Barbara McGonnigill once stated, "If it is not measured, it doesn't matter."  It is imperative that the state's committment to involvement and evaluation of plans for educating gifted students continue.  Virginia has continuously exemplified a high standard for education for all students.  The regulations proposed unfortunately present the antithesis of such efforts.  I respectfully request that the following points be considered as my recommendation:

1. Local school division plans should be developed on a 5-year basis instead of the newly proposed 1-year basis.  All improvement planning should include short and long-term goals to be measured, monitored, adjusted, and measured again.  By requiring an annual report, the development process is curtailed and only short-term measurements may be evident.

2. 5-Year local plans should continue to be reviewed by the Department of Education.  The requirements of identification and programming for gifted students in the state of  Virginia should be monitored for compliance by the state of Virginia.  Any efforts to move towards a state alignment or the development of national norms for identification, servicing and programming would be completely thwarted by enouraging each, individual locality to determine requirements for these services.  Additionally, the development of and continous training for peer review teams would be a significant added expense and responsibility for each school division.

3. Funding for gifted education should be reserved for the use of the education and servicing of gifted students.  Reinstate the section directing that funding administered by the DOE for the education of gifted students be used only to support those activitites identified in the school division's plan as approved by the Board of Education.

Additionally, I am in agreement with the specific changes proposed by both the Virginia Associaiotn of the Gifted and the Virginia Consortium of Gifted Education Administrators.

These comments are my personal comments and not the official opinions or position of Stafford County Public Schools.