Protocol for tonight Presentation Please hold or jot down questions as you think of them Question and Answer Open for general questions If you have a question that pertains specifically to your son or daughter, the Learning and Teaching team will stay as long as needed to answer those individually

History Through ‘ , highly capable programs were largely optional. District received a small grant. PSD ran a 4 th and 5 th grade self-contained program only in recent years. Beginning in ‘ , in accordance with HB 5922, all districts need to provide services for HiCap students K-12. Added this year: Challenge program for K-3, cluster services for Gr A transition year, pending a program review

Program Review HiCap Guiding Team, made up of 16 administrators, teachers, parents, and a School Board member: Review gifted student research Looked a programs offered around the state Participated in site visits Considered all of the options Made recommendations for Learning and Teaching to consider Learning and Teaching’s program recommendations were presented to the School Board on Jan. 22

Big Ideas A school system is like a gigantic ship – it can’t be turned on a dime We have some transition pieces to work through Keep in mind what is best for all students as we The program changed this year and will change next Working on methods for program evaluation Continuous improvement model

Guiding Principles for Review Provide continuous, high quality services for HiCap students K-12, especially 2 nd -8 th, with rigorous class options in 9 th grade and up. Provide opportunities for acceleration (for all high achievers as well as HiCappers) Provide opportunities for highly capable students as appropriate for their profile (students high in all areas or in just one area)

Acceleration One of the clearest takeaways from research review – accelerating students when they are academically ready is highly correlated to increased student learning with minimal social and emotional impacts Academic acceleration is “deciding that competence rather than age should be the criteria for determining when an individual obtains access to particular curricula or academic experiences" (Benbow, 1998, p. 281).

I’ve mapped out the concepts I’ve already grasped to save you time.

Testing and Identification Kindergarten screening Top 10% become K/1 cluster cohort HiCap student referrals: September – January Spring CogAT testing for referred students in grades 1-8 (including students in 1 st grade cluster) CogAT, academic achievement (ITBS), and creativity measures combine for identifying students in profile 1 and 2 (see next slide).

Myths about HiCap students All students are “gifted” Highly Capable students do not need any extra services Teachers and peers need Highly Capable students in the classroom to serve as models Students are only highly capable if they are “Straight A” high achievers

High Achievers vs. Highly Capable from “The Gifted and Talented Child” by Janice Szabos, Maryland Council for Gifted & Talented, Inc.

Biggest Changes Battery at end of 1 st grade to possibly qualify for HiCap Grades 2-8 Students can test in later years as well Two Profiles High Composites (~top 4%): Self Contained High in Verbal (Clusters in home school elem, self- contained MS) or Quantitative (clusters in elem, accelerated) District curriculum Accelerated Deeper

Early Learning: HiCap Challenge Kindergarten: Top 10% will qualify for Challenge Program in neighborhood school Focus will be on acceleration and enhanced learning opportunities First Grade: Top 10% served through Challenge Program Students will be in “clustered” classes in their neighborhood school Focus will be on acceleration and extension activities

Grade 2/3 and 4/5 Multi Age for the Profile 1 (top 4% composite) students at Voyager and Minter Creek Transportation provided Stay with the same teacher for two years Focus on acceleration and deeper learning Social and emotional focus for Hi Cap population For Profile 2, stay in home school and “clustered” in classes of like-profiles

HiCap Middle School Self-contained at Kopachuck and Key Peninsula MS 3 year transition – starting with 6 th grade next year Self-Contained Humanities (ELA/SS): Includes 5 th grade self-contained cohort Some High Verbal Tier 2 students included (counsel students on appropriate placement) Math is not exclusively HiCap - there are compacted math options: Screener in May 6 th, 6-7 compacted, 7-8 compacted

HiCap Middle School: Math Math is not exclusively HiCap - there are compacted math options: Screener in May Some will start in Algebra in 7 th (double accelerated) Options will be available each year through Calculus B/C

Middle School Math OptionsABC 6 th grade6 th 6/7 compacted 7/8 compacted 7 th grade7 th 7/8 compacted Algebra 8 th grade8 th AlgebraGeometry

HiCap Middle School: Science Investigate Accelerated/Challenge Science class (HiCap and high achieving students) – , subject to K-12 science review

Transitions Current 4 th and 5 th graders have option to remain in stay even if Profile 2 Start at 6 th grade next year and add a grade each year to full implementation

HiCap HS Challenging courses available in Freshman year Math: Geometry or Alg. II ELA: Freshmen—Pre-AP English cluster; Sophomore— AP Seminar; Junior—AP Research or AP Lit or AP Lang SS: AP World History/Human Geography or Honors World Cultures Science: AP Environmental Science or Biology

Ongoing Guiding Team will continue to meet to work on evaluating the program and looking for possible assessment revisions Hiring outstanding teachers for the new self- contained classes Becoming more consistent on how clusters are organized Additional training for challenge and cluster teachers as well as for self-contained

Questions