CHSS hosted an AIG parent meeting in the media center at the school at 5:00.
In attendance, representing the school, were:
Dr. Tonelson, Principal
Linda Layden and Jean Taylor, Vice Principals
Nancy Griffin, Director of Secondary Instruction (Dare County)
Judi Hornbeck, Director of Elementary Instruction (Dare County); also Director of Gifted Education
Dianne McDowell
(Dianne is a Board Member of NCAGT, the North Carolina Association for Gifted and Talented. She owns a consulting business called "Creating Visions")
Following are my notes from the meetings, and then my observations, for those of you who couldn't be there.
Dianne McDowell gave us some history of Gifted Education
-in 1978, the NC Legislature mandated that all NC Public Schools provide "gifted education" (this didn't mean it was offered to all students in all grades; each district just had to offer "something")
-in the early 90's, 10 schools in the state were required to develop an AIG "plan"
-by September 1998, all NC public schools were required to develop an AIG "plan"
Current NC AIG plans are "research-based". Because of recent research, "pullout programs" (where kids are taken out of their regular class (or classes) to work with an AIG certified teacher), are being phased out. Now, gifted education is heading toward "differentation". "HOTS" is another term currently being used. It means "Higher Order Thinking Skills". Gifted education today is a leading indicator of what "regular education" will be like in a couple of years.
NCAGT is the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented. This is the "advocacy piece" of gifted education in NC. The organization has been around for more than 30 years.
NAGC is the National Association for Gifted Children, with which NCAGT is affiliated.
PAGE is described on the web site as follows:
Partners the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE) are the local affiliates of the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented (NCAGT). PAGE groups are parents, teachers and others helping each other with the purpose of providing appropriate educational and life experiences for gifted children. The PAGE chapters voted in October 2001 to change their name from "Parents for the Advancement of Gifted Education" to "Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education," with the acronym continuing to be "PAGE." The name change emphasizes the collaboration among parents, teachers, school administrators, higher education professionals, and other community members that is necessary to advocate successfully for gifted children. |
Dianne talked about how we need to pay attention to the social and emotional needs of High End Learners.
She recommended a book by Sandra L. Berger, called College Planning for Gifted Students
Her recommendation to teachers and faculty, specific to CHSS, after talking to and observing students, is that there is a need for professional development at CHSS to help teachers keep up with current technology and research.
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Based on parent questions from the last meeting, following are some of the other items that were mentioned by the administration in attendance:
- CHSS will look into offering Organizational Skills (including study skills and note taking) workshops for kids (and parents)
- Students should let their enrichment teacher know if they want to participate in more than one enrichment activity (for example, if they want to join both a Math Counts/Mathaletes and a Battle of the Books team)
- CHSS has one guidance counselor for grades 6-12, and the administration has met with her to discuss the social/emotional needs of AIG students
- CHSS will look into offering Honors classes in middle school (English/verbal arts and math)
Nancy Griffin presented some information on Teen Court (which had been mentioned but not explained in a previous meeting). The program started "up the beach" about 3/4 years ago. There were a couple of participants from Hatteras Island the first year, but since then, no-one has shown interest. A large number of students are required. The "Teen Court" program follows National standards, and is an alternative court for kids who choose to participate and abide by the decision of the judge and jury, as opposed to entering the juvenile justice system, for misdemeanor crimes they have committed. Sentences usually include research, writing, and/or service learning projects. The proceedings are "official", with student participants acting as attorneys and jury, and "real" judges and/or lawyers acting as the judge. The students rotate different roles. There is also a "mock trial competition".
Judi Hornbeck had to go to another meeting at CHES, but brought information about what other schools were doing "up the beach". This included NJHS, NHS, Battle of the Books, Odyssey of the Mind, Spelling Bee and History Bowl. Nancy explained that the "full-time AIG coordinators" at First Flight Middle School and Manteo Middle School are "full-time teachers" who also coordinate AIG. Those teachers are responsible for teaching a variety of classes, not just clustered classes that contain AIG students.
Dr. Tonelson asked for patience from the parents. There is not currently an available position for an AIG Coordinator at CHSS, but it should be in next year's budget. He also discussed the specific problems we have on Hatteras Island that make it difficult to attract new and qualified teachers (the high cost of living and "remoteness" of our location).
We passed around a sign-up sheet for starting a PAGE chapter at CHSS. Nearly every parent at the meeting signed up. However, only two parents were willing/able to commit to serving on the board (we need between four and six). We need six parents to form the "steering committee" that will recruit officers. Currently, five parents have agreed to be on that committee.
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Okay, here are my opinions/observations. If I upset anyone, please remember this is MY OPINION. I don't have all the information, so I have to use what I currently know...blah blah blah. (Somehow I just can't write on this subject without the disclaimers).
Dr. T made a comment that without the parents who HAVE been involved, the changes that have taken place so far this year, probably wouldn't have happened. I have mixed feelings on this; I'm excited to feel like I (WE) have been part of the solution, but am a little frustrated that this is where our "national educational program" has failed our kids. Our local school systems have to be so focused on testing and on "No Child Left Behind", that they don't/can't have time or resources to look around and really monitor what's going on with kids at the "high end" of the learning spectrum. In the grand scheme of things (keeping up with the rest of the world), that really scares me!
