October 10th, 2019 meeting with Maria Stevens
The following is a summary of questions asked during the first quarterly meeting this year with Maria Stevens, Director of Teaching & Learning and of the Highly Capable Program and SCHPA leaders Linda Tsai, Missy Liu and Mary Kate Horwood on October 10.
Questions from the Hi Cap community are in bold below.
TOPIC: EQUITY
I’d like to understand how universal screening in second grade during the past two years in Shoreline has affected the traditionally underserved groups (low income, ELLs, etc.). Can you provide any data?
Answer: Data regarding 2nd grade screening efforts is pending review and release by the district Hi Cap office. Ms. Stevens has indicated that with two years of 2nd grade universal screening already completed in Shoreline, the district is beginning to see improvement in the Hi Cap demographics of our low income, ELL and ethnically-diverse students.
Is the district working on improving equity and diversity of the program?
Answer: The district is working towards improving equity and diversity in Highly Capable by:
a) Eliminating Hi Cap testing on Saturdays and instead, providing testing during the school day
b) Screening all 2nd grade students during school hours for further recommendation to the full battery Hi Cap assessments
c) Conducting full battery testing at the student’s home school, during the school day and not on a Saturday at a different location.
d) Reviewing more student evidence into consideration in addition to CogAT and ITBS scores
e) Communicating to families in multiple languages and multiple modes (phone, email and letters)
f) Screening “new-to-Shoreline” students in the fall
*g) beginning with academic year 2019-20, the elimination of Hi Cap testing in kindergarten (as it was not considered an equitable identification practice), and instead, providing enrichment in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms via Para educator and teacher support to those identified for “talent development”
*h) formally starting Hi Cap services in 2nd grade when students’ skills and aptitude are more level and developed (academic year 2021-22)
*The school board reviewed and approved these changes to Hi Cap kindergarten service in July 2019. Those slides are attached here.
Previous years, part of the high cap budget included hi cap transportation (bus). What happened?
Answer: Ms. Stevens confirmed that the Hi Cap budget (state funding) has not included transportation. The district uses state funding toward professional development, staffing, and assessment materials/tools.
What is an equitable transportation time? What is being done to provide that? Why isn’t there an exclusive bus for high cap students? Are you aware it has been taking as long as 56 minutes to get to the last home school, NOT even home? Is that equitable?
Please ask about transportation? You are never going to have true equality if you throw up so many obstacles with the bus. I spent all last year trying to get them to stop in the afternoon at the same stop they were using in the morning, but since the Kindergartner only used the stop in the morning they refused even though she went by it every day. Thankfully, we are 1 of the few parents happy with transportation this year, but this is the first year after 5 years of picking kids up at different places and waiting hours for the bus.
Answer: (Update: The Shoreline Hi Cap Parent Association has elevated this concern to Superintendent Miner and the school board - in response to the 10/21/19 proposal by the Elementary Stakeholder Advisory Committee regarding the consolidation of the magnet services at Ridgecrest with those at Meridian Park.)
Is the Hi cap office communicating with the children’s center in regards to before/after care being offered at home schools regardless of the school the child is enrolled in?
Answer: (Update: The Shoreline Hi Cap Parent Association has elevated this concern to Superintendent Miner and the school board - in response to the 10/21/19 proposal by the Elementary Stakeholder Advisory Committee regarding the consolidation of the magnet services at Ridgecrest with those at Meridian Park.)
I know this has been and likely will be asked, but I would like to know the student demographics now that we are testing all students on school days. I feel like these programs are under attack for being inequitable, and these numbers will help us examine that.
Answer: Per Ms. Stevens, our district hasn’t maintained consistent demographic data until approximately two years ago, particularly around the classification of Hi Cap students on OSPI records. However, anecdotally, she was able to confirm that with the changes implemented in screening and identification, we are starting to see more diversity in our Hi Cap program.
TOPIC: CURRICULUM
What is being done for social and emotional intelligence for the Hi Cap students? It can't all be about academics.
Answer: Next year, advisory periods will start in middle school which will address topics that are applicable to all students such as managing anxiety and stress. In addition, the district is identifying a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum for grades K-12 through the work of the Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Adoption Committee. Cohorting in ELA and clustering in other subjects will also be done when feasible.
How can I support my kiddo's learning at her assigned school? There is no Hi Cap curriculum for science, for example. The only thing they offer is math with the year ahead, and she's alternately bored and worried that she's falling behind her stand-alone-class Hi Cap peers in general. But she gets the necessary emotional support at her school that she wasn't getting in the Hi Cap classes at MP.
Answer: Advanced science typically starts in middle school with Honors Science. If your student is not being challenged at school, have her discuss this concern with her teacher about possibly moving ahead in coursework or working on a special project or finding other ways to build engagement. Having that discussion with the teacher will be the first step. Other routes are to consider after-school science clubs, Saturday enrichment programs, etc.
Why are 6th grade hi cap students at neighborhood schools *not* being clustered? 4 kids with three different teachers. 3 kids with two different teachers, to name two examples. This is not what we were told would happen. Please survey the schools, find out what is currently happening, and identify how to resolve this for next year's 5th grade WTM students...they should be clustered for ALL subjects, not just math.
Answer: The clustering of students is determined by the principal at each school. Per the school board-approved recommendations of the 2017 Hi Cap Program Review Committee, the elementary schools have flexibility with providing the type of Hi Cap service that may be applicable to their buildings through differentiation, cluster grouping and/or via Hi Cap resource room (in class or pull out). Ms. Stevens recommends that parents consult directly with the principal regarding any service issues that may be impacting their students.
TOPIC: ASSESSMENT
If a child doesn’t screen in then they cannot take the full battery. Why isn’t there opportunity for a parent to decide if the student is capable at success at the full battery, and attempt the test per parent request?
Answer: For grades 2 and above, there will be an opportunity for students to opt-in for Hi Cap testing in the spring. Watch for the announcement of the registration window after the first of the year on the district’s website: https://www.shorelineschools.org/Domain/90
Hi. I've been hearing mixed info (word of mouth) from parents that Shoreline district is planning to stop screening/testing K students for Hi cap placement in future, perhaps as soon as this year. Has this already been decided, or when will it be? And how will parents be informed? Is it a state or local request?
Answer: In July 2019, the Shoreline school board approved changes to kindergarten Hi Cap service. The Hi Cap office’s presentation slides are attached here. Screening of kindergarten students for Hi Cap is no longer being done but they will be assessed for skills and aptitude as part of the new “talent development” model. Studies have shown that testing kindergarten and first grade students may not be an accurate measure of giftedness, but that efforts may prove more reliable in 2nd grade and beyond when the academic skill sets are more level. When this year’s kindergarteners reach the spring of their first grade year, Hi Cap assessments will be administered at that time. Subsequently, formal elementary Hi Cap service in Shoreline will begin in 2nd grade (fall of 2021).
TOPIC: MIDDLE SCHOOL
Why is the middle school moving to "honors for all" classes next year? With no differentiation or clustering for kids who are high academic achievers. I'm afraid there will be a lot of boredom with the slowness of the pace for hi cap students in these classes. Is this also the plan for high school eventually or just middle school? Thanks!
What is happening to middle school next year? Will there still be advanced classes offered in all subjects or only math?
