Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy "Challenge Classes" eliminated! What to do?

I am extremely concerned about a new development in our school district, so I'm coming to you all for some thoughts/suggestions.

My HG DS11 will be moving to middle school next year, and we thought he would finally have access to our district's "Challenge Classes." Challenge Classes are our school's version of Honors Classes (for grades 6-8). These classes typically include 20-25 of the grade's highest learners. (The group is too large and too many kids are included, but that is another discussion altogether.) Challenge Classes move at a more rapid pace and do a lot of project-based, independent learning and intensive writing. In 6th grade, students in our school have historically been able to take Challenge Reading, English, and Pre-Algebra (which is considered "Challenge," because the rest of the 6th graders just take Math 6).

The problem: We just received a letter in the mail indicating that Challenge Classes would no longer be offered for 6th grade in our district!!! I am beside myself!! The school is moving to a "block schedule," with 84-minute classes for math and ELA (English-Language Arts) next year. The principal is trying to tell me that these longer classes will give DS11's teachers plenty of time to provide enrichment for him!! I know better--my son has been promised enrichment for years, and never received what he needed. He is bored to tears and probably in need of acceleration at this point. I am so sad for him and considering other academic placements for him, given this recent turn of events. His gifted designation gives him access to very little in our school--only a weekly 1 hour pull-out. Everything else MUST be documented in that GIEP, or it simply will not happen in our school.

I have a scheduled GIEP meeting for DS11 later this week. I will be holding the meeting, even though I'm not even sure I will send him to our school next year. Can any of you offer ideas of specific things I should include in his GIEP, given the changes our district has implemented? Any particular language I should use (as our GIEPs tend to be extremely general and unhelpful unless I insist upon the inclusion of some specific goals). I am not as familiar with goal-writing for GIEPs as I should be, and I am not sure about what to request to ensure that my son receives the challenges that he so desperately needs. Finally, the guidance counselor told me that, given his gifted designation, I can push and have DS11 tested using the Iowa to see if Pre-Algebra is appropriate for him. I hate that he has to prove himself yet again through additional testing!! Is it appropriate that I ask them to include a math goal that specifies his inclusion in Pre-Algebra, given the fact that he has not done their required testing yet?

Any thoughts or suggestions would certainly be appreciated! I am very concerned about this change and feel that our brightest students are consistently failed in our district! I feel that I need to get as much as possible in writing at this time, but I am not sure just what to request.

I agree about about asking to include the challenge classes in the IEP.

I suggest searching the web for information about GIEPs. Here are a few links:

PowerPoint overview of GIEPS. This presentation provides a lot of good information about rights and responsibilities.

Tip sheet for parents

Sample GIEP

I think the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself about what's involved in writing a GIEP.

If they offer access to the class only via testing and he goes there next year, you'll have to let them test him. Personally, I'd ask them what will be on the test and would ensure that he can answer the questions.

Do you know the parents of the other kids who might be affected by this change? If you could organize something collectively you may get more attention.

What Ben said.

How frustrating!

They tried this when I went to junior high, making honors just a random pull-out. We students gave it a chance and then protested until we got our real honors classes back. The block schedule is troubling because it sounds hard to change, but if parents of high achievers fuss starting now they might get the classes back.

I'll second both Val & Ben's advice. Tagging on a bit to Ben's - chances are you are not the only parent who is upset about this - I'd try to get a group together and present your concerns to the school board - this has actually worked to prevent cuts in our school district's gifted program.

I'd also be sure I had as much background info as possible - why were the cuts made (I'm guessing it's budget, not just block schedules), what are the perceived (or advertised) benefits to eliminating the challenge classes, and how will gifted students' needs specifically be met.

Good luck!

polarbear

Jellyb,

Every district has their own policy for Gifted education and acceleration. For HG kids, challenge classes may not be enough anyway and I would request for acceleration.

I don't know how many tests your DS has to take. My DD10 will have to take 7th grade, 8th grade, Iowa Algebra readiness test and 8th grade TEKS test before admission to Algebra I.(That is the district policy so she has to do it).

I am sure your DS will choose to take the test than bored stiff in regular 6th grade class. Check the district policy and talk to the Gifted Coordinator if they have any. The more you know about what can be done, the better chance of success in your advocacy.

