McDowell County Schools AIG Plan Development –Planning Document

NC AIG Program Standard 1: Identification

The LEA’s student identification procedures for AIG are clear, equitable, and comprehensive and lead towards appropriate educational services.

NC AIG Program Practices

Standard 1

LEA Response

a) Articulates and disseminates the procedures for AIG student identification, including screening, referral, and identification processes for all grade levels to school personnel, parents/families, students, and the community-at-large.

MCS will articulate and disseminate procedures via:

● Board meetings: The BOE and the public will receive an annual presentation on AIG progress each winter.

● Staff meetings: AIG Specialists sharing the procedures for identification, screening, referral and identification processes for all staff members at each school during the first semester of each year.

● BT training: Beginning teachers will receive an overview each fall during their support training.

● Parent meetings: AIG Specialists will share the procedures for identification, screen, and referral each fall at a PTO meeting with all in attendance.

● Family meetings: AIG Specialists will share the information with newly identified students and their parents after their selection and begin the Differentiated Education Plan (DEP).

● Websites: District and school websites will be updated with current information at least quarterly.

● Print: An AIG flyer or brochure will be developed for use system-wide and available at each site within the school system in English and other languages as needed. These will also be shared with each student and their family at the initial DEP meeting.

● The language of the family: Translators will be available for face to face meetings and all parent letters and other print information will be available in the language of the family.

b) States and employs multiple criteria for AIG studentidentification. These criteria incorporate measures that reveal student aptitude, student achievement, or potential to achieve in order to develop a comprehensiveprofile for each student. These measures include bothnon-traditional and traditional measures that are based on current theory and research.

Identification criteria will be gleaned from multiple sources to create a comprehensive profile for each referred student. Student selection to the program will occur via any one of the following:

● Pathway 1 (grades k-2): Demonstration of advanced aptitude or achievement compared to peers in the same grade level (95th percentile for nurturing and 98th percentile for actual AIG identification) as measured by meeting 3 out of 4 criteria from multiple data sources to include MClass, MAP, school psychologist administered aptitude test, and classroom performance

assessments.● Pathway 2 (grades 3 and up): Demonstration of advanced aptitude

of 95th percentile or above on a nationally normed aptitude assessment such as CogAT, Naglieri, or other valid and reliable screeners given at the end of 2nd grade to all students and at the end of 5th grade to emerging but as yet unidentified AIG students as a screening tool.

● Pathway 3 (Achievement in grades 3 and up): Demonstration of consistent achievement in at least one area:

o At or above 95th percentile for two years in a row on summative state assessments (EOGs),

o At or above 95th percentile on two test cycles worth of benchmarks (MAP), or

o 95th percentile on third grade BOG and 95th percentile on third grade EOG (same year).

● Pathway 4: (grade 3 and up) In recognition of the fact that standardized tests may have inherent bias and that for some of our potentially gifted students, English is not their native language, students who rank in the top 10% of each identified subgroup for each grade level in the county will be considered in the screening pool even if they do not yet meet criteria 1, 2, or 3. The AIG review team will examine student data and observations and may recommend initial placement based on potential. If the student is placed, after one year of receiving services and scaffolded support, a meeting of the team will determine whether the student should continue in the program based on both achievement/aptitude data and anecdotal evidence. Current subgroups are: white, black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.

● Pathway 5: (grade 3 and up) Using multiple criteria (three out of the four listed)

o Standardized achievement tests 93% and above (EOG/EOC)o Nationally-normed aptitude tests 93% and aboveo Gifted behavior scale indicating AIG potentialo Consistent classroom performance 93% and above in the

identified area (ELA/Reading and/or Math)● Pathway 6: Students entering MCS from other systems who have

not been previously identified may be recommended to participate in CogAT or other screening in any grade and may begin the identification process at that time. (Note that students who transfer to MCS with documented evidence of existing identification and services will automatically be placed into the MCS AIG Program.)

When students have been identified using one of the six pathways above, their teachers will complete the Gifted Behavior Rating Scale. This score (which should be above 127) along with the information from the initial

screen will begin the profile folder for each student.

c) Ensures AIG screening, referral, and identification procedures respond to traditionally under-represented populations of the gifted and are responsive to LEA demographics. These populations include students who are culturally/ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, highly gifted, and twice-exceptional.

Attention to diversity will be maintained through:

● Pathway 4 in Standard 1b, which potentially identifies our local students in the top 10% of their subgroup even if their achievement or aptitude scores do not meet those, outlined in criteria 2 or 3.

● Pathway 5 in Standard 1b allows for NNAT2 (which is a non-verbal test) to be administered to students for whom AIG potential may not be revealed in the CogAT or other standardized tests.

