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Advisory committee urges high-school advanced-learning specialists, clustering and flexible online-course rules
Summary
The Gifted Education Advisory Committee recommended hiring advanced-learning specialists at the high-school level, using intervention time to cluster gifted students, and pursuing hybrid or cross-school offerings to expand AP access, GIAC chair Nate Burstyn told the board.
Nate Burstyn, chair of the Gifted Education Advisory Committee (GIAC), presented the committee's annual report on May 5, highlighting follow-up on prior recommendations and new priorities focused on high school.
GIAC reported progress on earlier calls to use intervention time productively and increase clustering of gifted students, which committee members said improves teachability and student outcomes. But the committee also reported persistent challenges: finding time for classroom teachers and advanced-learning specialists to collaborate remained difficult.
New recommendations include hiring advanced-learning specialists for the high schools and exploring hybrid or cross-campus course models so students from both high schools can access low-enrollment AP courses. The report also suggested giving counselors some flexibility on recent limits to student online-course enrollments when that flexibility would support advanced learners.
Board members pressed on equity and representation: one member noted an underrepresentation of Hispanic students and English learners among identified gifted students and asked about targeted identification efforts. Burstyn said talent-development strategies and identification in math have improved representation, but work remains.
The committee also flagged a troubling survey result: in one summary table, zero high-school teachers reported feeling adequately prepared to teach gifted students. The presenters recommended more professional learning and exploring the role of instructional coaches in differentiation planning.
What's next: board members thanked GIAC and asked staff to consider the recommendations as they update the local plan; staff indicated some of the recommendations are already in planning or part of the local plan.
