MCPS outlines supports and identification gaps for twice-exceptional students

Montgomery County Public Schools officials updated the Board of Education Special Populations Committee Sept. 29 on services for “twice-exceptional” students — children identified with both high cognitive potential and one or more disabilities — and warned that inconsistent identification and uneven access to supports are leaving some students without appropriate services.

Christy Clark, supervisor in Accelerated and Enriched Instruction for MCPS, introduced the presentation and turned it over to Sarah Jackson, the district’s twice-exceptional instructional specialist. Jackson described twice-exceptional learners as students who “have been identified both as having cognitive potential, usually in the ninetieth percentile or higher for their age, and they’re also identified as having one or more challenges or disabilities.”

Jackson said twice-exceptional students frequently “mask” — one aspect of their profile hiding another — which complicates detection and placement. She said MCPS estimates there are about 3,000 twice-exceptional students countywide, of which roughly 800 have individualized education programs (IEPs). Those students are distributed across more…