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Caldwell County Board approves 2025–2028 AIG plan after discussion on middle-school grouping
Summary
The Caldwell County Board of Education approved the district’s 2025–2028 plan for academically or intellectually gifted (AIG) students, after board members discussed whether to restore self-contained middle-school classes and confirmed the plan must be submitted to the state by July 15.
The Caldwell County Board of Education voted to approve the Caldwell County Schools 2025–2028 AIG (Academically or Intellectually Gifted) local plan after a discussion about middle-school delivery models and program staffing.
Andy Poole, presenting for Assistant Superintendent Dr. Katrina McKellen, told the board that North Carolina law requires local education agencies to develop three-year AIG plans and submit them to the State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “This evening, I’m respectfully requesting board approval of the 2025–2028 Caldwell County Schools AIG program,” Poole said.
The plan was approved by voice vote. Board members asked questions about how the district currently serves middle-school AIG students and whether the district should return to “self-contained” AIG classes rather than the existing clustered/cohort model. Board member BJ Ford asked that the board consider tabling the plan to explore that option further: he said he would “like to table this for a month and let us talk about this maybe in our next work session.”
District staff responded that middle-school AIG students are served through cluster grouping (cohorts) and that content teachers, supported by staff who hold AIG endorsements or provide consultation, deliver compacted math and advanced reading. A district representative explained the model: A clustered group moves through grade-level compacted math and advanced reading together and is taught by a content teacher with gifted-service support.
Board members were also told the plan must be submitted to the state by July 15. Staff said the board may request later amendments during the plan cycle: changes could be made locally (for example, to universal-screening grade levels or curriculum) and the district would notify Department of Public Instruction contacts; the next full renewal cycle would occur in 2028.
Because several board members requested a future discussion of middle-school delivery options, one member asked that the topic be placed on a work-session agenda for more detail. The AIG plan approved at this meeting will be uploaded for state review by the stated July 15 deadline; staff said substantive changes may be proposed and processed before the next renewal.
The vote to approve the plan was taken by voice and recorded as passing; no roll-call tally was provided in the public minutes.
The approval advances the district’s compliance with Article 9B (Academically or Intellectually Gifted Students) requirements and preserves the district’s ability to modify program details during the plan period.
