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District summarizes Talent Development Program review and a three-year action plan
Summary
District 59 leaders reported a year-long Talent Development Program review based on NAGC standards, outlined multi-criteria identification (i-Ready, CogAT, HOPE rating), current pull-out service delivery, and a three-year plan to improve identification, curriculum (math focus), and family communication.
District leaders Dr. Nicole Robinson and Jody Briggs presented a year-long review of the Talent Development Program (TDP), describing it as a talent-development model intended to identify and grow academic potential rather than a static gifted model. The review used NAGC programming standards and a multi-criteria identification approach that combines i-Ready diagnostic results, the CogAT battery (verbal/nonverbal/quantitative), and a HOPE classroom rating scale completed by staff.
Robinson and Briggs said TDP services are primarily pull-out interventions for grades 3–5 (minimum 90 minutes per week per subject) and include push-in critical-thinking lessons for all second graders. The program serves “nearly 20%” of students in grades 3–5, with per-school enrollments typically in the 20–40 range. Briggs described efforts to remove barriers to equitable identification by using school-based norms rather than historical district-only norms to widen the identification net.
Areas identified for growth include clearer teacher collaboration with TDP staff, integration with MTSS/problem-solving teams to handle twice-exceptional students, curriculum alignment (particularly in math), and developing measurable indicators of program success. The presenters proposed a three-year action plan that includes piloting fifth-grade accelerated math offerings, adopting portfolio-style alternative identification pathways, and expanding family communications and program visibility.
Board members asked detailed questions about the selection thresholds, retesting options for students who narrowly miss cutoffs, TDP group sizes (up to about 20), and whether students at higher-performing schools might be overlooked by school-level norms. Robinson said the team can retest and apply a flexible process in borderline cases and will continue to build indicators of success to track outcomes.
No formal board action was taken; administrators will integrate TDP recommendations into ongoing curriculum and professional-development planning and report back with implementation details and success indicators.
