Gifted & Talented Program CCSD Board Meeting Monday, November 20, 2017

Gifted and Talented CCSD Revisit Program Goals 2016-2017 1. Curriculum Alignment 2. Identification 3. Student Achievement 4. Professional Development 5. Communication Michelle Anderson Here are our goals!

Program Overview Michelle: This is the our version MTSS model for our GT services: way to target and service our population In an effective way and needs vary with each child.

Goal #1 - Gifted & Talented Curriculum Alignment Goal Assist in work that addresses PLC question #4, “How will we respond when they know it?” Support mentorship as a way to encourage and satisfy GT students’ social/emotional and academic needs. Julie We continue to look at ways to extend thinking of students who already know the standards, either by working with teachers to differentiate instruction in the classroom, or working with students within our own classrooms. Last year we had a several students participating in mentoring gifted students. We felt this was a valuable resource and that the students really grew from working with the mentors.

Goal # 2 - Gifted and Talented Identification Goal Reflect and revise any necessary changes to the identification process. Review and refine the process for PACE (K-3) students. Julie We did some reflecting and will continue to examine our practices about identification. The elementary teachers continued to examine our identification practices as it relates to our younger learners. We thought one of our measures wasn’t getting the data we were looking for, so after some reflection we decided to try something new. Because this is a newer program, it’s going to take some time to find the process that works best for us.

Goal #3 - Student Achievement Goal 75% of GT students will meet or exceed their growth target as measured by their fall to spring MAP in both reading and math. By the spring of 2017, 82% of GT students will meet or exceed their self-identified academic goal and their additional self-identified goal. Refine and document 5+ and 7+ math eligibility criteria. Erin Hoffman

MAP Reading Comparison GT Data Erin

MAP Math Comparison GT Data Erin

Number of students reporting Iowa Assessment Data 2016-2017 Number of students proficient or advanced Grade Level 4th GT Not GT 6th 8th 11th Number of students reporting 46 363 45 362 74 359 56 337 Reading 97% 65% 93% 53% 61% 83% 52% Math 94% 58% 92% 48% 90% 54% 62% Erin

PEP Goals 81.4% of GT students met their self-identified academic goal. 86.7% of GT students met their additional self-identified goal. Tricia

Reflecting on Student Achievement... We continue to work towards our program goal of raising student achievement through best practices, such as student PEPs and professional learning. Educators and GT specialists work together since GT students are gifted “all day long” and therefore student achievement is impacted by focusing on learning needs. We are increasing mentorship opportunities for our students that bring together students and mentors within the school system and the community. Tricia

Goal #4 - Professional Development Goal Increase classroom teachers’ knowledge and skills in providing differentiated instruction for gifted and talented students via job-embedded opportunities. Lori Ling

Forms of PL that we employed last year and continue to use: District PL- Two online PL opportunities for our teachers this past year, one in the winter and one in the spring. Embedded PLCs/Student Services Team at HS Faculty meeting time Differentiation supports (ie, math extensions) Staff (G/T, classroom teachers, curriculum lead, principal) attended Iowa Talented & Gifted Conference) Model instruction (ie, “push in”) Share resources/As needed, “on your feet” Lori Ling

Goal #5 - Communication GT Differentiation Specialists will share, seek input, and collaborate regularly with building administrators (at least twice monthly) to ensure effective GT services and continuous improvement. GT Differentiation Specialists will collaborate with guidance counselors and administrators annually, to ensure continuity of supports and services as GT students transition from building to building. GT Differentiation Specialists will increase communication to and clarity for all stakeholders on continuity of services over time. Lora Danker

Final Thoughts The GT program is a continuum of services that varies based on student need. Because GT students are gifted throughout the day, we will continue to encourage and empower our colleagues to offer challenging options for students and to recognize social/emotional needs. We will continue to work with administration and the counseling staff to strengthen understanding and practices. We continue to have a growth mindset- learning from our past and present and continually striving to improve future programming, and will continue to refer to the strategic plan for alignment. Lora Danker

How the Board Can Help The Board can help through your continued advocacy and support of the district gifted and talented program. Through your involvement we feel we have a very solid and comprehensive program that reflects best practice (collaboration, PEPs,professional learning,etc). Please continue to recognize the value and continuation of categorical funding and the imperative nature of the topic of dedicated funding to gifted and talented programs. Finally, our Strategic Plan specifically names social/emotional needs of students as a topic of focus. Gifted and Talented students can often possess intensities and over-excitabilities that exacerbate how they view the world. Thank you for recognizing how important addressing social/emotional needs are to not only a child’s academic success but also to his/her well-being. Thank you for supporting our professional learning efforts and for being such wise and helpful counsel. You are a problem-solving Board and we appreciate that, your collaborative nature, and your support. We are all working together for our kids!