Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

State Board of Education

Regulations Governing Educational Services for Gifted Students [8 VAC 20 ‑ 40]

Action	Revision of regulations school divisions must meet in their gifted education programs, K - 12
Stage	Proposed
Comment Period	Ended on 9/26/2008

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9/25/08 9:45 pm

Commenter: Cathy B. Glenn, Chesterfield

Reject proposed revisions - promote excellence for all students

Providing opportunities for students to develop their full potential is a goal that all parents and educators embrace. Without effective gifted education program services for students who learn differently, we jeopardize opportunities for gifted learners. These kids do not deserve something better, but they do deserve something different.

Six key points in the proposed revisions deserve further examination:

· Local plan development – retain the current procedure for school divisions to develop a 5-year plan with peer review, local School Board approval, and Virginia Department of Education approval.

· Assessments used to identify students for gifted education program services must include a variety of measurements. Nationally norm-referenced assessments must be included among the criteria for identification of general intellectual and specific academic aptitude.

· School divisions should be allowed to select which of the core academic areas – English, mathematics, history/social sciences, and science – will be a focus for instructional differentiation for gifted learners. This choice permits divisions to assess the needs of their students and select areas that require emphasis based on the stages of child development.

· The proposed language of “business” days should be changed to “instructional” days.

· Although the funding section may seem redundant, it is critical that funds are appropriately utilized at the local level to support gifted education.

· Assessing academic student growth is on going, an action that occurs daily in the classrooms across the Commonwealth. Requiring additional assessments and documentation beyond what is already provided will create an excessive burden to school divisions.

If revisions to the regulations are necessary, please consider appointing a commission to consider revisions. Two outstanding institutions, the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary, have experts in gifted education who have worked with many school divisions throughout the Commonwealth in strengthening local programs. Other key organizations, including the Virginia Advisory Committee for the Education of the Gifted, Virginia Association for the Gifted, and the Virginia Consortium of Gifted Education Administrators should be part of the revision process. Members of these organizations bring knowledge and passion to the pursuit of raising standards in gifted education programming.

I urge you to reject the proposed revisions to the current Regulations Governing Educational Services for the Gifted. Virginia is in the forefront of the movement to provide challenging instructional programs for the gifted. Let’s continue on the journey toward excellence!

CommentID: 2590