Prince George's County Gifted and Talented Advocacy

From the Pen of PGTAG

GT Assoc. of Montgomery County's Call to Action

The Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County has put out suggested questions for MCPS decision makers.
Questions for Montgomery County Education Decision Makers

The "More" Child: Buh-Bye Jerry, Hello Josh

by SwitchedOnMom

As you can probably guess, I have absolutely zero sadness at the departure of Jerry Weast. Words cannot adequately capture the smarmy arrogance of the man.  I had one final chance to catch him in action at the March 28 Board of Education meeting.  An overflow crowd of parents representing  various interests  — including GTA’s Challenge Every Child campaign (do be sure to check out the online petition and read the 850 comments) — had turned out that evening.  In the midst of public testimony, which people were trying to listen to, Jerry strolled in to tell the gathered crowd that they should be sure to show up at the County Council budget meetings to support his budget. Lame.  Condescending.  I short, you won’t find me at the Jerry Farewell Lovefest. (www.WeastLegacy.com.  Really? So modest.)So it was with great interest that I awaited the announcement of the new MCPS superintendent.  This evening, with much drama, the announcement was made (pending Board Approval):  Joshua Starr, Superintendent from Stamford, Connecticut...

blog post CONTINUES HERE

Update on New Superintendent Search

All,
Last week I spoke with Hank Gmitro, of Hazard, Young. Attea (HYA, the search firm the Board of Education [BOE] has hired for the superintendent search).  He told me that HYA both received applications; and reached out to potential applicants to compile resumes for the new Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent.  There were 25-30 resumes in all.  These resumes were reviewed by the Board of Education and the list was narrowed to a smaller group of ‘semi-finalists.’  I understand that the Board of Education will be interviewing ‘semi-finalist’ candidates this weekend.  


In addition, the Board has chosen a small group of 14-15 people to invite to a ‘community committee’ which will take place ~April 13^th -15^th, however, those invited have heard nothing further as of last Thursday.  They have signed confidentiality agreements, however, which include agreeing to not take notes at the meeting; and not reveal where the meeting will be held.  These individuals include members of: the unions; NAACP; Gifted and Talented Association (GTA); someone from the Special Education community; the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE)*; the PTA; and local colleges.  More were invited however I do not have a complete list.  The only people that have come forward to say they have been invited are Fred Stichnoth, president of GTA; and Kristin Trible, president of MCCPTA.  Both have asked for input prior to the interview.  Thank you both.


If you have not heard from a representative of your group, contact the president to see if they have been invited and make sure your voice is heard.  The school system and the superintendent are paid for by your tax dollars, and, whether you have a child in this system or not, over one-half your tax dollars are going to support this system.  Make sure your voice is heard.


Thank you.
Paula Bienenfeld
Education Committee Chair, Montgomery County Civic Federation


*the MCBRE board is composed of for-profit business members including for example, Pearson, Wachovia Bank, Sodexo, Citigroup, Lockheed Martin, Dell, Hess Construction; representatives of various colleges, and the current superintendent.

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...

Gazette: Montgomery school board to consider new elementary curriculum

Framework for K-5 curriculum expected to receive preliminary approval Monday
by Andrew Ujifusa | Staff Writer

Members of the school board are expected to give preliminary approval to the "K-5 Curriculum Frameworks" on Sept. 27...

...The school board will consider final approval of the framework at a later date, probably in November or December...

...The school system is developing a new "integrated curriculum" for elementary schools that blends instruction in subjects such as science, social studies and art into core curriculum areas such as reading, writing and mathematics. The goal is to improve instruction across all areas and satisfy concerns that subjects outside core areas have not received enough attention, according to school officials.

The new curriculum is being developed in conjunction with a private, N.J.-based educational publishing company, Pearson Education, which will be able to market and sell the curriculum to school districts nationwide, while the county school system would receive royalties from any sales. The deal has attracted critics who say they are concerned about the collaboration between the school system and a private entity.

A Sept. 22 letter from Frederick Stichnoth, president of the Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County, which represents parents of gifted students, criticized the board's failure to solicit more community input before the Sept. 27 meeting.

He also said the integrated curriculum could lead to the watering-down of subjects such as science, and that it would create a "one-size-fit-all" curriculum inappropriate for some students.

Do we need a label to count the GIFTED?

I must admit, I am a strong proponent of public education DONE RIGHT. Those last two words carry a lot of weight in my mind. “DONE RIGHT” means, public education must be delivered in accordance with applicable law, in a transparent and accountable manner.

Which leads us to Gifted Education—a requirement of state law. Consequently, the identification of gifted students, per state law, and the delivery of services to that population is mandatory. It is not an issue for a Maryland public school system to somehow evade.

That being said, we reach the issue of a “LABEL,” advocated by proponents.
Their first argument is that the state law somehow mandates it ("State law (binding on both MCPS and MSDE) and current Policy IOA require identification of students as “gifted and talented” on a binary (gifted or not gifted) basis—the 'label.'"). Not so. Take a look at the ease at which that argument can be rebutted click here, here, and here).

The second argument, cogently stated by John Hoven, goes as follows, "On the other hand, if gifted children are labelled, we can count them, and determine that 20% or 30% of the student population is "gifted." Numbers like that are difficult to ignore. That puts pressure on MCPS to at least pretend to do something for them. And that makes it easier for advocates to put pressure on MCPS to do something for them that will actually help them learn something.”

This argument merits careful consideration because I BELIEVE MCPS must be compelled to keep a census of student receiving services under the law. However, the argument that a LABEL must be assigned to do so is a quantum jump there from.

Why? Take a look at the way the Information Management System (IMS) keeps track of students identified for services. Look at the right most column—it tracks if a student is indeed selected for services under the law. Modern day technology, has the way and the means to keep an accurate count. Giving a parent a LABEL has had no influence on the counting. We know how easy it was for me to show that GT was gamed. So, the absence or presence of a public label makes no difference to either the legal delivery of services or the census taking.

If parents are somehow determined to ensure MCPS is held accountable by keeping a count of students receiving GT services, then join me and demand, yes, demand, that the census must be retained even if the LABEL is replaced by my PARENT LETTER.

Examiner: Instead of "GT" for Gifted & Talented how about "M" for mediocrity?

The Examiner's Barbara Hollingsworth writes about MCPS' public relations expert Brian Edwards and MCPS' Director of AEI Marty Creel's efforts to keep one parent off the AEI Advisory Board.

February 17th Math Forum

Parents’ Coalition invites you to a discussion of…
The TOP TEN Math Reforms For a New MCPS Superintendent
In two years Superintendent Jerry Weast will be replaced. It’s never too early to start writing a “wish list for better math instruction.” Long-time math activists Jerry Dancis ( retired University of Maryland math professor), Julie Greenberg (former MCPS math teacher, now at the National Council on Teacher Quality), and John Hoven (former co-president of the Gifted and Talented Association) will lead a discussion. Bring your questions and concerns.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
7:30 – 9:00 pm
Town of Somerset Town Hall
4510 Cumberland Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD

Three options for parking: In the lot behind the tennis courts that are just west of the Town Hall
On Cumberland Ave (Please don’t block driveways!)
At Somerset Elementary School (Turn onto Dorset Ave. off Wisconsin, turn right on Deal Place, and left into school parking lot. The Town Hall is one block east of the school.)