Canal Winchester presents clustered model for Winchester Trail gifted services as parents and staff press for changes

The Canal Winchester School District on May 12 outlined a planned shift in elementary gifted services at Winchester Trail Elementary, moving from daily, separate pull-out classes to a clustered model with push-in support and shorter 25-minute “power-up” pull-out periods, district officials said.

District Director of Teaching and Learning for Elementary Craig Lautenschlager described the new approach as clustering identified students in regular classrooms while keeping three gifted intervention specialists assigned to grades 3, 4 and 5. “In the simplest way I can describe it, is we will cluster group students with both push in and pull out opportunities,” Lautenschlager said. He said the model preserves pull-out time while increasing specialist collaboration with classroom teachers.

The shift follows a yearlong review by the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. Carmen Tarbell, who led the review for the ESC, told the board the district’s gifted program is “very strong” but recommended increased flexibility and updated service models ahead of new state operating standards taking effect in July 2025. “The Department of Education defines a gifted student as a student who performs or shows potential to perform at remarkably high levels,” Tarbell said, noting many gifted students do not show that potential on achievement measures alone.

Why it matters: the district says the model is intended to expand opportunities to more students and to prepare for growth in identified students; parents and staff say the change could reduce direct minutes for currently identified students and asked for more time to review details. Parent and staff speakers asked the board for additional communication, a parent input meeting and for a plan to “grandfather” students currently in the pull-out loop.

Details of the new model presented by district staff include: - Three gifted intervention specialists (GIS) will remain on staff and will be assigned by grade (grades 3–5). The district stated there are no personnel reductions tied to this change. - Classroom cluster grouping will place identified students together in their home classroom; GIS staff will "push in" to co‑plan and co‑teach and will lead targeted small groups. - Two 25-minute “power-up” periods each day will be available for pull-out work, enrichment or multi‑week projects; district staff described those as windows when “there's no new instruction going on in the building.” - The district compared Winchester Trail to other Ohio districts that use cluster models and cited performance-index trends as a reason to adopt the approach.

District staff said identification at Canal Winchester has grown since February 2022 and that the district’s identification percentage is about 24%, compared with a state average the reviewer described as near 15%. Danielle Bartos, the district’s gifted and talented coordinator, explained identification procedures: “We identify in the second grade as the earliest, through our math and I‑Ready testing that we administer three times a year, and students can be identified at any grade level,” Bartos said. She added that MAP is used in grades 6–8 and the ACT may serve for high‑school identification.

Parents, staff and students who spoke during the public‑comment portion expressed strong concern that the change will reduce the amount of direct, sustained pull-out instruction currently provided. “My child will go from receiving 180 minutes per day with a gifted intervention teacher to 20 to 30 minutes weekly,” said Kara Rodich, who identified herself as a district intervention specialist and parent; that figure was presented as her description of the expected change and not as an official district schedule. A number of student speakers and parents said the pull‑out classes produced social and academic benefits they did not expect to find in a single‑classroom day.

District officials responded that the services will continue but in different formats and that the model aims to provide accelerated standards work through co‑planning and extension by GIS staff. Lautenschlager said the pull‑out elements will “still be the services” though not necessarily delivered daily in the same physical location.

Next steps: district staff said they plan further outreach. Lautenschlager said the district will hold a fall meeting for parents after GIS staff have had time to work with teachers and students. He also said the district will continue professional development with ESC staff and consider monthly check‑ins to “course correct” as the model is implemented. The board did not take a formal vote on the program during the meeting; the presentation and public comment were recorded for future discussion.