McDowell County Schools AIG Plan Development –Planning Document
NC AIG Program Standard 1: Identification
The LEA’s student identification procedures for AIG are clear, equitable, and comprehensive and lead towards appropriate educational services.
NC AIG Program PracticesStandard 1 / LEA Response
a) Articulates and disseminates the procedures for AIG student identification, including screening, referral, and identification processes for all grade levels to school personnel, parents/families, students, and the community-at-large. / MCS will articulate and disseminate procedures via:
●Board meetings: The BOE and the public will receive an annual presentation on AIG progress each winter.
●Staff meetings: AIG Specialists sharing the procedures for identification, screening, referral and identification processes for all staff members at each school during the first semester of each year.
●BT training: Beginning teachers will receive an overview each fall during their support training.
●Parent meetings: AIG Specialists will share the procedures for identification, screen, and referral each fall at a PTO meeting with all in attendance.
●Family meetings: AIG Specialists will share the information with newly identified students and their parents after their selection and begin the Differentiated Education Plan (DEP).
●Websites: District and school websites will be updated with current information at least quarterly.
●Print: An AIG flyer or brochure will be developed for use system-wide and available at each site within the school system in English and other languages as needed. These will also be shared with each student and their family at the initial DEP meeting.
●The language of the family: Translators will be available for face to face meetings and all parent letters and other print information will be available in the language of the family.
b) States and employs multiple criteria for AIG student
identification. These criteria incorporate measures that reveal student aptitude, student achievement, or potential to achieve in order to develop a comprehensive
profile for each student. These measures include both
non-traditional and traditional measures that are based on current theory and research. / Identification criteria will be gleaned from multiple sources to create a comprehensive profile for each referred student. Student selection to the program will occur via any one of the following:
●Pathway 1 (grades k-2): Demonstration of advanced aptitude or achievement compared to peers in the same grade level (95th percentile for nurturing and 98th percentile for actual AIG identification) as measured by meeting 3 out of 4 criteria from multiple data sources to include MClass, MAP, school psychologist administered aptitude test, and classroom performance assessments.
●Pathway 2 (grades 3 and up): Demonstration of advanced aptitude of 95th percentile or above on a nationally normed aptitude assessment such as CogAT, Naglieri, or other valid and reliable screeners given at the end of 2nd grade to all students and at the end of 5th grade to emerging but as yet unidentified AIG students as a screening tool.
●Pathway 3 (Achievement in grades 3 and up): Demonstration of consistent achievement in at least one area:
oAt or above 95th percentile for two years in a row on summative state assessments (EOGs),
oAt or above 95th percentile on two test cycles worth of benchmarks (MAP), or
o95th percentile on third grade BOG and 95th percentile on third grade EOG (same year).
●Pathway 4: (grade 3 and up) In recognition of the fact that standardized tests may have inherent bias and that for some of our potentially gifted students, English is not their native language, students who rank in the top 10% of each identified subgroup for each grade level in the county will be considered in the screening pool even if they do not yet meet criteria 1, 2, or 3. The AIG review team will examine student data and observations and may recommend initial placement based on potential. If the student is placed, after one year of receiving services and scaffolded support, a meeting of the team will determine whether the student should continue in the program based on both achievement/aptitude data and anecdotal evidence. Current subgroups are: white, black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.
●Pathway 5: (grade 3 and up) Using multiple criteria (three out of the four listed)
oStandardized achievement tests 93% and above (EOG/EOC)
oNationally-normed aptitude tests 93% and above
oGifted behavior scale indicating AIG potential
oConsistent classroom performance 93% and above in the identified area (ELA/Reading and/or Math)
●Pathway6: Students entering MCS from other systems who have not been previously identified may be recommended to participate in CogAT or other screening in any gradeand may begin the identification process at that time. (Note that students who transfer to MCS with documented evidence of existing identification and services will automatically be placed into the MCS AIG Program.)
When students have been identified using one of the six pathways above, their teachers will complete the Gifted Behavior Rating Scale. This score (which should be above 127) along with the information from the initial screen will begin the profile folder for each student.
c) Ensures AIG screening, referral, and identification procedures respond to traditionally under-represented populations of the gifted and are responsive to LEA demographics. These populations include students who are culturally/ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, highly gifted, and twice-exceptional. / Attention to diversity will be maintained through:
●Pathway 4 in Standard 1b, which potentially identifies our local students in the top 10% of their subgroup even if their achievement or aptitude scores do not meet those, outlined in criteria 2 or 3.
●Pathway 5 in Standard 1b allows for NNAT2 (which is a non-verbal test) to be administered to students for whom AIG potential may not be revealed in the CogAT or other standardized tests.
●Attention will also be paid to identifying children who are receiving E/C services but are potentially gifted through data monitoring and conferencing with E/C specialists.
●Attention will be paid to identify transient children, homeless children, homebound children and/or those in foster care who arrive outside the time of the systemic screening through recommendation of counselors and/or social workers as well as classroom teachers for screening and identification.
