graft Policy IOA Revision Overview

The attached document was developed by the Division of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction to summarize discussions of the AEI Advisory related to po,
the past year. Should the Board of Education Policy Committee choose to continue review of Policy IOA in 2009, this document will be provided to summ
highlights important issues related to accelerated and enriched instruction and reflects the following:
• Issues discussed by the AEI Advisory (Column One).
• How each issue is addressed in the current Policy IOA (Column Two).
▪ The recommendations of the majority of members on the AEI Advisory on each issue (Column Three).
• How each issue is addressed in the draft of revised Policy IOA (Column Four).
Differing perspectives of AEI Advisory members who do not agree with the majority recommendations summarized in column three (Colum

AEI Advisory members provided input in developing the majority recommendations (Column Three). When a member was not in agreement, the member
(Column Five).
DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview
Issue:
Policy language
Is this a policy just for gifted
students or for all students?
2 2/10/2009
How Addressed in Current Policy IOA
Current Policy IOA
1) The policy was written prior to
ROE expeetation-that-policies--- .—establish_a_vision and direction.
provide the vision and direction for
a program or process.
The current version includes
regulatory language, discussing
how the vision should be
implemented.
2) The policy states that all students
who are capable of doing so will be
given the opportunity to work above
grade level and in advanced and
enriched materials in all content
areas, in every grade level, in each
school.
The policy provides special
emphasis on addressing the
cognitive and affective needs of
high-achieving and potentially high--
achieving students.
Draft Committee Recommendations
1) Meet the BOE policy expectation to
in the Regulatory Language
Framework to develop Reglitatiell
IOA RA. The AEI Advisory
Committee, and perhaps other
stakeholders as well, should:
participate in the development of
regulations to implement any
changes to Polic y 10A.
2) MCPS must encourage all students
must-be-eneetwaged to achieve at
the highest level and -a the policy on
accelerated and enriched instruction
nitist reflect the inclusive nature of
this vision.
3) MCPS must address tThe needs of
highly able students. should
continue to be addressed MCPS
should retain tThe continuum of
accelerated and enriched services
that includes highly gifted centers
Str ff Draft of Policy IOA Revisi
) The draft provides the vision
direction for a K-12 accelerat(
and enriched program of
instruction.
A regulation will be drafted a;
policy is reviewed, based on ti
information recorded in the
Regulatory Language Frame
2) Draft language requires that th
will be equal access to and
support for accelerated and
enriched instruction for all
tudents, including students NA
isabilities, from all racial, etl
d cultural groups, and acroE
conomic strata.
3 r aft language requires that tl-
ill be a continuum of
c celerated and enriched serv
that addresses the cognitive a:
4ffective needs of all students
achieve at higher levels in all
DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview
Issue: How Addressed in Current Policy IOA
Is this a policy just for gifted
students or for all students?
(continued)
4) The current policy title is Gifted and
Talented Education, identifying the
policy as only for an identified
population.
Identification/Gifted label for 5) The policy includes regulatory
students language that all Grade 2 students
be assessed, using multiple
indicators. Students in later
elementary grades should. be
rescreened to provide apiiKitiriate
accelerated and enriched services.
3 2/10/2009
Draft Committee Recommendations
and magnet programs addresses the
cognitive and affective needs of all
students, including the highly-able
as part of efforts to address the
needs of these students.
4) In an effort to label services, not
students, the policy should be titled
Accelerated and Enriched
Instruction.
As student abilities change over the 5) Draft language requires that
years, MCPS must develop a
process is needed where students
are measured evaluated in an
,.
ongoing-tunnel and at regular
intervals ( e.g. minimally Grades 2,
5, and 8). Continued assessment of
students allows for the on-going
review of students' abilities, thus
acknowledging the developmental
iiätiffe—o-f-§ficli-515ilitie-§,—Eid---- -- ikovide fo-r ongoing assessma
allowing for a close match to
appropriate services.
Staff Draft of Policy IOA Revisif
subject areas and in all Grades
12.
4) Draft language requires that th(
title of Policy IOA is Accelera
and Enriched Instruction.
students should be assessed in
on-going manner, using multi]
factors to continually match
students with appropriately
challenging coursework.
The regulation will outline a
screening process that does no
result in a label. The process v
documentation, provision and
reporting, including parent
reports, of accelerated and
enriched instruction and servic
 DRAFT Policy IOA Revision Overview
Issue: How Addressed in Current Policy IOA Draft Committee Recommendations Staff Draft of Policy 'OA Revisif

Iden tification/Gifted label for

6) The policy calls for identification of
students (continued) students as gifted, not gifted, or
- needing re-screening. Provision of
services is not tied to the label; any
student with the capability or
motivation of doing so may receive
accelerated and enriched
instruction.
6) Labeling is viewed by some as the
vehicle for ensuring that high ability
students receive appropriate
challenge, or at least -is as the first
step. Others believe that such
labeling compartmentalizes .
students—that one is either gifted,
or not gifted and can lead to
limiting of students' options.
Experiences of staff, students, and
parents in the no-label fillot schools
indicate that labels are not a
necessary .component for
challenging.;Students appropriately.
What is niost important is that
MCPS
• identify students who need
additional challenges because of
special abilities, potential,
interest, or motivation,
• determine what 'accelerated and
enriched.services are needed to
meet these needs, and
• provide the necessary accelerated
and enriched instruction.
) Iraft language requires that ea
school, K-12 will
• Follow an established proces
ensure that every student is
receiving the highest
instructional challenge,
appropriate for his or her ne(
4i Use system-wide data for
making recommendations of
student services annually an
reporting these services to
parents.
• Offer accelerated and enrich
programs and instruction to
ensure that all students enga,
in challenging coursework,
1 appropriate for identified no
will be further detailed in
regulation.

For each of these steps, it is essential

that MCPS document the processes
it is using and the effectiveness of
those processes. It should share
information on particular students
with. the student's family and share
information about overall ro -rams
4
2/10/2009