1.  Local school division plans should be developed on a five-year basis in order for school divisions to have the opportunity to develop long-term goals, implement changes, and evaluate progress in reaching goals.

2.  The Department of Education should maintain authority for approval of local 5-year plans.  State review removes the local plan from politics that may occur on a local level, and ensures compliance with state requirements without adding the cost of a peer review process to the budgets of local school divisions.

3.  School divisions should be permitted to outline an eligibility process timeline within their 5-year local plan rather than the proposed revision which specifies that the identification process must be completed within 60 business days of receipt of referral.  Identifying a specific number of days doesn't recognize the variety of programs for which eligibility processes are used.  As a small school division with limited personnel and resources, we would be unable to provide a process that could be completed within 60 business days.

4.  Reinstate the option of identifying students for Specific Academic Aptitude with nationally norm-referenced aptitude and/or achievement tests, instead of solely norm-referenced aptitude tests.  Using both types of tests in the identification process is critical in obtaining a complete and accurate view of a student's academic readiness.

5.  Reinstate the language directing the funding administered by the Department of Education for the education of gifted students be used only for those activities identified in the school division's plan.