● Attention will also be paid to identifying children who are receiving E/C services but are potentially gifted through data monitoring and conferencing with E/C specialists.

● Attention will be paid to identify transient children, homeless children, homebound children and/or those in foster care who arrive outside the time of the systemic screening through recommendation of counselors and/or social workers as well as classroom teachers for screening and identification.

● Attention will be paid to providing extra flexibility in services for students who are highly gifted using subject skipping, Virtual Public Schools, dual enrollment, curriculum compacting and/or grade skipping.

d) Implements screening, referral, and identification processes consistently within the LEA.

The three-stage process of consistency in implementation will be achieved through creation of a processes and procedures manual for AIG specialists, AIG Review Teams, Principals and School Counselors. Information included will be “how tos”:

● Use identification criteria for pathways 1-6 with fidelity and assess use through yearly internal audits of process and paperwork.

● Maintain records via a district-wide online system that can be accessed by each school and ease student transition from one school to another.

● Conduct monthly AIG PLC meetings to discuss processes and implementation with stakeholders.

● Develop screening checklists and disseminate to teachers, administrators, and student support personnel.

● Develop parental materials consistent with the district plan and disseminate at the school level.

● Create and present an annual report to the PAGE group and the BOE.

e) Maintains documentation that explains the identification process and service options for individual AIG students, which is reviewed annually with parents/families.

Documentation will be maintained as follows:

● Currently identified students have a paper folder that is housed at their school and reviewed in an annual meeting with the AIG specialist, parent, classroom teachers, administrators, counselors,

and social workers as appropriate.● Beginning in 2016, newly identified students will have an online

folder that is housed in Google Drive and reviewed in an annual meeting with the AIG specialist, parents, classroom teachers, counselors, administrators and social workers as appropriate.

Any disagreements about placement or services should be resolved at the lowest possible level beginning with the school review team.

Procedures to resolve disagreements:

● School Level: The parent/guardian may request a conference with the AIG Review Team to discuss concerns. The conference will be granted within ten school days of the receipt of request. After the conference, the team will respond to the disagreement in writing within ten school days.

● Central Office Level: If the parent/guardian wishes to appeal the school level decision, they may provide a written request to the district’s Chief Academic Officer within ten days of the issuance of the school level response. The Chief Academic Officer will review the school level decision and respond in writing within ten days of receipt of the appeal request.

● Board of Education Level: If the disagreement is not resolved after the appeal to the central office, the parent/guardian may request an appeal to the Board of Education within ten days of receiving the central office decision.

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

Moving forward we will explore valid and reliable means of testing students in second grade so that full services might begin in the fall of third grade.

MCS will investigate how other systems maintain their documentation and search for data solutions that will streamline our paperwork efforts. For example, docusign for online signatures of paperwork when necessary, google docs for sharing folders with classroom teachers and collaborating on DEPs.

The district will need a clear procedure for implementing criteria 4 with fidelity. For example, if in a particular elementary school there are only 5 students in a particular subgroup at a particular grade level, the “top 10%” would be 0.5 students. We need a clear procedure for determining if AIG service is appropriate for that single individual while still maintaining the integrity of the program.

MCS will plan training and meetings with social workers, counselors, ESL teachers, and E/C teachers to ensure they are aware of ways to examine non-traditional students and make referrals for AIG services.

MCS will develop a yearly audit process by which AIG team members will do fidelity checks throughout the district to include instructional rounds in buildings and viewing of a random selection of student files for each school.

The team may need to revisit our cut scores for placement after year one of implementing the new plan to see if these scores are helpful in screening the appropriate children for the appropriate services. We might consider a scaffolded level of services on a continuum. Consideration should be given to the research showing that AIG students do tend to develop in one area in one given year and then another area the next year. Two consecutive years of 93% on EOGs may allow for students needing a service to go unrecognized.

Sources of Evidence:

MCS District and School WebsitesMCS AIG brochures, flyers, parent letters in English, Spanish, and other languages as neededMCS Annual AIG Presentation to the BOERecords of staff meetingsRecords of BT support training on AIG placementRecords of PTO MeetingsUniversal screening data for 3rd and 6th graders across the districtScreening data for transient or non-traditional students at such time as referred by student support personnelSER/DEPsReferral checklists for each level.Records of annual meetings with familiesStudent AIG folders/documentsAIG childcount data that includes analysis of the district’s demographicsTesting calendars and rosters

NC AIG PROGRAM STANDARD 2: Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction

The LEA employs challenging, rigorous, and relevant curriculum and instruction K-12 to accommodate a range of academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.

