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District reports rising HiCap identifications, new WIDA growth pathway and guidance on cluster grouping
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Summary
Dr. Jennifer Brown Sanders told the board HiCap identifications are increasing — including multilingual and twice‑exceptional students — and described a new WIDA‑growth pathway, documentation tools for buildings, and recommended next steps such as cluster grouping and executive‑functioning PD.
Dr. Jennifer Brown Sanders presented the district’s HiCap (high‑capability) update, saying identification rates for high‑cap students have risen — notably among multilingual and twice‑exceptional students — and outlining changes to identification and placement procedures.
Brown Sanders said the district plans to create a new HiCap pathway that uses WIDA growth (language‑development scores) to identify multilingual students who show a qualifying growth trajectory. “If by analyzing any multilingual student with 2 WIDA scores for a certain growth trajectory, then we can give them a high cap designation based off of their WIDA growth,” she said.
The presentation noted steady increases in several priority groups and described tools staff have developed: building‑level HiCap documentation spreadsheets, a service‑model placement decision process to clarify transfers between neighborhood and intensive HiCap placements, and outreach materials that explain what HiCap services look like across neighborhood, dual‑language and choice schools.
Staff discussed cluster grouping (short, flexible grouping windows rather than full‑time tracking), noting principals will decide on a case‑by‑case basis when cluster grouping makes sense. Brown Sanders and other staff encouraged principals to consider cluster grouping during class‑list construction and to use Naglieri and other data in grade‑level data dives.
Nut graf: The HiCap update emphasizes more inclusive identification methods for multilingual and twice‑exceptional students, procedural clarity for placement changes, and teacher PD and communication work to help families understand next‑step pathways as students transition between grades.
Board members asked for disaggregated breakdowns (math vs. ELA identifications and priority‑group splits) and for clearer communication to families during fifth‑to‑sixth grade forecasting; Brown Sanders committed to providing the requested disaggregations and to expanding transition communications.
What’s next: staff will pilot WIDA‑based HiCap identification work, encourage principals to discuss cluster options for 2026–27 class lists, and continue outreach to ensure families understand placement and forecasting.
