Program

Yes No

61 % (200) 39% (128)

Yes No

46% 54%

Aware of HC Identification Process

Satisfied with Grade Level Math

Not at all satisfied

Unsatisfied

Somewhat

Satisfied Satisfied

Very Satisfied

Average

All Parents

14% 18% 25% 31% 12% 3.11

Parents of HC

22% 21% 19% 24% 14% 2.86

Satisfied with Grade Level Language Arts

Not at all satisfied

Unsatisfied

Somewhat

Satisfied Satisfied

Very Satisfied

Average

All Parents

4% 14% 30% 39% 13% 3.43

Parents of HC

5% 16% 34% 33% 11% 3.29

If your child is in the HC program, what is your level of satisfaction?

Very Satisfied

Somewhat Satisfied

Not Satisfied

110 Respondents

9% 30.5% 60.5%

Very Satisfied

Somewhat Satisfied

Not Satisfied

122 Respondents

8% 33% 59%

How satisfied are you with the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)?

Highlights of Recommendations

O The 2014-15 school year will be a phased-in development year.

O By “phased-in” we mean that some initial revisions will be implemented in this next year to meet the newly adopted Washington State requirements.

O The district will continue over the next 2 to 3 years to refine the continuum of service options for K-12 students. 

Highlight of Recommendations

O Expand the grade level of students being served: Currently provided to students in

grades 4-8 Beginning in 2014-15 identify and

provide services to students in grades K-12

Highlight of Recommendations

O Students who are currently identified as Highly Capable do not need to be reassessed.

O A new learning plan will be created for support at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year.

Highlight of RecommendationsO Start to identify and serve highly capable

students in grades K-12.  O The nomination, screening and assessment of

highly capable K-12 students will be based on multiple measures.

O Step 1:Spring 2014

Grade Level

Screening Assessment/Selection

K-3 Cognitive Screening for all Students – Select top scoring students for additional assessment – Nomination Process

• Cognitive ability measure,

• Academic performance and

• Creative behavioral characteristics checklist

4-8 *Nomination Process

2015 & Beyond

Grade Level

Screeningcompleted by December

Assessment/SelectionCompleted by March

K Cognitive Screening for all Students – Select top students for additional assessment –Nomination Process

• Cognitive ability measure,

• Academic performance and

• Creative behavioral characteristics checklist

1-12 *Nomination Process

SelectionO A Multi-Disciplinary Committee comprised of HC Teacher/TOSA,

psychologist, program administrator, grade/school level representatives will conduct the process.

O The Committee will select students for Highly Capable Services by evaluating multiple criteria that includes: Cognitive ability measure, academic performance and creative

behavioral characteristics checklist. Multi-assessment data will be used to identify students, some of

whom might remain otherwise undiscovered

O The selection decision shall be based on: A preponderance of evidence from the data demonstrating that a

student is among the most highly capable; Evidence of clear need for highly capable services; and Determination of which students would benefit the most from

inclusion in the Program.

District Enrollment

Current Enrollment of HC Students

Projected Enrollment of HC Students*

Total Number of Students

Reading Math Reading Math

K 240 Top 2 %

5 5

1 240 5 5

2 244 5 5

3 278

Top 3%

8 8

4 301 7 6 9 9

5 321 29 23 As new criteria is phased-in the number of students per grade level will be approximately 9 to 12 per academic area.

6 292 31 24

7 285 28 27

8 328 22 16

9 346 25 19

10 356 31 12

11 327 20 15

Highlights of Recommendations

O To support schools in these changes we are recommending the addition of 2.0 staffing (1 staff member to support grades K-6 and one to support grades 7-12). 

O These staff members will provide support and training to teachers, some direct services to students, support the nomination, screening and identification process and support the development, implementation, and monitoring of learning plans and collect data to monitor the overall effectiveness of the program.

O If approved, these positions will be posted as new openings.

Highlight of Recommendations

O As reflected in the parent survey, we need to improve the consistency of support of our highly capable program for services offered during the school day in grades 4-8 and develop strategies for supporting students in grades K-3 and 9-12.O Continuum of ServicesO Learning Enhancement & Acceleration

Program (LEAP) Plans O Direct Services & Support by HC TOSA

Service Options to Consider for Most Highly Capable Students*

O Pull-out program (one day a week, partial day)

O Inclusion model within a homeroom classroom (cluster grouping and differentiation)

O Ability Grouping for instruction in one content area (Walk-to-Math/Walk-to-Read)

O Acceleration or compacting of curriculum

O Specialized Classes (AP, Honors)

O Pull-out Self-Contained Program

O Talent Development (Math Olympiad, Engineering/Robotics Clubs, Destination Imagination, Math Counts, Internships, Service Learning)

*Adapted from the Center for Gifted Education and Professional Development, Whitworth University, 2013

Highlight of RecommendationsDevelop LEAP Plans:

Learning Enhancement & Acceleration Program

O Redesign of Instructional Learning Plan (ILP)

O Statement of the student’s present educational performance.

O Annual goals describe what the student can be expected to learn during the year.

O Short-term outcomes describe what needs to happen during the school day to reach these Annual goals.

Next StepsO Post & Hire 2.0 StaffO Finalize LEAP TemplateO Develop Staff Development Plan for 2014-15O Communication to parents and staff (on web,

listserve, school bulletins)O Begin implementation of School Board approved

Recommendations for the 2014 -2015 school year and beyond. Screening, Nomination & Assessment completed by

end of school year.O Progress Report to Board in Winter of 2014-15.