Draft Policy Ioa Overview Feb 10, 2009

graft Policy IOA Revision Overview The attached document was developed by the Division of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction to summarize discussions of the AEI Advisory related to po, the past year. Should the Board of Education Policy Committee choose to continue review of Policy IOA in 2009, this document will be provided to summ highlights important issues related to accelerated and enriched instruction and reflects the following: • Issues discussed by the AEI Advisory (Column One). • How each issue is addressed in the current Policy IOA (Column Two). ▪ The recommendations of the majority of members on the AEI Advisory on each issue (Column Three). • How each issue is addressed in the draft of revised Policy IOA (Column Four). Differing perspectives of AEI Advisory members who do not agree with the majority recommendations summarized in column three (Colum AEI Advisory members provided input in developing the majority recommendations (Column Three). When a member was not in agreement, the member (Column Five).

DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview How Addressed in Current Policy IOA Issue:

Policy language

Is this a policy just for gifted students or for all students?

Current Policy IOA 1) The policy was written prior to ROE expeetation-that-policies--- provide the vision and direction for a program or process. The current version includes regulatory language, discussing how the vision should be implemented.

2) The policy states that all students who are capable of doing so will be given the opportunity to work above grade level and in advanced and enriched materials in all content areas, in every grade level, in each school.

The policy provides special emphasis on addressing the cognitive and affective needs of high-achieving and potentially high-achieving students. 2

Draft Committee Recommendations

Str ff Draft of Policy IOA Revisi

1) Meet the BOE policy expectation to .—establish_a_vision and direction.

) The draft provides the vision direction for a K-12 accelerat( and enriched program of instruction. A regulation will be drafted a; policy is reviewed, based on ti information recorded in the Regulatory Language Frame

in the Regulatory Language Framework to develop Reglitatiell IOA RA. The AEI Advisory Committee, and perhaps other stakeholders as well, should: participate in the development of regulations to implement any changes to Polic y 10A.

2) MCPS must encourage all students must-be-eneetwaged to achieve at the highest level and -a the policy on accelerated and enriched instruction nitist reflect the inclusive nature of this vision.

2) Draft language requires that th will be equal access to and support for accelerated and enriched instruction for all tudents, including students NA isabilities, from all racial, etl d cultural groups, and acroE conomic strata.

3) MCPS must address tThe needs of highly able students. should continue to be addressed MCPS should retain tThe continuum of accelerated and enriched services that includes highly gifted centers

3

2/10/2009

r aft language requires that tlill be a continuum of c celerated and enriched serv that addresses the cognitive a: 4ffective needs of all students achieve at higher levels in all

DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview How Addressed in Current Policy IOA Issue:

Is this a policy just for gifted students or for all students? (continued) 4) The current policy title is Gifted and Talented Education, identifying the policy as only for an identified population.

Identification/Gifted label for students

3

5) The policy includes regulatory language that all Grade 2 students be assessed, using multiple indicators. Students in later elementary grades should. be rescreened to provide apiiKitiriate accelerated and enriched services.

Draft Committee Recommendations

Staff Draft of Policy IOA Revisif

and magnet programs addresses the cognitive and affective needs of all students, including the highly-able as part of efforts to address the needs of these students.

subject areas and in all Grades 12.

4) In an effort to label services, not students, the policy should be titled Accelerated and Enriched Instruction.

4) Draft language requires that th( title of Policy IOA is Accelera and Enriched Instruction.

As student abilities change over the 5) Draft language requires that years, MCPS must develop a students should be assessed in process is needed where students on-going manner, using multi] are measured evaluated in an factors to continually match ,. ongoing-tunnel and at regular students with appropriately intervals ( e.g. minimally Grades 2, challenging coursework. 5, and 8). Continued assessment of students allows for the on-going The regulation will outline a review of students' abilities, thus screening process that does no acknowledging the developmental result in a label. The process v iiätiffe—o-f-§ficli-515ilitie-§,—Eid---- -ikovide fo-r ongoing assessma allowing for a close match to documentation, provision and appropriate services. reporting, including parent reports, of accelerated and enriched instruction and servic 2/10/2009

DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview

Issue: Iden tification/Gifted label for students (continued)

How Addressed in Current Policy IOA

Draft Committee Recommendations

Staff Draft of Policy 'OA Revisif

6) The policy calls for identification of students as gifted, not gifted, or - needing re-screening. Provision of services is not tied to the label; any student with the capability or motivation of doing so may receive accelerated and enriched instruction.

6) Labeling is viewed by some as the vehicle for ensuring that high ability students receive appropriate challenge, or at least -is as the first step. Others believe that such labeling compartmentalizes . students—that one is either gifted, or not gifted and can lead to limiting of students' options. Experiences of staff, students, and parents in the no-label fillot schools indicate that labels are not a necessary .component for challenging.;Students appropriately. What is niost important is that MCPS • identify students who need additional challenges because of special abilities, potential, interest, or motivation, • determine what 'accelerated and enriched.services are needed to meet these needs, and • provide the necessary accelerated and enriched instruction.

) Iraft language requires that ea school, K-12 will • Follow an established proces ensure that every student is receiving the highest instructional challenge, appropriate for his or her ne( 4i Use system-wide data for making recommendations of student services annually an reporting these services to parents. • Offer accelerated and enrich programs and instruction to ensure that all students enga, in challenging coursework, 1 appropriate for identified no

For each of these steps, it is essential that MCPS document the processes it is using and the effectiveness of those processes. It should share information on particular students with. the student's family and share information about overall ro -rams 4

2/10/2009

will be further detailed in regulation.