Gifted student programs may change

The Brainerd School District, as soon as next fall, may be transforming the way it educates its brightest students in all grade levels.

These changes, if implemented, will not only benefit those students in the top 10-15 percent of their classes but potentially all students.

The school board Curriculum Committee Tuesday heard a presentation from Karen Rogers, a University of St. Thomas professor who, along with her colleague, Karen Westberg, were hired as consultants to develop a three-year plan for the district's gifted and talented programs. The educators are considered experts in the field of gifted and talented education. Westberg was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting.

Westberg and Rogers previously met with the district's gifted and talented task force to discuss the district's current programs, which include the school-within-a-school enrichment program at Lowell, the Forestview honors program and Brainerd High School's offerings, like Advanced Placement and College in the Schools courses, the College Level Examination Program and Post Secondary Education Option.

The committee made no decisions at Tuesday's meeting but will be presented with administrative recommendations for changes at the next Curriculum Committee scheduled for 11:30 a.m. March 30.

Deb Lechner, director of teaching and learning, said for many years the district hasn't given its gifted and talented programs as much focus or attention as there should be.

Rogers said she doesn't believe there is a single school district in the state that has all of these recommended program changes and if the Brainerd district implemented them all, the district would likely be considered innovative.

The following are many of the recommended changes for the district's gifted and talented programs:

• Employ a district gifted and talented services coordinator.

• Employ a single gifted and talented resource teacher.

• Begin monthly enrichment experiences for all first grade classrooms, starting this fall, provided by the gifted and talented resource teacher. By 2011-12, the goal is to implement whole class enrichment experiences in every kindergarten and first grade classroom.

• Continue with the enrichment program at Lowell but eliminate first grade from the program, creating a second- through fourth-grade school-within-a-school. Rogers said this allows the district two years, kindergarten and first-grade, to identify children for the program.

• A twice weekly Young Scholars enrichment program would be implemented for second graders, beginning in the fall. The program is meant to take high potential children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds out of the classroom and give them enriched learning opportunities to help them "catch up" in order to enter regrouped gifted and talented classes at the middle school level.

• Develop a second-grade pilot program next fall for one school that involves differentiated curriculum and cluster/regrouped teacher training in reading and math. Cluster grouped classes bring the top five to eight students together in a regular classroom with a teacher who receives extra training to teach and challenge all these students in the classroom. Regrouped classrooms involve placing top students in advanced classrooms at their grade level with accelerated curriculum. These classrooms are similar to AP courses at BHS and would include the top 15-20 percent of student learners. All elementary schools would implement this program by the third year of this plan for second- through fourth-grades.

• Start collecting student data for entry into the second grade enriched program at Lowell, as well as other enriched classes and the Young Scholars program using new identification processes.

• By the spring of 2010 designate one or two teams at Forestview which will house "clusters" of fifth-grade gifted and talented students for the fall. This would expand by the third year to include fifth- through eighth-grades.

• Designate gifted and talented homeroom advisors for high school students.

• Develop grade skipping and early entry policies and procedures for students who perform at least one grade level ahead of actual grade placement in all academic areas.

• Implement independent study courses at the high school level that are supervised by a teacher where students take online or other options in an area of talent and interest beyond what the typical advanced courses can offer. Students also could develop senior projects and community service experiences that would be more formalized.

"This is exciting, wonderful stuff," board member Ruth Nelson told Rogers after listening to the recommendations.

Superintendent Steve Razidlo said there will be a district advisory board committee meeting Wednesday and this information will be presented to the parents on this board. Razidlo said if you look at adding two additional staff members to benefit about 10-15 percent of the student population who are considered gifted and talented, it's not an extraordinary number when compared to how much resources the district designates for its struggling learners.

"Thanks for the passion of what we're trying to do to meet the needs of all of our learners," Lechner told Rogers.

"I think your learners in this district are very, very fortunate to have you," said Rogers.

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.