NC AIG Program Practices

Standard 2

LEA Response

a) Adapts the NC Standard Course of Study (SCOS) K-12, to address a range of advanced ability levels in language arts, mathematics, and other content areas as appropriate through the use of differentiation strategies, including enrichment, extension, and acceleration.

Classroom teachers and AIG specialists will adapt the SCOS K-12 by:

● Collaborating during PLC time monthly to analyze student achievement data, learning profiles, and upcoming classroom standards to determine which AIG students will be best served through enrichment, extension, acceleration, or curriculum compacting.

● Collaborating during PLC time weekly to plan differentiated instruction, activities, and student work products for advanced students in the regular classroom K-12.

● Monthly meetings of the AIG specialists from around the district will allow them to share best practices with team members and strengthen services in all buildings.

b) Employs diverse and effective instructional practices according to students’ identified abilities, readiness, interests, and learning profiles to address a range of learning needs at all grade levels.

Classroom teachers, school counselors and AIG specialists will employ best practices by:

● Co-teaching classes of students based on readiness, interest, and learning profile in alignment with the SCOS.

● Collaborating within the general education classroom to provide “push in” support for AIG students during regular whole group instructional activities.

● “Pulling out” small groups of students to facilitate accelerated learning or special projects in alignment with and support of the SCOS.

● Implementing inquiry-based methods such as project-based learning, MakerSpaces and Socratic seminar practices to capitalize on student voice and ownership in their learning process in both general education and AIG classes.

● Providing opportunities in grades 9-12 for students to take advanced coursework via NC VPS, dual enrollment, honors and AP versions of courses.

● Providing accelerated high school courses at the middle school.● Providing opportunity and support for students to earn credit by

demonstrated mastery for high school courses when appropriate.● Providing opportunity for students to attend a STEM themed magnet

middle school with a multi-grade level, collaborative, project-based

focus.● Providing opportunity for high school students to attend an early-

college program that allows for completion of an associate’s degree in conjunction with a high school diploma.

c) Selects and uses a variety of research-based supplemental resources that augment curriculum and instruction.

Classroom teachers and AIG specialists will supplement and augment via:

● Effective use of 1:1 laptop initiative in middle and high schools to access advanced programs and curricula. These online offerings will be supported and monitored by a licensed teacher on site.

● Participation in competitive programs across the district that allow AIG learners to work with other gifted learners outside the school.

The District will support this standard by providing regular and ongoing opportunities for professional development and by maintaining a library of resources.

d) Fosters the development of 21st century content and skills at an advanced level.

Media coordinators, classroom teachers, instructional technology staff and AIG Specialists will foster the development of 21st century content and skills at higher levels by:

● Collaborating to use school libraries as “Learning Commons” where students investigate and research ideas, collaborate with other students, and create products to demonstrate their learning.

● Creating opportunities for students to interact with students and adults from around the world in their learning process.

● Facilitating opportunities for students to solve real-world issues in their communities through research, dialog, and service learning.

● Facilitating opportunities for students to use the scientific method in real-world scenarios and with real scientific equipment.

e) Uses on-going assessment, both formative and summative, to differentiate classroom curriculum and instruction and inform flexible grouping practices.

Principals, classroom teachers, and AIG specialists will use on-going assessments such as:

● MAP● iReady● CogAT● Local benchmarks● EOGs and EOCs● EVAAS

To determine both short-term and long-term grouping arrangements. Schedules within the classroom, grade-level, and building will be flexible to allow for rearrangement based on data and opportunities.

f) Creates affective curricular and instructional practices which support the social and emotional needs of AIG students.

The district and school administration will support this standard through:

● Professional development for all staff to understand unique affective needs of AIG students from diverse backgrounds.

● Parents, school counselors and/or social workers will be a part of an

annual team meeting with general education and AIG teachers each winter to assess the progress of the “whole child” and determine needed adjustments to curricula or instruction.

AIG specialists will teach gifted students to understand their own needs, select strategies for support, and to advocate for themselves.

Schools will maintain a lending library of materials to help parents support affective needs of AIG children and will hold periodic meetings with parent groups that address this concern.

g) Cultivates and develops the potential of young (K-3) students through purposeful and intentional strategies and differentiated curriculum and instruction.

AIG Specialists and Classroom Teachers will collaborate to:

● Examine K-3 data and observe students in action in the classroom to identify potentially gifted young learners.

● Model best practices for K-3 AIG support in the regular classroom.● Provide training for K-3 teachers to increase rigor in activities aligned

to the standards.● “Push in” to work with small groups of potential AIG children in the

regular classroom or “Pull out” small groups of potential AIG children for special activities that will enhance their learning and potential on a weekly basis.

h) Collaborates with AIG personnel and other professional staff, including regular education teachers, special education teachers, other instructional staff, and administrators, to develop and implement differentiated curriculum and instruction.

