Lakota's Gifted Education Takes Center Stage in the First Community Conversation of the Year

The Lakota Board of Education began its twelfth year of Community Conversations on Oct. 11 when more than 100 parents and staff members gathered to discuss gifted education. The long-running program was given a facelift this year, with a new format and facilitator.

Following a brief presentation about gifted services by Lauren Webb, the director of the department, facilitator Kristen Rojas explained the new format and what the Board wanted to achieve through the conversation. “The goals for this evening include: having a productive and rewarding conversation; listening generously; actively supporting the discovery of common interests and concerns; and collecting authentic, meaningful responses to our questions from all of you.” Each small group selected one prompt pertaining to gifted education to discuss and then share feedback with the Board and district leaders. A summary of the large-group discussion follows.

What specific challenges or issues have you encountered with gifted education?

• 30 minutes per week is not enough time to challenge gifted students
• Can there be a cohort classroom for gifted students, those identified as both gifted and having a learning challenge?
• What are the services for twice exceptional students?
• Individualized teaching is hard for one classroom teacher.
• There needs to be more consistency with early identification.
• Gifted students shouldn’t be the ones to teach other students who may be struggling.
• Students should be pushed to achieve their learning potential
• Improved communication as to what areas a student has been identified as gifted in.
• Written Education Plans (WEP) don’t seem useful.
• Teachers need more training on twice exceptional students.
• There should be options for double acceleration at lower grade levels.
• There needs to be less busy work and more in depth learning - more rigor for students.
• Challenge the kids. Students haven't been pushed enough to come up against something that is hard for them. This won’t help them in the future.
• Parents need a better understanding of what asynchronous development education is.
• Advanced classes are overcrowded.
• It is important for teachers to understand that ADHD, ADD and high anxiety are very common with gifted students.
• There should be one gifted intervention specialist (GIS) per school.
• There should be second-chance testing if there have been extenuating circumstances or missed opportunities to be identified as gifted.
• Lakota should systematically look for the “bubble group,” students who score close to the identifying marker, and then give them an opportunity to retest.
• Support a growth mindset with project-based learning throughout grades K-8

What types of enrichment activities or opportunities do you feel are essential for gifted students?

• There should be more hands-on and interactive activities like labs, coding and chances to engage in learning creatively.
• There is a need for additional instruction, not just more work.
• Emphasize student-driven learning; what are their interests?
• Expand the depth and breadth of learning in gifted topics.
• What are age and grade-appropriate materials?
• Clearly define gifted and cognitive identification.
• 30 minutes per week isn’t enough time with the GIS.
• Focus less on state testing materials.
• Teach study skills.
• Expand enrichment opportunities and exposure to the arts.
• Offer extracurricular activities outside of sports like chess club, debate, legos and strategic clubs.
• Partner with businesses to show students that what they’re learning can be applied in real life.
• Improve parental notification about the gifted program and identification.
• Add a community service program specifically for gifted students.
• Celebrate and highlight gifted students’ achievements.
• Implement gifted opportunities and social emotional learning during core classes.
• Social emotional learning should include coping tools and perseverance, social skills, executive functioning and different learning styles.
• Increase the number of gifted instructors across all grade levels in order to do all of these things and meet the needs of the learners.

Are there any barriers or obstacles that prevent gifted learners from accessing appropriate educational services?

• There is a lack of resources and guidance for parents to get age appropriate reading materials for gifted English language arts (ELA) students.
• Earlier identification and services for K-2 students is needed. The process is too challenging and not clear to parents. Providing services at this age would reduce negative behaviors and engage students.
• Extra work does not equal true gifted work at the K-2 grade level, and beyond.
• Students should have daily interaction with the GIS. With gifted services in core classrooms, this adds a lot to the general education teacher’s plate. 
• There is a lack of acceleration in subjects beyond math, including: ELA, science, STEM and social studies.
• Parents need more communication from the GIS about vocabulary, services, etc.
• Students need more time with the GIS.
• Students need more rigor and challenges.
• Students need more engagement with math and ELA plus beyond Noetic and WordMasters.

What strategies or approaches would you like to see implemented to improve gifted education?

