Email 25: SPS HCS-AC / HiCap Seattle 7/16/2019 Meeting Recap
Seattle Public Schools Highly Capable Services Advisory Committee
SPS HCS-AC / HiCap Seattle 7/16/2019 Meeting Recap
This meeting was held from 6-7:30 pm, at the Beacon Hill library. Stated goal of the meeting was to re-convene the HCS-AC and launch the HiCap Seattle organizations to develop a sustainable and effective highly capable advocacy organization focused on SPS as well as the entire Seattle highly capable community.
Attendees:
16 Attendees representing all areas of north and south Seattle. Schools with parents in attendance: REMS, JAMS, Thornton Creek, Cascadia, WMS, GHS, Thurgood Marshall, HIMS Fairmount Park. Additional representation by one psychologist working in the area of advanced learning/2E identification, one current teacher and an APP/IBx alumni.
Interests:
A summary of the participants’ interest is in a desire for more equitable, reliable, and accessible HC services in SPS. After a challenging year at Washington Middle School, many Washington parents came with an interest in improving the consistency of programming at their school. Now, District Staff are in discussions to add TAF at WMS, and the TAF organization itself states it is not compatible with HC services. Fairmount Park is discontinuing its HC program (starting with first graders this academic year 2018-2019) because of capacity concerns at the building. Therefore, West Seattle HCC elementary students will spend roughly an hour one way to go to Thurgood Marshall instead. Parents from these schools are obviously concerned with geographic and program challenges for stable and accessible HC programs for their children.
South end parents in general are very concerned about racial equity and equity in programming across the district as programs in the north end have been historically more stable and more HC students of color live in the south end. Equity dictates that every SPS HC-identified student should have access to the same services, regardless of where they live in the city. Access to advanced learning is also important for 2E students, students of color, homeless students, students living in poverty, english language learners and single domain students. There is also frustration with an inhospitable environment fostered by vocal HCC opponents who seem to lack understanding of who the program is intended to serve, the actual services offered, and the risk to HC students if their learning needs are not met. This makes it difficult to discuss HC services with other HC families, which further stifles outreach to underrepresented groups. It was acknowledged that moving forward will require developing creative ways for all HC families to communicate, particularly to engage all constituents with preferred tools and channels. South and north end parents called on supporting efforts, particularly in the south end, to achieve their mutual goals of access to rigorous and stable programs across the District.
Concerns were also raised that the new appeals testing methods are counter the published best practices and that efforts to inform Staff regarding equitable testing were ignored. Further concerns around the 2nd grade screening process in Title 1 schools and Improving identification practices to ensure that all HC students are identified and receive services were expressed. In addition, It was stated that the District has removed any description of cohort services from the SPS Advanced Learning home page.
Background:
The SPS HCS AC (Highly Capable Services Advisory Committee) is a 30-year-old organization that has worked with the District on developing HC-specific instructional scope and sequences, establishing best practices for HC service delivery and towards removing the barriers in Seattle School’s student identification policy that has historically limited access to students from advanced learning. In addition, we serve local parents as a source of individual school information and support. The AC's long-standing advocacy was denied at the 12/6/2017 School Board meeting by District Staff to undermine the relevance of the AC's recommendations regarding high school pathways, negating decades of partnership and cooperation. Yet, to note, the Board ultimately voted in alignment with the AC’s ongoing pathway recommendations to ensure relevance of HC cohort, geographic access to programming across north and south end and required planning for consistency in delivery in new school areas. In 2018, with the District repeatedly ignoring the committee’s expressed concerns (like the rigor disparity across HCC middle schools - especially north and south schools) and denying the AC's historical role to achieve Staff’s objectives, the group returned to parent control. Since then the HCS AC was able to again direct its independent advocacy for the Seattle Public School's HC community, including inclusion and best practices, all the while maintaining its goal for cooperative engagement with the District.
If you would like to join the 1,500 other members of the SPS HCS AC email listserv, send an email to add2hc...@gmail.com. (To see previous posts as far back as 2008 or to sign yourself up go to https://groups.google.com/d/forum/sps-hcs-ac and click the *Join Group* button in the upper left.)
HiCap Seattle is a new organization, formed in 2018. Its dual goals are to 1. Increase Seattle’s education engagement with the state and legislature on equitable access to hicap services and best practices and 2. Provide a way for HiCap families around the city to connect and communicate and have parent education opportunities. Parents may want to join an email list (linked below) as well as look at the HiCap Seattle calendar for upcoming events and resources. HiCap Seattle Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gfoN_H
The ALTF (Advanced Learning Task Force) is tasked by the District to evaluate Advanced Learning practices and recommend possible changes to the identification and service delivery for advanced learners with a stated focus on increasing equity in those individuals identified for services. The ALTF comprises HiCap parents, District Staff, and other interest groups. There is one long retreat and one final meeting of the ALTF, before it is due to make recommendations in September. These meetings are open to the public to attend and observe, but visitors may not participate. The retreat is this Saturday, July 20, 2019, and the meeting is Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at JSCEE. (If possible, let Kari Hanson lhan...@seattleschools.org know in advance you will be there.) Superintendent Juneau will forward the completed Task Force recommendations to the School Board for its review.
Next steps:
We must increase communications and outreach into all communities - with a focus to under represented groups - as well as invite all interested parties to open engagement as well as to keep members abreast of advocacy efforts through the HiCap Seattle Newsletter and the HCS AC listserv.
The School Board approves Superintendent policies, so it is important to reach out to current members - Eden Mack, Rick Burke, Leslie Harris, Scott Pinkham, Zachary DeWolf, and Jill Geary - regarding current policy issues and;
Encourage parents to vote in the August, 6 School Board primaries, and November’s general election.
School Board District 7 will be without a vote through September, when the current Board appoints a replacement for retired Director Betty Patu. District 7 members may want to attend the candidate forums and give feedback to the Board.
Next meeting: Is tentatively scheduled for October at Garfield. (The goal is for one meeting every other month at a HCC High School). In addition, we want to host at least three parent education talks in the south end through NWGCA (which has already been contacted about lecture/speaker options) or other speakers.
Best regards,
Executive Committee, SPS HCS-AC / HiCap Seattle