About Highly Capable - Dear Directors
My e-mail to the Board (via the schoolboard@seattleschools.org which means I sent it to senior management as well):
Dear Directors,
The situation with AL/HCC is getting out of hand and someone must step in. I would ask that it be you because clearly, it's not happening in senior management.
I'll be upfront with you; there has never been a champion for HC in Seattle Schools. I'm NOT saying no one cares about gifted students. I'm saying that year after year HC drifts along in an incoherent manner. There is NO one in SPS - and I'd love to do a pop quiz with the Superintendent - who can clearly explain this program.
So let's review what has happened in the last couple of years (not to mention months.)
- multiple apologies over student data being accidentally sent out to other parents
- confusion over testing dates (and more apologies)
- with the current issue - letters sent to parents saying their students did qualify for HC and then a follow-up letter saying they didn't - here's the response from senior staff (partial but the full extent of the "how" it happened):
And slowly, slowly EVERY single Spectrum program is going away. The parents at Lafayette just got their notification (and they are the last school.)
With no discussion, no input, no public notification, an entire section of the HC program is gone/fundamentally changed.
I will note at the Seattle Schools Community Forum blog that we often have heated discussions about who is in the program, namely that it's largely white and Asian. We ALL know there are bright kids of all races in all corners of our district.
Why aren't we finding them? I can give you a laundry list:
- testing instrument that may not be culturally competent
- principals who do not encourage parents of their students of colors to apply (and, when your school's scores are important, why would you?)
- low, low numbers of Pacific-Islander, Native American, Latino and African-American students. It becomes a chicken and egg dilemma; parents don't want Seattle Schools Community Forum: About Highly Capable - Dear Directors:
