Jordan Board hears data showing under‑identification in gifted program, staff proposes options to expand services

At a Jan. 13 study session, Jordan School District staff outlined why they want to expand gifted‑and‑talented services and laid out concrete options the board could fund during upcoming budget discussions. Carolyn Gough, the district’s administrator of teaching and learning, said the district “tested a little over 4,000 students” with the CogAT program and that many children who score in high national percentiles are not enrolled in the ALPS program.

Gough and Rebecca Smith, the district gifted‑and‑talented consultant, told trustees that universal testing in sixth grade identifies students for middle‑school ALPS but that elementary identification and access lag. They flagged three priority needs: more site‑based specialists so services can be provided at neighborhood schools, universal testing at younger grades (second or third), and sustained specialty programs for the most extreme outliers. Gough said the district is concerned about twice‑exceptional students (those with high ability plus disability) and underrepresented families, and described outreach practices including bilingual flyers and live translators at parent meetings.

Staff presented cost estimates to help the board weigh options. The district estimated an average specialist salary of about $100,000 and said a half‑time specialist split across several schools could be effective; funding half‑time specialists at each of 40 elementary schools would total roughly $2,000,000, staff said. Universal testing at earlier grades was estimated at about $60,000 per tested grade. Board members pressed for data that would help them prioritize funding — specifically lists of students who qualified but declined services (the district tracks participation but not reasons for declining), wait‑list counts, comparative growth metrics (RISE and Acadience), and a hot‑spot map showing concentrations of qualifying students.

Trustees asked staff to rank the district’s six proposed options if the full plan cannot be funded. Gough said her top priority would be placing full‑time specialists in every school, with earlier universal testing as second, while maintaining ALPS as a distinct option for students needing intensive services. The board asked staff to return with the requested metrics and with a plan for parent outreach and follow‑up data that will inform any request for new budget lines.