Greetings.
Earlier this week Russell Peterson raised concerns about whether high
achievers in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) are being neglected as the
district focuses on students who are currently not on track. He
correctly observed that we have not published a formal "plan" for high
achieving students similar to the "Twelve Point Plan" announced this
week to bolster the academic achievement for students of color. A review
of district achievement data for many (certainly not all) African
American, Native American and Latino students clearly supports an
urgent, citywide call to action on their behalf. I urge list readers to
visit our web site - www.mpls.k12.mn.us - to read the full text of the
plan and the superintendent's announcement. Our strategic direction and
plan for addressing the needs of high achieving students is outlined
below. It's long, so I warn those of you who aren't particularly
interested in the topic to check out now. Much of this information was
jointly released last winter with the Chamber of Commerce and The
Minneapolis Foundation in our report, Measuring Up. Those who make it to
the end and have additional questions should feel free to e-mail me
directly or call the MPS Communications Department at 612-668-0230.
Thanks for your continued interest in MPS.
Services for gifted students in the Minneapolis Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools' plan for educating the top percentile of its
students has become more focused and intentional over the past five
years. As this evolution has occurred, schools have demonstrated an
ongoing willingness to learn from the Gifted/Talented Department how to
improve their services.
Consider the following:
The Gifted/Talented (G/T) Department's strategic direction was developed
by a core group of G/T teachers and G/T district staff in 1998. It
outlines seven guiding principles for schools:
· Identify students in need of gifted/talented services.
· Determine which types of service along the continuum the school will
offer.
· Assure fair and unbiased criteria are used in identification.
· Assure alternative assessments are provided for fairness & equal
access.
· Provide for annual in-service training.
· Develop a written school gifted/talented plan addressing quality
criteria.
· Include outreach to families of students of color.
Five years ago, the "Gifted/Talented Department" was made up on a
single, half-time staff member. Today, two full-time staff (one
coordinator, one teacher on special assignment) meet monthly with 65G/T
contact people from K-5/K-8 schools to share best practices and
brainstorm new ideas for teaching our gifted students. High school
program specialists have also begun to work directly with the GT
district coordinator with a goal of expanding GT services beyond
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs
while also increasing the number of students of color who participate in
AP/IB courses. Not only has the district increased its resources devoted
to G/T programs, but schools have dedicated building funds to put
effective G/T programs in place. This financial commitment has come
about during a time of increasingly lean educational funding.
For several years, the district has collected data known as the "20/20
analysis" to see how well students at different levels of achievement
perform in reading and math. The 20/20 analysis looks at three points in
students' distribution of test scores along a scale of percentiles from
one to 99. Point one would be for the low-range; point two the median
and point three the high range. We collect data in this manner, and
provide graphs to principals every year, to help us see if we are
meeting the needs of all groups of students � those at the top and
bottom. As a district we're making progress with bottom and top of
distribution. Varies from school to school; some schools show trend
which is negative for top and positive for bottom for others it's the
reverse.
Part of the school and district's commitment to G/T programs is
evidenced by our in-depth evaluation of services we provide to students.
Each year, K-5/K-8 schools receive points based on the number of quality
criteria their G/T programs met. Schools receive 0 to 5 points for each
of the criteria. Criteria are:
· School has a half-time or greater Gifted/Talented Resource Teacher to
coordinate and help deliver the services;
· School uses a multi-dimensional screening process to identify students
for service;
· School has increased the number of students of color who receive
service or the representation of students of color is proportionate to
the number of students of color within the school's population;
· School offers the Gifted/Talented Catalyst Program (schools with
grades K-2);
· School offers services within each of the following areas: services
delivered within the regular classroom, services delivered in small
groups beyond the regular classroom setting and services where
individualized provisions or modifications are made.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Gifted/Talented Services staff, a
federal Jacob K. Javits Grant was awarded to the district's
Gifted/Talented Services Department. The $645,000 grant was the highest
given among the only seven gifted grants awarded nationally in 2000. The
goal of the three-year grant is to increase the participation of
culturally diverse gifted/talented students in advanced level courses at
middle school. The grant pilot sites are Lyndale and Broadway community
schools. All third graders at each school are involved in the project
this year with focus on those gifted/talented students identified in
second grade through the Gifted Catalyst Program (see below for a
description of the Catalyst program). The grant will follow the students
through fourth and fifth grades.
Other programs and activities available to gifted students in our
schools:
University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP)
For seventh grade students and older. UMTYMP math courses take the place
of middle school math courses; they are accelerated, compressed and
intense. Students in UMTYMP complete 12th grade math by the time they're
in 10th grade; their 11-12th grade years are spent doing college level
math.
Intermediate District 287 Gifted Program
This gifted education outreach service offers a variety of classes and
seminars during the school year and summer including an accelerated math
course similar to UMTYMP.
Fourth Write
The district sponsors this day long writing conference which is open to
all fourth grade students. Students learn writing techniques from
professional writers.
The Learning Works
Learning Works is a MPS collaborative with the Blake Schools. It offers
students an intensive summer program. Students commit to a full-day,
rigorous curriculum in four areas, enrichment activities, and two hours
of homework each night. Blake follows up by having periodic sessions
with students on Saturdays throughout the school year.
Inquiry Summer Institute
Over 70 enrichment courses offered summer 2000.
Midwest Talent Search
Provides qualifying 7th and 8th graders the opportunity to take the ACT
and SAT at Northwestern University in Illinois.
Other activities:
· Young Inventors Fair
· Young Authors Conference
· Creativity Festival
· Lego League
The Gifted Catalyst Program:
This program targets the early primary years (grades K-2) as a key time
to purposefully recognize and develop strengths and talents in all
students. Through a curriculum that stresses complex thinking, the
Gifted Catalyst Program provides appropriate challenge for its students.
Locations: currently in 32 of the district's 65 K-5/K-8 schools.
The Gifted/Talented Continuum of Services (74 schools):
Gifted/talented services begin in kindergarten with modified curriculum
for students whose knowledge and learning pace is significantly advanced
in relation to their classmates. Formal identification of students in
need of gifted/talented services begins in 2nd grade. The process used
for identifying students in need of services is multidimensional,
unbiased, inclusive and ongoing. Students are screened in 2nd grade, in
3rd grade and beyond if they are new to the district, and at the time
the student enters middle school (6th grade). Screening includes
classroom performance, standardized testing, performance tasks and
referrals.
Services for gifted/talented students must reflect differentiation in
pace, depth and complexity and must address both the academic and
social/emotional needs of students. Services include those delivered
within the regular classroom, those delivered in small groups beyond the
regular classroom setting and those where individualized provisions or
modifications are made.
Program for students in grades 9-12:
The district offers 15 different Advanced Placement courses (high
schools vary in their course offerings), honors courses and advanced
standing. Two high schools offer the International Baccalaureate
program.
Nine percent (955 out of 10,535) of Minneapolis high school students
completed one or more AP or IB courses in math or science in the 1998-99
school year, while only 4 percent (235,040 out of 5,876,009) of students
from 58 urban school districts completed AP or IB courses in math or
science in the 1996-97 school year.
Number of students who took AP examinations (per 1,000 12th graders)
District Nation*
208 131
Of the IB schools in the state, Southwest was first statewide, well
ahead of Central High School in St. Paul, in the number of students who
qualified for full IB diplomas. Thirty-six students from Southwest
received full IB diplomas. Newsweek listed Patrick Henry and Southwest
High Schools among 418 "Top Ranked High Schools" throughout the U. S.
This ranking was based on the number of students who took advanced
courses during high school.
Minneapolis Public Schools. Expect Great Things.
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