McDowell County Schools will:

● Provide time and structure for monthly PLCs for collaboration and will monitor the impact of that planning time in the observable classroom differentiation.

● The district will create a local endorsement or certificate plan for regular classroom teachers to be trained and recognized for their extra efforts.

● The Chief Academic Officer will advocate for AIG programming and resources with principals, senior leadership, and the Board of Education.

i) Develops and documents a student plan that articulates the differentiated curriculum and instruction services that match the identified needs of the K-12 AIG student, such as a Differentiated Education Plan (DEP). This document is reviewed annually with parents/families to ensure effective programming, provide a continuum of services, and support school transitions.

The district will develop:

● A 21st century system for tracking the curricular and instructional services each AIG student receives in a plan that is easily accessible to teachers and the family.

● Transitional practices to ensure students moving from one school to another have continuity of services.

The district will document:

● Student Eligibility Records (SERs)● Differentiated Education Plans (DEPs)● Records of communication with parents/family● Records of annual meetings with family and school team● Records of transitional continuity

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

MCS needs to seek resources to support real-world science and social studies learning as well as MakerSpaces and Learning Commons.

Some AIG students lack organization and time management skills. MCS needs to develop structures to help such students be successful in completing online courses.

Structures for collaboration with general education teachers to allow for planning of differentiated experiences within the regular classroom is currently lacking in some schools. MCS principals will need to re-examine scheduling practices.

Professional development likely needs to be required for all teachers in the district to best understand how to differentiate for AIG learners and how to best collaborate with AIG specialists.

Models for co-teaching, pushing in, and pulling out need to be consistent across the district.

Sources of Evidence:

PLC Agendas and minutes

Records of dual enrollment, CDM, honors and AP courses, use of NCVPS

Library of AIG resources for the district

Lesson Plans showing differentiation

Classroom observations of differentiated services

Observations of small group sessions

Observations of media center as “Learning Commons”

Records of annual team meetings

Libraries of resources

Records of professional development and local certificates

Flexible grouping lists and master schedules that demonstrate flexible grouping time

Student work products

Formative and Summative assessment data

SERs, DEPs, documentation of transition activities

NC AIG PROGRAM STANDARD 3: Personnel and Professional Development

The LEA recruits and retains highly qualified professionals and provides relevant and effective professional development concerning the needs of gifted learners that is on-going and comprehensive.

NC AIG Program Practices

Standard 3

LEA Response

a) Employs an AIG-licensed educator as lead coordinator to guide, plan, develop, implement, revise, and monitor the local AIG program and plan.

The district AIG team consists of seven members (depending upon funding) who are AIG licensed educators and who work together to guide, plan, develop, implement, revise, and monitor the local AIG program and plan.

b) Ensures that AIG-licensed specialists are engaged in tasks which explicitly address the academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.

The District will:

● Allocate AIG specialists for K-2 nurturing, elementary services, and middle grades AIG services.

● Support AP, Honors, and Dual enrollment teachers at the high school level to ensure AIG students are properly challenged and supported via professional development and embedded coaching.

The AIG-licensed specialists:

● Will spend the majority of their average work week (about 80%) in direct support of AIG students addressing their academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs in collaboration with classroom teachers, administrators, and student support service personnel.

● Provide direct support of classroom teachers and other AIG specialists to plan, guide, and monitor instruction for AIG and potentially gifted students.

● Will minimize the amount of time spent on testing and other administrative duties.

● These practices will be observable on a weekly basis through classroom visits, PLC meeting observations, and weekly and yearly schedules of AIG teachers.

c) Establishes specific and appropriate professional development requirements for all personnel involved in AIG programs and services, including classroom teachers, special education teachers, counselors, and school administrators.

The district will provide:

● Professional development for AIG specialists both locally and regionally.

● Professional development for other teachers on best practices for differentiating for gifted learners.

● Professional development for counselors, social workers, McKinney/Vento workers and school administrators on how best to support the AIG population.

● Local endorsement opportunities for regular classroom teachers at the high school level.

These will be monitored via professional development sign in sheets and CEUs.

d) Places AIG students in general education classrooms with teachers who have earned an AIG add-on license from an Institute of Higher Education (IHE) or who have met the LEA’s professional development requirements for that position.

In order to increase the number of AIG licensed teachers in the regular classroom, the district will offer:

● Funding to support new AIG add-on licensure for interested teachers yearly.

● Local endorsement opportunities for regular classroom teachers who serve a large population of AIG students with a particular focus on increasing the numbers among the high school staff.

In order to increase the proportion of AIG students whose general education class teachers have AIG endorsement or licensure, school administrators will examine class schedules and create cohorts or clusters of students whose regular education teachers meet this criteria.

e) Aligns professional development opportunities with local AIG program goals, other district initiatives, and best practices in gifted education.

The district will provide professional development during required workdays to address this goal. Professional learning opportunities focused on AIG best practices will fall in alignment with district PD initiatives for instructional strategies, use of data to inform practice, and content knowledge. Principals will identify teachers who work with cohorts of gifted students and require them to participate in this local endorsement or to enroll in a licensure program with an IHE.

f) Provides opportunities for AIG specialists and other teachers to plan, implement, and refine applications of their professional development learning.

General education teachers and AIG specialists will work in PLCs regularly to:

● Plan differentiated activities for AIG students in the regular classroom

● Implement and refine these activities● Collect data on the impact of these activities and reflect for

continuous professional growth.

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

Currently, most AIG specialists are being used as testing coordinators at the elementary level. This is problematic since the district administers benchmarks quarterly and time spent organizing testing is time taken away from AIG duties. We could strengthen this standard by not using our limited AIG staff as testing coordinators.

As we broaden our net to serve more students we will have to rethink school daily schedules given the number of AIG specialists serving the district.

We may need more intense professional development and support for general education teachers who have a high population of AIG students in clusters so that daily instruction in all subjects is differentiated.

Because of differences in the early childhood enrichment between families in poverty and the rest of our population we need to pay close attention during K-2 nurturing to students who come to school less ready but have high IQ and high potential for academic achievement. We will seek community partners to assist in finding resources for those families.

AIG specialists may need training and support in how to best collaborate with general education teachers using co-teaching and “push-in” models.

There is currently little incentive by the state for teachers to gain AIG certification. We will need to explore local incentives for teachers to do extra course-work.

Professional development will need to be ongoing and include embedded coaching in the classroom next year in order to be effective.

The district needs to provide updated training to teachers on administering and calibrating the Gifted Children Behavior Rating Scale to ensure consistency and fidelity.

Sources of Evidence:

School schedules showing AIG specialists and their duties

Professional Development enrollment and CEUs

Alignment of AIG related PD with district PD goals

Transcripts from IHEs showing licensure add-ons

Weekly PLC agendas and minutes

STANDARD 4: Comprehensive Programming within Total School Community

The LEA provides an array of K-12 programs and services by the total school community to meet the diverse academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.

a) Delivers AIG programs and services which are comprehensive of the academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners across all classroom environments, grade levels, and settings.

K-2 Nurturing:

● AIG specialists at each elementary school will screen K-2 students using MAP and MClass data as well as teacher or parent referrals.

● If screening results indicate a need for in-depth testing and possible early identification, formalized IQ testing may occur.

● Any K-1 student who shows early potential, whether formally identified or not, will receive nurturing services twice weekly to extend their academic learning in the regular classroom and to support their social and emotional development.

● Second grade students showing early potential will receive similar nurturing services at least three times weekly.

3rd grade initial identification and service:

● Students will be screened in the first semester for each identification area using MAP, BOG 3, and CogAT. Students will be screened in the second semester for each identification area using MAP and EOG 3.

● Those who are identified as AIG will be met within their regular classrooms as well as pulled out for small groups within the building with like-ability children.

● Additionally, they will have opportunities to participate in AIG activities with other children from around the LEA.

● During teacher PLCs, both AIG specialists and general education teachers will examine observational and anecdotal data to determine if the students’ social and emotional needs are being addressed and will schedule additional services and/or parental meetings as needed.

4th and 5th grade services:

● Identified students will receive services similar to those described in 3rd grade but for the full academic year.

● Upper elementary students will participate in district-wide competitions to further stimulate their intellectual growth, grade-level field trips geared toward AIG enrichment and in service learning projects geared toward character development.

6th grade secondary screening identification and service:

● Although students may be referred for screening at any point while they are served by McDowell County Schools, special attention will be paid to entering sixth graders to determine if there are students

who entered the LEA after the initial third grade screening period, or if there are “late bloomers” who were not identified in the third grade testing cycle. MCS believes this is crucial since middle school is where our students first have the opportunity to enroll in honors-type courses and our system is committed to providing rigorous opportunities to as many students and families as possible as they prepare for high school, college, and careers.

● Special attention will be paid during the sixth grade year to previously identified AIG students as they transition from elementary to middle school. Counselors and AIG specialists will be involved in referring underachieving AIG students for social/emotional support and goal-setting meetings with parents.

