Molly Glaser, gifted program lead, told the board on Sept. 25 that Parkway has launched a comprehensive evaluation of its gifted program to study five focus areas: mission and philosophy; program structures; standards and curriculum; social-emotional learning; and identification processes.
"We have 5 areas that we really wanna focus our learning on," Molly Glaser said, describing plans for surveys, four focus groups, school visits and comparison research. She said the evaluation team includes elementary and middle representatives, principals, a gifted tester and district assessment staff.
Glaser said the district is particularly interested in equity and access: changes at the state level (DESE) removed race as a consideration in some identification measures, and Parkway is reviewing whether its identification and universal screening practices still ensure equitable access. "We want to make sure that we are still being equitable to all of our students in Parkway," she said.
The presentation outlined program-structure questions: the role of enrichment within the district’s MTSS, the scheduling of middle-school gifted classes (currently offered opposite PE), space constraints in the Mosaics Academy at Piermont and West Middle School, and potential enrollment limits (presenter said the academy has 35 elementary and 35 middle-school seats). Glaser said the district serves about 1,700 students in its gifted program, roughly 10% of the student population.
On social-emotional supports, Glaser said gifted students often have distinct SEL needs, including twice-exceptional students and issues such as perfectionism; the review will examine SEL data access, targeted curriculum and partnerships with school teams. The timeline: surveys and focus groups from November–December, analysis in February–April, and a final board presentation in April.
Board members asked several operational questions, including how Mosaics Academy transports students (busing from regional pickup points), whether the high-school liaison covers all high schools (presenter: yes, about two hours per week per building), and the number of students in the program (presenter: 1,700 total; academy seats capped at 35 at elementary and 35 at middle school). The board did not take any vote on the review; this was an informational presentation and the district will return with findings and recommendations in the spring.