With regard to how our school system on Hatteras Island stacks up, as far as opportunities for our students, against the "up the beach" schools in our county, I think my opinion is colored by just how much less disparity there is now than there was when I was a student! I don't think anyone could possibly convince me that there is NO disparity, or that there will ever be a time in the future when there is NO disparity.
In my personal opinion, the best case scenario would be for my children to attend a public school which offers curricular and extra-curricular educational opportunities that are suited to their needs. I have three children. One is highly gifted, and the jury is out on the other two, but I predict that one of them will be "average", maybe even "talent pool" (high achieving kids who don't have the AIG label), and one of them will be "double identified" as "gifted" and "exceptional". They will, barring any disaster, all attend CHSS at one time or another.
In my perfect world, CHSS would be able to offer "core" classes taught by qualified professionals, where my kids would be surrounded by their peers, not just by kids that are the same age. It really doesn't matter to me what "LABEL" my kids are given. I just want them to be educated to reach their personal fullest potential. I don't think that can happen in a classroom where teachers, without the benefit of extensive training (or "professional development"), are expected in a single class, to offer differentiated education to the entire spectrum of learning abilities exhibited in a grade level. The only reason that I would worry about my child's "core" teachers being AIG certified is that, from what I can see, the curriculum of the AIG certification program is crucial for a teacher to have the tools and skills necessary to offer quality education to a group of students, based on their individual learning skills and ability.
I realize that when I get going sometimes, the things I write make sense to me but might not make sense to my reader (not an admirable quality for a journalism degree holder :(). So, in a nutshell, here's my perfect world: I am able to live and raise my children on Hatteras Island, and I send them to CHSS middle school during the most impressionable period of their lives, and they are challenged by the school and given the opportunities they need to learn and grow without becoming discouraged by the process. My kids also are offered extra-curricular opportunities, appropriate for their special interests and/or talents, which help enrich their learning experience and help develop their character, social awareness and teamwork skills. My kids are proud of themselves and happy with the activities they choose. By the time they enter CHSS high school, they have learned good organizational and study skills (from school, because although I try, my word on that particular subject just doesn't carry the same weight as one of their teachers), and are still enthusiastic about learning, to the point that they make good choices about their course of study. By the time they are juniors and seniors in high school, they have a very good foundation for choosing a college, have learned leadership skills (so that they can have a positive impact on the world around them and more importantly, can avoid peer pressure to have a "negative" impact), and have enough activities on their transcript that the college they choose will accept them. At graduation, my kids can say they know they worked hard and did their best, and are content with who they are. THAT'S my perfect world.
My problem right now is realizing that no world is perfect, but I know I need to commit to doing everything in my power to move towards that "ideal". I am thrilled to have so many other parents to work with who feel similarly to the way that I do.
It was my understanding from the past couple of meetings (please correct me if I'm wrong) that not only the CHSS administration but also the Dare County Central Office (including Superintendent Dr. Burgess), agree with us that CHSS needs a full-time position for an AIG Coordinator. I appreciated Nancy Griffin's comment explaining that the Northern Beaches middle schools each have a full-time teacher who is also responsible for AIG, as opposed to having a full-time AIG Coordinator who acts as a resource and instructor for the rest of the teachers (the second option would be preferable, but might not be possible). Either way, while I appreciate the job that Linda Layden is doing as AIG Coordinator now, I realize that it's a responsibility set that she's taken on because it needed to be done, and was not part of her original job description. I think Dr. Tonelson said that position is going to be included in next year's (2008-2009) budget. What that means as far as the probability that CHSS will be able to recruit and fill that position, I still don't know.
Is that frustrating? Yes!
What's OUR next step (as parents)? Pray for patience, volunteer whenever possible, and resolve not to give up. I'd like to find that last person to sign up for the steering committee to get the PAGE paperwork filled in, then have a meeting and appoint and elect officers. Then, with the resources that the organization can give us, I'd like to stay on top of exactly what IS happening in our kid's core classes.
To be quite honest, it's my biggest fear that we've gotten the ball rolling, the school has committed to doing a better job for AIG kids, and we're not going to have enough interest on the part of students (or especially parents) to continue our forward momentum. The school has agreed to offer lots of extra-curricular opportunities, but we've got to get students excited about them. We've also got to keep reminding the school that we don't in any way want an adversarial relationship with them. (I think that's where the praying for patience part comes in, speaking just for myself). ;) I also think we need a representative of our PAGE chapter to attend each meeting of the Dare County Board of Education, and that as a group, we need to contact them and express our commitment to working with the school to keep moving in the direction that will ultimately allow the school to best serve our children.
I'd really love some feedback...tell me if I'm way off base or if you think we should be focusing our efforts somewhere we're not. You can click on the "comment" link below this and post an anonymous response, or leave your name. Thanks for reading my vent session, and for helping me to figure out where to go from here. :) Jenn