6th-8th grade services:

● Due to the nature of the middle school daily schedule, the majority of AIG services will occur in the general education classroom where the teacher of record will provide differentiated activities in alignment with the standards being taught the whole class.

● AIG specialists will provide inclusion-type services within the regular classrooms to support completion and success of these more rigorous exercises.

● AIG specialists may also work with small groups outside the general education classroom during the regular period or during school-wide tutoring and enrichment periods.

● If the student and/or parent no longer wishes to continue in the AIG program, they may initiate a team meeting for formal withdrawal.

High school services:

● An 8th grade AIG specialist will assist a school counselor in developing a four-year high school plan for each AIG student to address needed academic coursework and student support services.

● An AIG specialist and counselor will hold a meeting annually for ninth grade students and their parents to explain high school opportunities for gifted education and four year plans.

● An AIG specialist and counselor will identify enrichment opportunities outside the school such as Governor’s School and the NC School of Science and Math and will communicate requirements for participation to students and parents and support them in their application process.

● An AIG specialist and counselor will communicate information about Advanced Placement and honors level courses as formal gifted-programs designed to meet the differentiated needs and interests of high school aged AIG students.

● An AIG specialist and counselor will coordinate communication

between the school and families of AIG students regarding IEPs, 504s, and other areas of concern.

● A committee of AIG licensed or endorsed teachers will serve on the district team for Credit by Demonstrated Mastery and will communicate this opportunity as appropriate to gifted learners who seek course skipping or curriculum compacting.

● A committee of AIG licensed or endorsed teachers will serve to communicate dual enrollment and virtual education opportunities to AIG students and families who seek to take additional course work outside the traditional high school.

Differentiated Education Plans (DEPs) will be developed upon entry, communicated to a team to include parents, general education teachers, school counselors, social workers, E/C teachers and others as needed. These will be updated yearly. At any time after placement in the program a Request for Services Review may be initiated by the AIG specialist, General education teacher, parent, or student if data indicates the student’s current needs and services do not align. When the review is requested the team will assemble and examine multiple sources of data within 90 days to determine next steps.

b) Aligns AIG programs and services with each area of AIG identification, goals of the program, and resources of the LEA.

The district and schools will:

● Communicate AIG programs, services, and AIG identification processes to stakeholders via print, online, and face-to-face means.

● Evaluate alignment of AIG programming with stated district goals.● Maintain an expectation that PLCs across the district focus on

growth of gifted learners in each subject and provide differentiated activities and opportunities to support their growth.

● Use flexible grouping and flexible scheduling to allow the limited resources of the district to serve and support the AIG population.

AIG specialists will:

● support classroom teachers in identifying and using appropriate resources to support AIG learners with each area of identification

c) Delivers AIG programs and services that are integral and connected to the total instructional program of the LEA in policy and practice.

The AIG team of specialists will meet at least quarterly with the district Chief Academic Officer to ensure alignment and connection of services to the overall district program, policy, and practice. The Chief Academic Officer and district leadership team will conduct walkthroughs at least quarterly to evaluate programs and services and ensure fidelity.

d) Informs all teachers, school administrators, and support staff about delivery of differentiated services and instruction for AIG students, regulations related to gifted education, and the local AIG program

The AIG team will revise and report on the district plan to the Board of Education and administrative team yearly. Additionally, they will inform and instruct faculty and support staff at each school about updates and requirements each fall during faculty meetings.

and plan.

e) Communicates among and between teachers and schools to ensure an effective continuation of K-12 services, especially at key transition points.

AIG specialists will:

● Maintain shared data and assist general education teachers in interpreting data and planning services.

● Conduct transition meetings as students move from one campus or grade level to another.

● Meet with the AIG team monthly to share best practices and ensure services at all schools meet expectations.

f) Facilitates collaboration among school counseling personnel, regular education teachers, AIG specialists, and others to address the social and emotional needs of AIG students.

All personnel who are involved with gifted programming and services at MCS are invited to attend and assist in the development of policies and practices serving AIG students. All personnel who are serving a particular AIG student are invited to participate in referral, screening, and annual meetings about DEPs for AIG students.

g) Articulates and implements opportunities for acceleration, including compacted content, Credit by Demonstrated Mastery, subject and/or grade acceleration when an appropriate body-of-evidence indicates the need.

The district AIG team will:

● Develop clear criteria for acceleration, curriculum compacting, and credit by demonstrated mastery.

● Develop a flyer to be distributed online and in print at each school that explains the criteria and process for requesting an analysis for a particular student.

● Maintain a database to examine the impact of these practices over time on students.

● Reflect on data and revise practices on a regular cycle.

h) Provides intentional programming for traditionally under-represented AIG populations, including culturally/ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, highly gifted, and twice-exceptional.

