Email 4: Special Board Meeting Tonight to Discuss Dismantling the Highly Capable Cohort - Wednesday Sep 25, 4:30-7:30p

[Seattle Public Schools Highly Capable Services Advisory Committee]

Sorry for the late email but below is an overview of the important proposal that Staff are offering to Board Members TODAY to dismantle the highly capable cohort, as well as, ways you can make sure your voice is heard (sent out by Seattle HiCap/AL Advocacy). The email focuses on schools North and Southwest but these Staff proposals will dismantle every HCC; changing the education for thousands of children. To be clear this is prior to the ALTF's recommendations. That's right. How is your Wednesday going, so far? Hopefully you will have time to make it to the meeting tonight and show your support.    

HCS-AC and HiCap Seattle

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                        Seattle HiCap/AL Advocacy

Hello, we are working to gather interested parents and advocates from all across the district. Please sign up here. We will likely be sending out frequent emails over the next several weeks, please look for opportunities to advocate and take an action each day.  Your voice is important!  See below for ideas . . .  Special Board Meeting Wednesday (TOMORROW) Sep 25, 4:30-7:30p. Where: JSCEE Auditorium, 2445 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 The agenda is here and includes a discussion on the recommendations of the Advanced Learning Taskforce.  The Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Board of Directors will consider eliminating Cascadia, Jane Addams, Fairmount, and Decatur as part of a proposal to move Advanced Learning to neighborhood schools (see page 22, Recommendation B, point 2 on the agenda). This proposal was not part of the recommendations made by the parents in the ALTF. What can you do?   Come to the meeting.  Note that public testimony will not be permitted, but a strong showing in the audience of diverse supporters from across the district could encourage the Directors to move more slowly as they consider big changes.  What else can you do?  Meet with Directors!   Please email your SPS Director and request that schools with a focus on Advanced Learning are supported and expanded to accommodate more students once the screening process has been fixed.  Rick Burke and Eden Mack are working with the Superintendent to continue Advanced Learning programs and to fix problems in evaluating students for Advanced Learning/HCC services, but support is needed from at least two more directors.  If you live east of I5 and south of 85th (Eckstein Middle School geo-zone), contact Jill Geary <jill....@seattleschools.org>.  If you live in the Jane Addams or Whitman Middle School geozones (roughly North of 85th street), please contact Scott Pinkham <scott....@seattleschools.org>.  If you live in West Seattle, please contact Leslie Harris <leslie...@seattleschools.org> If you are not sure, view the SPS Board of Directors map here. OR Meet with your Director in person.  They typically hold meetings for constituents, find out more here.   What else can you do?  We're making a video. Are you a creative? Can your kids star in a video?  We're looking for volunteers to work with a video team to design and produce a short video "what is HCC?  Why is it important?"  Time is of the essence, we'd like to have it produced in the next week . . . please email ka...@schultzworld.net if you're able to help! What is HCC? The Highly Capable Cohort is a state mandated program that includes students who are "cognitively atypical.” This atypicality is characterized by strong verbal, logical, and abstract thinking abilities, often coupled with asynchronous development in other developmental areas. This asynchronicity can present as academic advancement with a lag in social-emotional development, or as high skills in some areas alongside one or more disabilities as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria — a situation which is referred to as 2E or twice-exceptional. These students are found in all cultures, and in all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds

What can we advocate for? Generally, for current best practices in identification and referral to result in an Advanced Learning and Highly Capable Cohort student population (often referred to as hi-cap or HCC) that better reflects the diversity of Seattle.  Seattle’s Advanced Learning Task Force (ALTF) was commissioned by Seattle Schools to carefully research factors leading to inequity in hi-cap programming and to suggest solutions to the problem of disproportionate representation.  These recommendations for screening should be supported: Opt-out (not opt-in). All students should be assessed in their current school during regular school hours. Factors outside of solely academic achievement or cognitive scores should be allowed to identify students who may otherwise have been missed. All families should be made aware of the program offerings in an accessible manner. Teachers should be trained to recognize cognitive atypicality in underrepresented populations. Programs should be developed to support students from historically underrepresented communities who show potential for high-achievement.  By expanding the identification process in every school, Seattle can extend the vital HCC program to the full set of students who need it across all socioeconomic, neighborhood, and racial lines. These measures, among others, will allow more children across underrepresented groups to benefit from both in-school advanced learning services in their neighborhood schools and the HCC program based on their needs.   Copyright © 2019 Seattle HiCcap/AL Advocacy, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website or signed up on the Advocacy Form. Our mailing address is: Seattle HiCcap/AL Advocacy 1700 N 90th St Seattle, WA 98103-4019