●Attention will be paid to providing extra flexibility in servicesfor students who are highly gifted using subject skipping, Virtual Public Schools, dual enrollment, curriculum compacting and/or grade skipping.
d) Implements screening, referral, and identification processes consistently within the LEA. / The three-stage process of consistency in implementation will be achieved through creation of a processes and procedures manual for AIG specialists, AIG Review Teams, Principals and School Counselors. Information included will be “how tos”:
●Use identification criteria for pathways 1-6 with fidelity and assess use through yearly internal audits of process and paperwork.
●Maintain records via a district-wide online system that can be accessed by each school and ease student transition from one school to another.
●Conduct monthly AIG PLC meetings to discuss processes and implementation with stakeholders.
●Developscreening checklists and disseminate to teachers, administrators, and student support personnel.
●Develop parental materials consistent with the district plan and disseminate at the school level.
●Create and presentan annual report to the PAGE group and the BOE.
e) Maintains documentation that explains the identification process and service options for individual AIG students, which is reviewed annually with parents/families. / Documentation will be maintained as follows:
●Currently identified students have a paper folder that is housed at their school and reviewed in an annual meeting with the AIG specialist, parent, classroom teachers, administrators, counselors, and social workers as appropriate.
●Beginning in 2016, newly identified students will have an online folder that is housed in Google Drive and reviewed in an annual meeting with the AIG specialist, parents, classroom teachers, counselors, administrators and social workers as appropriate.
Any disagreements about placement or services should be resolved at the lowest possible level beginning with the school review team.
Procedures to resolve disagreements:
●School Level: The parent/guardian may request a conference with the AIG Review Team to discuss concerns. The conference will be granted within ten school days of the receipt of request. After the conference, the team will respond to the disagreement in writing within ten school days.
●Central Office Level: If the parent/guardian wishes to appeal the school level decision, they may provide a written request to the district’s Chief Academic Officer within ten days of the issuance of the school level response. The Chief Academic Officer will review the school level decision and respond in writing within ten days of receipt of the appeal request.
●Board of Education Level: If the disagreement is not resolved after the appeal to the central office, the parent/guardian may request an appeal to the Board of Education within ten days of receiving the central office decision.
Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:
Moving forward we will explore valid and reliable means of testing students in second grade so that full services might begin in the fall of third grade.
MCS will investigate how other systems maintain their documentation and search for data solutions that will streamline our paperwork efforts. For example, docusign for online signatures of paperwork when necessary, google docs for sharing folders with classroom teachers and collaborating on DEPs.
The district will need a clear procedure for implementing criteria 4 with fidelity. For example, if in a particular elementary school there are only 5 students in a particular subgroup at a particular grade level, the “top 10%” would be 0.5 students. We need a clear procedure for determining if AIG service is appropriate for that single individual while still maintaining the integrity of the program.
MCS will plan training and meetings with social workers, counselors, ESL teachers, and E/C teachers to ensure they are aware of ways to examine non-traditional students and make referrals for AIG services.
MCS will develop a yearly audit process by which AIG team members will do fidelity checks throughout the district to include instructional rounds in buildings and viewing of a random selection of student files for each school.
The team may need to revisit our cut scores for placement after year one of implementing the new plan to see if these scores are helpful in screening the appropriate children for the appropriate services. We might consider a scaffolded level of services on a continuum. Consideration should be given to the research showing that AIG students do tend to develop in one area in one given year and then another area the next year. Two consecutive years of 93% on EOGs may allow for students needing a service to go unrecognized.
Sources of Evidence:
MCS District and School Websites
MCS AIG brochures, flyers, parent letters in English, Spanish, and other languages as needed
MCS Annual AIG Presentation to the BOE
Records of staff meetings
Records of BT support training on AIG placement
Records of PTO Meetings
Universal screening data for 3rd and 6th graders across the district
Screening data for transient or non-traditional students at such time as referred by student support personnel
SER/DEPs
Referral checklists for each level.
Records of annual meetings with families
Student AIG folders/documents
AIG childcount data that includes analysis of the district’s demographics
Testing calendars and rosters
NC AIG PROGRAM STANDARD 2: Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction
The LEA employs challenging, rigorous, and relevant curriculum and instruction K-12 to accommodate a range of academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.
NC AIG Program PracticesStandard 2 / LEA Response
a) Adapts the NC Standard Course of Study (SCOS) K-12, to address a range of advanced ability levels in language arts, mathematics, and other content areas as appropriate through the use of differentiation strategies, including enrichment, extension, and acceleration. / Classroom teachers and AIG specialists will adapt the SCOS K-12 by:
●Collaborating during PLC time monthly to analyze student achievement data, learning profiles, and upcoming classroom standards to determine which AIG students will be best served through enrichment, extension, acceleration, or curriculum compacting.
●Collaborating during PLC time weekly to plan differentiated instruction, activities, and student work products for advanced students in the regular classroom K-12.