The district will:

● Work with E/C and ELL specialists as well as social workers, McKinney/Vento workers and counselors to identify students who may be twice exceptional and provide nurturing services and identification for AIG formalized program services.

● Train general education teachers to differentiate assignments as well as their teaching styles to be culturally responsive to gifted learners from under-represented AIG populations.

● Provide alternate pathways for formal identification of students in the top 10% of each subgroup served by MCS.

● Work with outside resources such as McDowell Technical College and NCVPS to provide opportunities for highly gifted students to access advanced programming while still being supported by MCS teachers and AIG specialists.

i) Encourages extra-curricular programs and events that enhance and further develop the needs and interests of AIG students.

The district and schools will provide the following enhancement opportunities:

● Duke TIP

● E-3 Day● Technology Nights● Battle of the Books● Math 24● Cyber Kids● Science Olympiads● Governor’s School● Honors and AP high school courses● Dual enrollment college level courses● CTE Honor Society● National Honor Society

j) Utilizes intentional, flexible grouping practices to facilitate effective instruction and support the growth of AIG students.

Using MAP, EVAAS, and other data sources, groups of teachers will work in the PLC model to plan and support effective instruction using flexible grouping and flexible scheduling to allow students who are ready to accelerate or compact the curriculum.

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

MCS needs to provide training for general education teachers to help them better differentiate learning activities for AIG students in the regular classroom and to help them collaborate with and use the AIG specialists as resources in their classrooms.

MCS needs to provide training for school counselors, social workers, McKinney/Vento workers and others to better identify AIG students who are at-risk and refer or provide services.

Sources of Evidence:

Online and print versions of fliers

Minutes/agendas of BOE meetings and faculty meetings

Requests for Services Review

Subgroup identification and service data

Enrollment in extra-curricular activities

Examples of flexible grouping/scheduling

STANDARD 5: Partnerships

The LEA ensures on-going and meaningful participation of stakeholders in the planning and implementation of the local AIG program to develop strong partnerships.

NC AIG Program Practices

Standard 5

LEA Response

a) Develops partnerships with parents/families and the community that are intentional and meaningful to support the following needs of AIG students:

● academic and intellectual● social and emotional

MCS encourages strong, two-way partnerships with parents/families, and the community through:

● Annual parent nights, transition meetings, DEP meetings.● Monthly PAGE meetings● Local field trips and competitions● Clubs and other extra-curricular opportunities in the community● Service learning projects● E-3 Day - Parent and community volunteers work together to

provide enrichment programs special to AIG students.● Technology Night: School, families, and community members

partner to expose students to advanced technology.

b) Shares with stakeholders, including all students’ parents/families, information regarding the local AIG program, the local AIG plan, and other policies relating to gifted education.

MCS shares information regarding the AIG program, plan and policies via:

● Annual and monthly face-to-face meetings● Use of “Remind” service to send text messages to parents and

other stakeholders with information and reminders.● System and school web pages will feature the local plan as well as

links to supporting organizations and outside resources.● Brochures and flyers in print form in English and Spanish● AIG specialists will present annually to the BOE on the state of the

program.● AIG specialists will present annually to principals and directors

about changes to the plan.

c) Establishes and utilizes an advisory group to develop, implement, and monitor the local AIG program and plan. This advisory group is representative of the diverse populations of the district and is at least comprised of community members, AIG parents and families, AIG teachers, and other instructional and support staff.

MCS will re-establish and utilize an AIG advisory group to include:

● PAGE representatives● AIG specialist representatives● Principal representatives● General education teacher representatives from K-5, 6-8, and 9-12

grade levels● Diverse community members

d) Informs parents/families and the community of opportunities available to AIG students on an ongoing basis

MCS intentionally uses an array of communication modes to ensure parents/families and our community are informed via the mode of their

and in their native language. preference about the opportunities available to our AIG students.

e) Forms partnerships with institutions of higher education, local business and industry, and other stakeholders within the community to enhance and gain support for AIG programs and services.

MCS has established partnerships with McDowell Technical Community College to support dual enrollment in college courses for students at our traditional high school as well as our early college. The community college also supports our E-3 Day and other extra-curricular meetings and activities. We are working to increase our partnerships with business, industry, and non-profit organizations to provide service learning experiences, internships, and field trip experiences.

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

MCS will seek partners among local organizations to provide more extensive service learning opportunities for AIG students.

MCS AIG specialists will seek grant opportunities within the community to provide more unique learning experiences.

MCS AIG specialists will consider creating a quarterly AIG newsletter to send home with students to educate parents on how to best support their students.

MCS will seek a diverse group of community members to sit on the newly formed AIG advisory board.

