Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Aig Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District reports midyear AIG program changes: 11 new specialists deployed, principals and teachers report mixed feedback
Summary
Johnston County presented a midyear update on its revised AIG model, noting 11 new AIG specialists working across elementary and middle schools, about 4,500 identified students this year, and survey feedback calling for increased collaboration and professional development.
District staff presented a midyear update on the Advanced and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) program and early feedback from principals and teachers after deploying 11 AIG specialists this year.
Miss Johnson Cowart, who the superintendent introduced as the executive director overseeing AIG services at the middle-school level, said the district's unofficial headcount for the current year is roughly 4,500 identified AIG or advanced learners (spring 2024 headcount officially recorded at around 4,000). The district is working with the state to finalize the fall headcount in the student information system.
AIG specialists are embedded in classrooms to co-teach and provide small-group differentiated instruction, the presentation said. Staff described a mix of strengths and next steps from a district survey: respondents praised the specialists as strong classroom resources and reported positive student reception, while asking for more structured collaboration time and additional professional development so specialists can support teachers during PLCs and coaching sessions.
Specialists travel between schools; one specialist reported serving three schools and approximately 350 students and being in six to seven classrooms a day. District staff acknowledged coverage and vacancy issues (five vacancies at the time of presentation) and said recruitment is ongoing.
Board members asked about minority representation in the AIG population, routes for identifying underrepresented students and the need to train classroom teachers who provide most day-to-day instruction. Staff said the district uses multiple pathways (including top-10-percent subgroup identification) and will provide demographic breakdowns at the board's request.
This presentation was informational; no board action was required.
