Gifted Services Advisory Committee Agenda--September

Goal: To help North Royalton City Schools provide the most effective programming for our identified gifted students at the elementary level who are at the most intensive academic level (identified in reading and/or math with the superior cognitive score)

  1. Introductions and Intent - The committee is made up of district educators with experience in gifted education and a cross section of parents of current 3rd and 4th grade students from each elementary. In attendance: Tim Anderson, Lauren Bly, Julie Bogden, Beth Burdick, Samantha Lumpkin, Carmen Rademaker, Rachel Steinlage, Melissa Vojta, other members not present: Brandi Demming, Devi Sekura, Deval Vakil.
  1. Brief Overview of Gifted Identification and Services in Ohio
  2. see handout - Discussion of the Ohio Operating Standards for Identifying and Serving Gifted Students and ORC 3301-51-15. Specific instruction time and caseload requirements by the state of Ohio for deliver of gifted services were reviewed. These requirements will be important to consider as we discuss service options for the future.
  1. Overview of the Continuum of Gifted Services for NRCS
  2. see handout - Discussion of how gifted services fits under the umbrella of special education services. Students within the core curriculum area with instruction in the general education classroom are considered Tier 1. Students needing strategic, targeted instruction, such as differentiated curriculum with the general education classroom, students in advanced math classes at the middle school and students in honors courses at the high school are considered Tier 2. Students needing Intensive, targeted instruction, such as subject and grade accelerations, single subject courses with Gifted Intervention Specialists, AP, CCP, Internships and Dual Enrollment programs are considered Tier 3. The students in Tier 3 are our students with the most intensive academic needs.
  1. History of Gifted Programming
  2. see handout - Review of gifted services in North Royalton City Schools from 1983 to present. Discussion included the many service delivery models that have been utilized and the need to design a model that can be maintained over a long period of time, meeting the needs of our most intensive needs students.
  1. Parent Feedback of our past structures
  2. Committee today
  3. Survey of parents - Review of 2014-2015 parent survey questions and results. Low response rate and small sampling makes it difficult to draw accurate conclusions.
  4. Survey - The possibility of a new survey was discussed. Due to the small sample of parents who would be involved in the survey, accurate results are difficult to obtain and they would not speak to the concerns and opinions of future stakeholders. It was decided that a more effective method of obtaining community input and respond to concerns would be to make the minutes available on the NRCS website and create an email to which parents and community members may send questions, comments and concerns for the committee to address. It was suggested that feedback forms be provided at conferences to parents of students currently being served in the elementary program. It was decided instead to utilize the email system.
  1. Moving Forward
  2. Provide a structure that serves our most intensive gifted students at the elementary level.
  3. What does this process look like
  4. Gifted Advisory Committee Made up of parents and district personnel. Parents serving on the committee includes representatives from all 3 elementary buildings, from both 3rd and 4th grades, with students in EELA, Enriched math, or both.
  5. timeline for review for this school year
  6. Surveys (september, october) Email/ Website information option decided upon
  7. Review data (October, November)
  8. Review programming options (December, January)
  9. Final review of data, options, make recommendation (February)
  10. Present to parents, Board (March)

The committee requested more information regarding gifted service delivery models being utilized successfully in area districts. Beth Burdick will compile this information for the next scheduled meeting.

An email for stakeholder input will be looked into and the minutes of the meeting will be posted on the NRCS website. Principals will be asked to include a link to the minutes in their newsletters. An email/ handout will be sent to parents of students currently receiving services informing them of the gifted email for feedback, questions, and concerns for the committee to address .