• Earlier identification.
• Projects supporting soft skills like teamwork and planning as well as STEM skills like engineering design process.
• More communication about what “plus” actually means, especially with ELA. What kinds of activities are they working on?
• More information about science fairs; they should be a priority.
• Teachers should use technology to communicate with families about opportunities, activities, projects, etc, including Zoom. This will support working parents by keeping them informed about what’s going on. 
• Remove barriers by identifying needs in different ways because all students should have the opportunity to do “gifted things.”
• Communicate assignment completion and support parents so they can help their student succeed.
• Create a pipeline to reach students who haven’t traditionally accessed College Credit Plus classes at the high schools.
• There should be larger groups of gifted students instead of tiny clusters.
• Tailor the learning program to the student and how they best learn. For example, quiet classrooms for those who learn best in that environment.
• Include more accommodations for twice exceptional students.
• Checking in with the counselor should be mandatory and on a regular schedule.
• Each student needs specific, quantifiable objectives.
• Reevaluate how to qualify for gifted services; don’t just rely on test scores; take bubble students into consideration.
• Students need to be pulled out by the GIS more than once a week for 30 minutes.
• Have a gifted advocate for each student (similar to the special education parent mentor) beyond the GIS.
• Buildings should communicate better about what gifted students are learning and doing.
• More gifted staff is needed because the current staff is stretched too thin.
• K-2 needs gifted services. 
• WEP sit down meetings are needed at all grade levels.
• Roadmap meetings should happen as soon as students are identified as gifted so parents can learn what happens next and what to expect in the future.
• Intervention is needed when there are issues such as a student losing interest or their scores dropping, or if they’re bored because they’ve worked ahead.
• Identify gifted students in other areas besides math and reading.
• Focus on the interests of students.
• Social emotional learning needs to be in everything students do, especially how to deal with high anxiety.
• Improve consistency from year to year.

What resources or support would benefit parents of gifted students?

• Better communication with parents.
• Literature to understand how students are identified, what testing is done each year and how it changes from year to year.
• What support do gifted students get at school?
• How do we know students are receiving services in class or being pulled out by a GIS?
• How do parents know what the criteria is to move into accelerated class?
• Parents need to receive information about actual class work so they can support their student at home.
• What is the difference in advanced and plus classes, both in math and ELA?
• Can parents receive a newsletter about gifted services?
• What is the difference between gifted and not gifted students who take honors classes?
• There needs to be more collaboration between LEADS, families and the district.
• LEADS should hold more events for each subject, with district support and input from students.
• Students should have the opportunity to enter more contests.
• Parents need additional resources about how to support gifted children.
• A general email address for gifted questions is needed.
• How are twice exceptional students being served?
• More insight and advanced promotion of gifted curriculum, assignments and events.
• More opportunities for community interaction and engagement.
• More descriptive analysis about what a gifted student is and how is that determined?
• Parents need resources as to how to help their student handle the pressure and expectation of being a gifted student. What are some methods and tips on how to handle the additional stress?
• What are some tools to help gifted students with time management and setting priorities?
• What are some supplemental activities students can do at home that help provide relief from the additional pressure of the gifted program?
• How can parents help reinforce the gifted program while maintaining the positive momentum and improvement for their students?
• Parents need more informational material or presentations around the entire gifted program and what it includes.
• A more interactive forum for parents to request information and ask questions about gifted materials.

How could there be more communication and collaboration between parents, teachers, administration and students regarding gifted education?

• Each school could have a grade-specific meeting to explain gifted services at that level and what it looks like.
• An email from the GIS to parents clarifying what services are being provided to the students.
• If a student is accelerated, explain how parents can meet with different grade-level teachers and the GIS. Can parents have gifted team conferences?
• Provide clear communication about how pull-out services are provided and what learning and games students engage in.
• Could there be a monthly newsletter?
• Provide consistency across the district with the GIS, including more resources and staffing.
• Proactive communication about grade acceleration including: would a child be a candidate for acceleration? What does this mean and what logistics are involved? What are the next steps?
• Transparency with students; they’re perceptive and can tell when things are being done differently.
• Communication from the gifted department should be similar to the way the special education department communicates, including conferences where the GIS attends.
• What are the supports for gifted students if they begin to struggle with the work? What help is there when they need it and do the students know that they can, and should, ask for it?
• Provide clarification about how and why a student is identified as gifted or why they weren’t.
• Hold a meeting at the end of the school year to explain what the following year will look like.

Following the large-group discussion, Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said, “I think a lot of the things that were talked about tonight are easily remedied. Communication is one of them.” Prior to the community conversation, the gifted services department had already begun working on a newsletter for families.

Based on the evening’s discussion, Lolli also announced the need for a follow-up meeting once district leaders have had a chance to review the feedback shared. At that time, Lolli said she would share the district’s action steps. “This way you can hold us accountable. We will share what’s going to change, what’s going to remain the same and what we are considering.”

Board President Lynda O’Connor shared, “This was a great conversation. I want to know you were heard. The Board will take what you had to say into account with our decision making.”

Lolli ended the meeting by thanking all of the attendees. “We want to do the very best we can for every student. I appreciate the honesty. I appreciate the heartfelt conversation.”