SIPPI isn't GT

Elementary school pilot program can aid black and Hispanic students, officials say
Program better tracks student placement in math and reading groups
by Jeanette Der Bedrosian | Staff Writer

A new pilot program in Montgomery County elementary schools allows teachers to track students' reading and math scores at a glance and has increased the number of blacks and Hispanics tackling tougher course work, school officials said.

The Student Instructional Program Planning and Implementation — commonly referred to by school officials as SIPPI — is a computer program that highlights a student's name in red if there is a discrepancy between where a child is recommended to be placed and where he or she actually is placed. The program also creates a streamlined spreadsheet of data so information can be easily shared between schools, and it will likely spread to all the county's schools next year...

...But while increasing access to challenging schoolwork is a worthy goal, SIPPI doesn't address the lack of genuine and consistent enriched curriculum for children now identified as Gifted and Talented, said Frederick Stichnoth, president of the Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County and a member of the Accelerated and Enriched Instruction Committee in the school system. The move appears to be part of the school system's transition to a one-size-fits-all education model, he said.

"I'm just against pretending, as I think MCPS and the board is, that somehow SIPPI is integral to [Gifted and Talented] or solves GT problems," he said...