Embedded Files
Critical Action 1: We must reframe our lens on how we view students, their actions and beliefs; how we view schools, our actions and goals; and how we view ourselves, our roles and responsibilities.
Critical Action 1: We must reframe our lens on how we view students, their actions and beliefs; how we view schools, our actions and goals; and how we view ourselves, our roles and responsibilities.
How? Reflect on our own biases, stories, and influence. Connect with student experiences. View students as “at-potential” versus “at-risk.”* Be a talent scout not a deficit detector. Look for opportunities to say yes, not opportunities to say no.
Why? By reframing our lens, we ensure that all students have an equitable opportunity to access gifted programs. We begin to change our mindsets, raise expectations, and begin the pathway toward equity and excellence.
Promising Practices
Promising Practices
Promising Practices have been chosen based on current Local AIG Plans from each of the State Board of Education regions with the understanding that some initiatives may have been adapted due to COVID-19. Click on any district below to learn about their promising practices for equity and excellence. *Published in February 2021 Call to Action: Guidebook
Alamance-Burlington School System
Alamance-Burlington School System
• Uses inclusive strategies to ensure access for the district’s Spanish-speaking families by: -Translating local AIG plan and all paperwork into Spanish and posting on the AIG and ESL websites; and -Partnering with ESL translators to support effective family outreach.
Beaufort County Schools
Beaufort County Schools
• Fosters a deeper awareness of gifted characteristics beyond standardized scores, through support to classroom teachers provided by AIG Specialists. • Increases recognition of students who might be twice-exceptional, through professional development for AIG Specialists provided by EC teachers. • Assists classroom teachers to recognize and respond to ESL students showing traits of giftedness with support from the ESL department. *
Buncombe County Schools
Buncombe County Schools
• Embeds professional development using a book study, focused on cultural bias, evaluation of services offered to advanced learners, and the creation of specific strategies to increase responsiveness to underserved populations. • Focuses on daily talent development mindset by offering flexible learning experiences in grades K-3 to cultivate students’ strengths designed by classroom teachers with intentional support from AIG personnel. *
Burke County Schools
Burke County Schools
• Developed district policies to focus on the needs of AIG learners, including Education Program, Students, Community Relationships, Support Services, and Personnel. • Requires a 30-hour CANVAS course for classroom teachers who work with AIG students. The course includes special topics of consideration: English learners (EL), twice-exceptional, and underrepresented populations. *
Durham Public Schools
Durham Public Schools
• Implements an integrated system of evidence-based strategies to improve access and opportunity for culturally diverse populations, which includes: - Providing AIG Specialists in every elementary, middle, and high school; - Focusing on equity and access topics throughout professional learning experiences; - Utilizing multiple pathways for identification which include non-verbal assessments and portfolios of evidence to determine student need and service delivery options; - Developing talents of students from traditionally underrepresented populations through high quality programming; specifically through K-2 Investigations in all elementary schools; - Conducting a universal screener with all 2nd graders; and - Facilitating district-wide collaborative committees focused on equity in advanced course enrollment. *
Hoke County Schools
Hoke County Schools
• Responds to the needs of students from underrepresented populations through student input on possible service options outside of traditional programming. Efforts include contracting with AIG staff for after school opportunities. • Partners with outside district translators to communicate using various modes in both English and Spanish to inform stakeholders about the AIG program including a video and digital presentation posted on the district’s AIG and schools’ websites. *
Kannapolis City Schools
Kannapolis City Schools
• Focuses AIG professional development on how to recognize students for their strengths, regardless of background, which also aligns with the district’s continued focus on systemic practices that can impact racial equity. • Includes a comprehensive talent development program for all students, using data, reassessing, and flexible grouping as the year progresses. • Requires the consideration of the top 20% of each subgroup during the screening process for AIG identification in district policy. *
New Hanover County Schools
New Hanover County Schools
• Creates intentional partnerships and communication between various stakeholders through a Gifted Advisory Council (GAC) parent liaison at each school, who also gathers feedback about the AIG program in various ways, including interviews with students • Expanded personnel to include Gifted Education Specialists (GES) at each high school who actively participate in data analysis, consult with EL and EC teachers, collaborate with guidance counselors, teachers and instructional coaches to continue identifying 9-12 students, and meet with students regularly to optimize their high school experiences. *
Does your district have a Promising Practice you would like to see highlighted?
Does your district have a Promising Practice you would like to see highlighted?
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