I would ask that he be placed in the Challenge Classes anyway, at the 7th grade level. You can certainly request placement pending test results, since your meeting is before the testing. We had that last year, where they wanted to see DS's science TCAP scores before approving 7th grade science since he would be skipping 6th grade.

There are no longer going to be challenge classes at all? But he is being offered pre-algebra based on testing? Just getting it clear because a lot of the replies seem to be saying put the challenge classes on his IEP.

I don't know - it is similar to the abrupt cessation of maths streaming just when my son was eligible. I haven't tried to change it because I know the principal has been convinced that research supports his decision and I am not going to change his beliefs. It really depends on why the decision was made and who by. It may be possible to change it if you make a big fuss BUT probably only the 25% who benefit directly will support you.

I really sympathise.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and suggestions! I just heard today that a faction of kids and parents from our gifted program will be attending the next school board meeting in protest, and I will be sure to join them!

Puffin, you are correct...there are no longer going to be challenge classes at all for 6th grade. However, with the gifted designation, they are willing to consider placement for my son in Pre-Algebra. I assume they are making this offer because a Pre-Algebra class will already be staffed and running for 7th grade students. It would cost them no extra $$ or staff to simply add DS to the class list. To qualify, DS would have to take the Iowa and one other test whose name was not yet provided to me.

Val, I appreciate the links. I am headed off to do some reading!

Polarbear, I am sure budget is an issue. We are a small district, and budget is always a concern. The block scheduling is causing chaos among our middle school teachers, as they are moving them around left and right to accommodate the 84 minute blocks. It will be an interesting, difficult year, I believe!

Peter, yes--I am sure DS will take ANY test to avoid sitting in a regular class at this point! Unfortunately, our district really doesn't accelerate. Interestingly, my other son, DS13, is one for whom acceleration is actually going to happen! He will skip to 9th grade next year. I am hopeful that I will be able to convince them to consider a similar arrangement for DS11.

Well, off to feed the family a late dinner! Please let me know if any of you have any other helpful thoughts. I am grateful for your input!

I guess I would do exactly what you are doing. First pushing the school to meet your son's specific needs. Second going to the school board with the other parents to complain about the lack of "challenge" classes.

What I don't understand is what the "block" schedule has anything to do with it. Sounds like they are just using the change in schedule as the "excuse". My daughter was in a middle school that had a modified block, and my the H.S. runs a different modified blocks schedule. (Modified means.. that some days are block and others they attend all their classes.) Are they changing the number of students per class?

Bluemagic, hmmm...I have never asked about the number of students per class. I will be sure to question the principal about that. I am assuming that they are not changing class sizes much (or at least not decreasing class sizes, anyway), as they have not used the "smaller class size" claim as a selling point in discussions about the new schedule.

Yes--I believe they are short on staff and using this schedule change as an excuse to eliminate that higher class. They have also mentioned that, in past years, many students have qualified for the 6th Grade Challenge Classes (through grades and standardized test scores), only to perform poorly in the Challenge Class setting. My thought is that their qualification process must be too lenient or ineffective then, as my HG DS13 had no trouble at all with the transition to 6th grade Challenge. The students who struggled were the ones who really did not have the need for Challenge in the first place. I think our school simply doesn't have the teachers or the time in the daily schedule to fit in our Challenge Classes. They seem to be choosing, instead, to serve the majority.

Wonder how much of it has to do with common core standards and the school going with a one-size-fits all approach so that everyone gets the same standards. That's the feeling I get from our own district. They are very worried about accelerating kids or giving them anything above grade-level because then they might not master all the standards.

Sounds like an extremely annoying situation and I think your best bet is to band up with parents going to the school board meeting. The parents in my district (many years ago) got a gifted magnet that way. The district had been doing NOTHING for gifted kids, then all of a sudden this magnet was set up for grade 4-6. They simply take the top performing kids (kids in the top 2-3 percentile--a lot of families turn down the offer) from each elementary school and stick them all together in a school-within-a-school environment. Those kids would need teachers and classrooms anyway so there's no extra cost involved. They are just shuffling them around. In fact, I think the district saves money because parents have to provide transportation.