Answer: In January 2019, the school board approved the Middle School Committee’s recommendations to offer Honors courses to all middle school students beginning with the 2020-21 school year. The slides from the 1/14/19 school board meeting are included here. With Honors courses traditionally serving as the academic pathway for Shoreline’s Hi Cap students, these Honors options will continue in addition to the offering of the new Hi Cap ELA cohort option. The purpose of the Hi Cap ELA cohort option is to provide an opportunity for Hi Cap-identified students to be grouped together with their peers for social/emotional connections. According to Kellogg Middle School’s principal Heather Hiatt, the teachers will differentiate instruction in the classrooms and Hi Cap students may be naturally clustered together as their schedules could be similar with Honors/Hi Cap English, related math courses and electives. (Tip: If your student is not being academically challenged, have him/her talk with the teacher about an opportunity to move ahead in coursework, if possible, or to engage in a special project or assignment.) High school will still offer Honors, Running Start, and AP classes. There are also external online courses that may be eligible for graduation credit.
How will Hi Cap 7/8 grade math be affected by 6th grade moving to middle school? What is the plan for math once 6th grade is included in middle school? Will they continue to do 7/8 compression math for Hi Cap kids during the 6th grade year? And if so, will they be in a Hi Cap group or will they be mixed with 7th graders doing the 7/8 compression?
Answer: Many details and decisions will be made as this school year continues with respect to middle school service for 2020-21 and beyond. Compression 7/8 math is currently being reviewed by a committee to determine the optimal times of introducing this type of acceleration. The committee is considering, among other things, new research regarding adolescent brain development and best practices in other school districts in the secondary grades.
How will differentiation for our gifted population be accommodated in the new “honors for all” program? Will there be guidelines given to the teachers, or will it just be up to the individual?
Answer: Teachers have been receiving professional development from Jennifer Etter (Instructional Specialist in Hi Cap) to level up curriculum in preparation of this Honors transition. Seventeen teachers have also recently received training from Austina De Bonte, President of the Northwest Gifted Child Association (NWGCA). As this school year continues, we should be hearing additional information regarding differentiation practices in our middle school classrooms. According to the district’s priorities for 2019-20, professional development is a high priority in the area of “Teaching and Learning.”
Hi Cap English was added at Einstein. How is this class different than Honors? Are there any other plans to offer other Hi cap classes at Einstein? If so, how would these differ from Honors classes?
Answer: The concept of the Hi Cap ELA cohort class originated from the work of the Secondary Highly Capable Program Review committee whose recommendations were approved by the school board in the spring of 2018. The academic foundation for the cohort class is still Honors; however, students may opt for the cohort class if they desire to be grouped with their Hi Cap-identified peers for social-emotional connections. For the 2019-2020 year, both Einstein and Kellogg added a "English 7 and 8 Hon/Hi cap" option which has grouped Hi Cap-identified ELA students from the magnet schools and neighborhood schools together in one classroom. Besides this English class, middle schools do not plan to offer intentional cohorting of Hi Cap students in Honors Social Studies and Honors Science, but due to similarities in course selections by these students, there may be natural clusterings across these classes. Next year’s Honors will retain the same academic expectations as they are currently and access to accelerated learning. The teachers’ goals are to differentiate instruction to all students in their classrooms.
As 5th graders move to middle school, parents need to be informed of how and what sort of classes to make sure the the hi cap students move into..please provide that correspondence
Answer: Ms. Stevens confirmed that her office is working on curriculum recommendations for the 6th grade Hi Cap students and hopes to have this ready by spring when enrollment begins.
OTHER ITEMS DISCUSSED:
Twice-exceptional or “2e” students are being identified for Highly Capable by meeting with them one-on-one and considering a larger range of data.
Walk-to-Math will continue for students who are already doing this but may transition out completely, per the August 2019 “Memorandum of Understanding” between the district and the Shoreline Education Association (teachers’ union). Details of how and when this would be implemented are still pending.
ELA services in the neighborhood schools: The elementary ELA curriculum (Wonders) is not considered robust enough for differentiation; therefore, our teachers are being encouraged to start "integrated units" where reading could transect social studies and provide enrichment or extension activities beyond "English" time in the classroom.
6th grade transition to middle school curriculum is still being worked out but the ELA cohort Hon/Hi cap option will continue to be offered. Also, students need to formally opt out of the program if they do not wish to receive Hi Cap services, per state law.