MCS will work to have stronger communication between general education teachers and AIG specialists in the middle schools using face to face meetings and online portfolios with shared documents.

MCS will explore partnerships for extending current and creating new opportunities such as Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Robotics competitions, Debate Teams, etc.

Sources of Evidence:

Meeting agendas

Newsletters, flyers, and brochures

Webpages

Programs from events such as E-3 Day

Rosters from parent night

STANDARD 6: Program Accountability

The LEA implements, monitors, and evaluates the local AIG program and plan to ensure that all programs and services are effective in meeting the academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.

NC AIG Program Practices

Standard 6

LEA Response

a) Develops a written AIG plan to describe the local AIG program, in accordance with state legislation and SBE policy (N.C.G.S. 115C-150.5-.8 {Article 9B}), which has been approved by the LEA’s school board and sent to SBE/DPI for review and comment.

The district has:

● Sent self-assessment opportunities to each school for current program evaluation

● Held meetings of a variety of stakeholders to seek feedback for improvement.

● Facilitated opportunities for AIG specialists to assist in crafting the new three-year plan.

● Ensured alignment of the district plan with state standards and legislation.

● Uploaded the new plan to SBE/DPI for review and comment.

b) Monitors the implementation of the local AIG program and plan in accordance with current legislation and state policies to ensure fidelity of implementation for all AIG program components.

The district will:

● Support principals in providing feedback on the quality of implementation quarterly.

● Expect district leadership to conduct on-site visits to assess the quality of implementation quarterly.

● Conduct instructional rounds visits of AIG and other teachers and student support staff to assess fidelity of implementation yearly.

● Assess data such as MAP and EVAAS annually to determine if AIG learners are achieving expected growth.

● Develop a check sheet to evaluate written records and observable components of the plan yearly.

● Solicit stakeholder feedback from parents and students quarterly.

c) Uses and monitors state funds allotted for the local AIG program according to state policy.

The Chief Academic Officer and the Chief Financial Officer will monitor local AIG allocations for compliance with state policy.

d) Maintains, analyzes, and shares student achievement, student growth, and annual drop-out data for AIG students.

The district will publish this data for AIG students on its website and in print yearly.

e) Monitors the representation, performance, and retention of under-represented populations in the local AIG program, including students who are culturally/ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, highly gifted, and

Schools will produce an annual report to be submitted to the Chief Academic Officer showing the names of the students in the top 10% of each subgroup who did not qualify for AIG through the traditional screening methods and the results of their nurturing efforts. The Chief Academic Officer will monitor the district’s overall representation in the program and ensure supports are in place to retain under-represented

twice-exceptional. populations.

f) Maintains current data regarding the credentials of personnel serving AIG students.

The district HR office will maintain records of AIG licensure and local endorsement.

g) Elicits regular feedback from students, parents/families, teachers, and other stakeholders regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the local AIG program.

AIG Specialists will elicit feedback and maintain results through online and paper versions of surveys as well as regular PAGE meetings.

h) Utilizes multiple sources of data to review and revise the local AIG program and plan during comprehensive program evaluation.

The District AIG Team will use the following means to review and revise the plan and subsequently the programming:

● The NCDPI mid-year review● Survey results● General Education teacher feedback in faculty meetings and PLCs● Instructional Rounds results

i) Disseminates all data from evaluation of the local AIG program to the public.

The McDowell County Schools AIG Plan will be available for public review on the system website and each school’s web page. Yearly, there will be added a review of the evaluation and student achievement data for public inspection.

j) Safeguards the rights of all AIG students and their parents and families through established written policies, procedures, and practices. The LEA plan includes: informed consent regarding identification and placement, reassessment procedures, transfers from other LEAs, and procedures for resolving disagreements.

The following process will safeguard the rights of AIG students and parents:

● Written policies, procedures, and practices will be distributed in native languages and multiple printed and online formats.

● Parents will sign consent forms for participation in the program.● Parents will have access to a form to request re-evaluation.● Parents will have access to a form for resolving disagreements.

Ideas/ Strategies for Strengthening the Standard:

MCS needs to create a standard reporting system with document templates for schools to show attention to program monitoring at the school level.

MCS will look into an online program such as DocuSign that might allow parents to sign documents virtually when they are unable to come in for a face to face meeting.

MCS will provide training for a local endorsement that might be required for middle and high school teachers to teach advanced sections of courses.

Sources of Evidence:

School Self-Assessment documents

Survey results

District AIG Plan and State AIG Standards

Records of site visits for fidelity checks

AIG Plan in English and Spanish online and in writing.

Forms for parental consent, request of re-evaluation, and resolution of disagreements will be available online and in writing.