THE GROSSE POINTE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

Office of the Superintendent

May 24, 2002

Dear GPAGE President,

Location and Staffing Issues

Richard will remain the central cluster school again next year pending sufficient enrollment. We continue to reassess that placement based on enrollment in both the magnet and general education programs. Defer and Ferry Schools will continue to host magnet programs as well.

Teachers and principals receive updated recommendation lists yearly for their school, indicating both the new and formerly identified students and the areas of identification. Principals cluster groups of students after teacher assessment to ensure that the students academic skills are appropriate for that area of clustering. Support is available to teachers working with these cluster students from our gifted coordinator and curriculum specialist as well

as from their principal.

Middle school differentiation support teachers for 2001-02 are Diane Montgomery and Poppy Krause. They have been working with teachers on accommodating individual student academic needs across the spectrum, including those of gifted students. Due to budget constraints, these positions have been suspended for 2002-03. Middle school administrators are preparing a report for the Board of how the plan for revitalizing differentiation in the middle schools will continue next year.

Elementary Magnet Student Activities

Magnet class students are integrated in school-wide activities such as field trips, conference performances, art shows, field days, etc. with their peers.

Middle and High School Information

Middle school staff continue to refine the process for identifying students for placement in the honors and advanced sections of mathematics and English. Each feeder elementary school provides an array of information about each student which includes test scores, report card grades, teacher comments and other pertinent information. With this matrix of information in hand, placement decisions are determined.

At each middle school, there is a review midway through the first quarter to see if there are other students currently in the regular sections who should be moved to the advanced or honors section in mathematics and English. Recommendations for changes in placement can be made anytime during the year. Differentiation and clustering within the regular class sections is also expected. In addition, we recognize students within the honors and advanced sections may need differentiated assignments and options as well. There are options for other types of program placement, such as high school courses, for middle school students whose unique learning needs require more significant modifications.

Middle school administrators and staff continue to revisit the identification and assessment process so that we will be able to clearly understand each of our students learning profile. This is done through our district testing program as well as classroom assessments. Using this data to appropriately target instruction for students continues to be a theme in our staff development and staff meetings.

The Board of Education affirmed its commitment to differentiation of instruction and offering programs to support the learning needs of our students during the study of our middle school program. The districts commitment to meeting the learning needs of all of our students is at the heart of our efforts. Making this commitment a reality may require very special arrangements for students whose learning needs are particularly unique.

The high school program currently provides a variety of course options to challenge our students. Advanced placement courses and dual enrollment choices provide them with college level courses while in high school. In addition, the district is now exploring how on-line course opportunities can supplement our own course offerings.

Regarding the science curriculum, when the Board receives the recommendations next year for the high school science curriculum, there will be recommendations for advanced options. The current ninth grade option for biology remains in place next year. The new middle school science curriculum was recently approved by the Board of Education. Middle school science teachers are developing significantly differentiated options within the new curriculum.

An extensive follow up study of former magnet students was suggested in a program evaluation. To do a study which examined differences between students who opted for the magnet and those who did not would require substantial time and expense. In addition, separating out confounding variables such as difference in the amount of classroom differentiation and course selection would be extremely difficult to do. Compared to providing excellent educational options for our students, this suggestion has not received a budget priority at this time.

A small study of nine students was done in 1999 to explore the differences in SAT scores between students who were in the magnet and those who were not. Although the SAT scores of former magnet students were found to be significantly higher, due to the same confounding variables of differences in the classroom differentiation and course selection as well as the size of the group, the results were difficult to attribute to any particular experience.

Staff Training

Staff members continue to have a variety of options for additional training in differentiation and content area instruction. Since 1996, the district has provided the opportunity for 64 staff members to attend the weeklong workshop at the University of Virginia. In addition, new teacher orientation and our new teacher academy provide substantial training in differentiating instruction. The new teacher academy course, which offers 7 to 9 sessions on differentiation, is also open to veteran staff upon request. A mini-conference focusing on differentiation was held in January for middle school staff. In addition, all teachers have access to online information provided through the University of Virginia Differentiation website.

Each year our Gifted Coordinator conducts workshops for new teachers and teachers new to the grade level to address the intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted students. Twice exceptional students (such as gifted students with a learning disability or an attention deficit) are a focus as well. In addition, first grade teachers are provided a workshop each year with a focus on the academic and affective needs of gifted students in the regular classroom.

District committee work also impacts our gifted students. Administrators from each level, a school social worker and a school counselor sit on the Gifted Advisory Committee, where middle school was a focus this year. Transition issues, both from elementary and to high school, were discussed, including academic and affective needs. Elementary and high school staff members were provided information and suggestions to improve transition and services to gifted students.

The gifted coordinator also provides information and research to the mental health staff in the district to develop their awareness of the unique affective and developmental needs of gifted students.

I hope this information is helpful to you. As always, parents can call any of our principals with specific questions about planning their childs educational experience. In addition, Mrs. Doherty and Dr. Allan are available to respond to questions and concerns.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Klein

Superintendent

C: Susan Allan

Cynthia Doherty