MCPS committee presses for data, outreach after review of gifted and twice-exceptional identification

Members of the Montgomery County Public Schools Committee on Special Populations focused May 5 on how the district identifies and serves gifted and talented (GT) and twice-exceptional students, pressing MCPS staff for detailed counts and more outreach after staff presented disaggregated percentage data that show wide disparities among racial, economic and language subgroups.

Christy Clark, supervisor in Accelerated and Enriched Instruction for MCPS, told the committee that “gifted and talented students are those who either perform or show the potential to perform at significantly higher levels than their peers,” and that state regulation requires every district to identify at least 10 percent of its students as GT. Clark described a multi-office MCPS process that begins with a universal screening in grade 2 and additional screenings in grades 3, 5 and 7; she said the district uses multiple measures including the Cognitive Abilities Test, DIBELS (and the Spanish version, Lecturda), MAP, MCAP state assessments and behavioral input from teachers and parents.

The district reported that its overall identification rate for grades 3 through 12 is 18.6 percent. But staff and board members repeatedly highlighted subgroup gaps the presentation showed: Hispanic students make up 35.3 percent of the total student population but account for 13.7 percent of the GT-identified population; white students are 24 percent of the total population and 40 percent of the GT population; Asian students are 14 percent of the student population and about 25 percent of the GT population; Black students are 22 percent of the population and 14 percent of the GT population. Staff also reported that emergent multilingual learners (EML) comprise 19 percent of MCPS students overall but only 0.3 percent of GT identifications (grades 39through 12), and that economically disadvantaged students and those eligible for free-and-reduced-price meals (FARMS) are underrepresented in GT identification.

Nikki Hazel, MCPS chief academic officer, and Christy Clark described several district strategies intended to broaden access: a central review process used in grades 3 and 5 to identify additional candidates for enrichment, a primary talent development program in Title I elementary schools, and one designated GT liaison in every elementary school. Clark said enrollment in elementary literacy enrichment is higher than GT identification in several underserved groups (staff cited 24 percent of students in grades 49and 5 receiving literacy enrichment, and Centers for Enriched Studies adding about 6 percent), and that 37 percent of K9through 5 students receive some mathematics enrichment.

Sarah Jackson, instructional specialist in AEI who leads work on twice-exceptional students, described students with high cognitive potential who also have diagnosed or undiagnosed learning differences such as ADHD, dyslexia or autism. Jackson said twice-exceptional learners often mask strengths or disabilities and that many referrals begin as concerns about behavior. “If you9ve met one twice-exceptional student, you9ve met one twice-exceptional student,” Jackson said, noting the variety of supports these students need, from specially designed instruction and executive-function coaching to small-group social skills work.

Committee members pressed staff for clarification and more concrete counts. Board member Laura Stewart asked for raw numbers behind the percentages (for example, the absolute count represented by 18.6 percent) and for disaggregation by race, language status, special education status and geography so the committee could see whether identification is happening early or later and whether particular clusters are underserved. Board member Rita Montoya and other members called for a focused review of the EML numbers and earlier outreach to first-generation families, citing examples in which families miss opportunities because of registration or communication breakdowns.

Staff described professional learning provided to school leaders and specialists, including mandatory training for GT liaisons and middle-school accelerated-and-enriched instructional support teachers, plus optional and on-request sessions for classroom teachers. Clark and Jackson said AEI has embedded training with content areas and reading specialists and offers one-on-one coaching and office hours. The committee voiced concern that training does not always reach all general education teachers and asked staff to expand or improve turn-key supports and communications to families.

There were no formal votes or motions recorded. Committee members asked staff to provide disaggregated counts, a geographic breakdown (by cluster or school), and updated spreadsheets for committee review. The committee scheduled a return presentation and asked staff to prepare answers to specific questions in advance of the next meeting.

The discussion also covered program design and alignment: staff said that Centers for Enriched Studies, Title I early talent development modules (science-based, with plans to add math and reading enrichment), compacted math options (math 495 and math 596) and middle-school global humanities courses are part of the pathway that can feed into magnet programs, Advanced Placement and other advanced coursework. Staff noted ongoing work to align magnet offerings and to update curricula in response to Maryland State Department of Education changes.

Committee members requested that staff return with the requested disaggregated data, including counts by subgroup and by grade, and said the board will continue the conversation to assess whether current identification criteria, outreach and school-level supports are producing equitable access across the county.