●Monthly meetings of the AIG specialists from around the district will allow them to share best practices with team members and strengthen services in all buildings.
b) Employs diverse and effective instructional practices according to students’ identified abilities, readiness, interests, and learning profiles to address a range of learning needs at all grade levels. / Classroom teachers, school counselors and AIG specialists will employ best practices by:
●Co-teaching classes of students based on readiness, interest, and learning profile in alignment with the SCOS.
●Collaborating within the general education classroom to provide “push in” support for AIG students during regular whole group instructional activities.
●“Pulling out” small groups of students to facilitate accelerated learning or special projects in alignment with and support of the SCOS.
●Implementing inquiry-based methods such as project-based learning, MakerSpaces and Socratic seminar practices to capitalize on student voice and ownership in their learning process in both general education and AIG classes.
●Providing opportunities in grades 9-12 for students to take advanced coursework via NC VPS, dual enrollment, honors and AP versions of courses.
●Providing accelerated high school courses at the middle school.
●Providing opportunity and support for students to earn credit by demonstrated mastery for high school courses when appropriate.
●Providing opportunity for students to attend a STEM themed magnet middle school with a multi-grade level, collaborative, project-based focus.
●Providing opportunity for high school students to attend an early-college program that allows for completion of an associate’s degree in conjunction with a high school diploma.
c) Selects and uses a variety of research-based supplemental resources that augment curriculum and instruction. / Classroom teachers and AIG specialists will supplement and augment via:
●Effective use of 1:1 laptop initiative in middle and high schools to access advanced programs and curricula. These online offerings will be supported and monitored by a licensed teacher on site.
●Participation in competitive programs across the district that allow AIG learners to work with other gifted learners outside the school.
The District will support this standard by providing regular and ongoing opportunities for professional development and by maintaining a library of resources.
d) Fosters the development of 21stcentury content and skills at an advanced level. / Media coordinators, classroom teachers, instructional technology staff and AIG Specialists will foster the development of 21st century content and skills at higher levels by:
●Collaborating to use school libraries as “Learning Commons” where students investigate and research ideas, collaborate with other students, and create products to demonstrate their learning.
●Creating opportunities for students to interact with students and adults from around the world in their learning process.
●Facilitating opportunities for students to solve real-world issues in their communities through research, dialog, and service learning.
●Facilitating opportunities for students to use the scientific method in real-world scenarios and with real scientific equipment.
e) Uses on-going assessment, both formative and summative, to differentiate classroom curriculum and instruction and inform flexible grouping practices. / Principals, classroom teachers, and AIG specialists will use on-going assessments such as:
●MAP
●iReady
●CogAT
●Local benchmarks
●EOGs and EOCs
●EVAAS
To determine both short-term and long-term grouping arrangements. Schedules within the classroom, grade-level, and building will be flexible to allow for rearrangement based on data and opportunities.
f) Creates affective curricular and instructional practices which support the social and emotional needs of AIG students. / The district and school administration will support this standard through:
●Professional development for all staff to understand unique affective needs of AIG students from diverse backgrounds.
●Parents, school counselors and/or social workers will be a part of an annual team meeting with general education and AIG teachers each winter to assess the progress of the “whole child” and determine needed adjustments to curricula or instruction.
AIG specialists will teach gifted students to understand their own needs, select strategies for support, and to advocate for themselves.
Schools will maintain a lending library of materials to help parents support affective needs of AIG children and will hold periodic meetings with parent groups that address this concern.
g) Cultivates and develops the potential of young (K-3) students through purposeful and intentional strategies and differentiated curriculum and instruction. / AIG Specialists and Classroom Teachers will collaborate to:
●Examine K-3 data and observe students in action in the classroom to identify potentially gifted young learners.
●Model best practices for K-3 AIG support in the regular classroom.
●Provide training for K-3 teachers to increase rigor in activities aligned to the standards.
●“Push in” to work with small groups of potential AIG children in the regular classroom or “Pull out” small groups of potential AIG children for special activities that will enhance their learning and potential on a weekly basis.
h) Collaborates with AIG personnel and other professional staff, including regular education teachers, special education teachers, other instructional staff, and administrators, to develop and implement differentiated curriculum and instruction. / McDowell County Schools will:
●Provide time and structure for monthly PLCs for collaboration and will monitor the impact of that planning time in the observable classroom differentiation.
●The district will create a local endorsement or certificate plan for regular classroom teachers to be trained and recognized for their extra efforts.
●The Chief Academic Officer will advocate for AIG programming and resources with principals, senior leadership, and the Board of Education.
i) Develops and documents a student plan that articulates the differentiated curriculum and instruction services that match the identified needs of the K-12 AIG student, such as a Differentiated Education Plan (DEP). This document is reviewed annually with parents/families to ensure effective programming, provide a continuum of services, and support school transitions. / The district will develop:
●A 21st century system for tracking the curricular and instructional services each AIG student receives in a plan that is easily accessible to teachers and the family.
●Transitional practices to ensure students moving from one school to another have continuity of services.
The district will document:
●Student Eligibility Records (SERs)
●Differentiated Education Plans (DEPs)
●Records of communication with parents/family
●Records of annual meetings with family and school team
●Records of transitional continuity
Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard: