DuPage tonight, Chicago on Monday - ISBE listening tour on Monday - via IAGC

The below is a re-share of IAGC news. We did not create this content. It was created on May 16th by IAGC.

ISBE is holding a listening tour regarding changes to the Illinois ESSA plan. See the meeting schedule below. We urge IAGC members to attend a meeting and voice support for keeping the proposed weighting of the Academic Indicator  (75%) and Student Success Indicator (25%)  for evaluating schools. 

We encourage members to inquire:

1. How schools will be held accountable for a year's growth for every child. 

2. How state assessments will be structured to truly measure gifted student growth (above level).

3. Why the implementation of the Student Success Indicator is being delayed, and particularly, for items in the Student Success Indicator that are currently not weighted (e.g. Fine Arts indicator), what are the plans to include it in the future. 

The 2019 Support and Accountability Listening Tour will include the following stops:

• May 16, 5-7 p.m. – DuPage County ROE, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton  

• May 20, 5-7 p.m. – Chicago, City of Chicago School District 299, 42 W. Madison St., Chicago

• May 22, 5-7 p.m. – Springfield District 186, 1900 W. Monroe St., Springfield 

• May 23, 5-7 p.m. – Carbondale Community High School, 1301 E. Walnut, Carbondale 

• May 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Rock Island ROE, 3430 Avenue of the Cities, Moline

MAGE announces 3 new Professional Advisory Council members

Midwest Academy for Gifted Education is thrilled to announce that 3 more Professional Advisory Council members were welcomed by our Governing Board in the month of May.

A year ago, when we wrote our business plan for Midwest Academy, we had a goal of founding a Professional Advisory Council in 2019, and growing it to 3 members. We over-delivered on this goal a year early, in 2018. We are pleased to add 3 additional members to the council, bringing its membership to 10 education, science, technology, mathematics, design, law, and health professionals. The council provides guidance to help us create policy based on best practices, solve new challenges, develop continuous improvement and innovate our curriculum, and other aspects of creating a top school for the gifted in Chicago. The link to our entrire Advisory Council Page is here.

Neil Margolis, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO is a Developmental and Rehabilitation Optometrist practicing in the Chicago metro area. He has specialized his practice over the the last 28 years towards the evaluation and treatment of patients with binocular, oculomotor, visual/vestibular integration and visual field defects, as well as visual processing difficulties. Dr. Margolis is a recipient of the Advancement of Sciences Award for his contribution to the science of neuro-optometric rehabilitation and is one of the contributing authors on a collaborative textbook on multidisciplinary care of the patient following brain injury, which has become the standard reference for student doctors and clinicians. Dr. Margolis is passionate about helping his patients achieve their goals, and studying functional neurology. He says, “In my clinical practice, I personally have evaluated many gifted students who have relatively poor visual spacial skills, or tracking skills, but are sophisticated at using contextual cues or other strategies to mask their weakness. This ultimately leads to inefficiency, underachievement, avoidance, and frustration. These students’ grades are typically too high to qualify for educational support or even appropriate accommodations in the public schools. Priate schools often do not have teachers sufficiently specialized in recognizing this profile, or who are able to address this need. A private school with the specific mandate of providing an optimum, customizable education for their gifted students is needed. This will not only allow each student to achieve their maximum potential academically, but to also feel more confident and happy emotionally.”

Gabe Lerner works in technology. Gabe has been programming since 8 years of age, was the youngest grandmaster at the time of achieving that status in Illinois, and likes chess and rock climbing. He believes that gifted education is needed in this city and it would be important to have a school in the city that exceeds high expectations of other top cities and international standards. He is a 1st generation immigrant from Moldova who values his international roots and identity, and lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and cat.

Dr. Laura LaSalle is an Assistant Professor and Program Leader, Differentiated Instruction in the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs. She joins Concordia University after thirty years of service to public education in Illinois. In the past, Dr. LaSalle was a special education teacher as well as an elementary and middle school principal and served in the capacity of RTI, Gifted and Second Language Learner Director. She’s been awarded with the Apple Distinguished School Award, Board Award for Excellence, IASCD Leadership Award, and national recognition for U.S. Healthy Schools. Her research interests include culturally responsive teaching, parent involvement, instructional coaching and mentoring, educational leadership and differentiated instruction.

Outside of the classroom Dr. LaSalle also presents workshops on the importance of parent engagement for student success. She continues to be an ISBE approved trainer for Gifted Education.

CPS Accelerated Placement Act - Part 4 - Overview

Related Links (pls be patient while we update links): | Overview | Top 7 Ideas | Part 1-Legislative Overview/Deferral | Part 2 - Forums | Part 3 - Draft Policy | Part 4-Overall Impression | Early K | Early 1 | Whole Grade Skip | Single Subject Grade Skip | Equity | More Thoughts and Questions | Timeline | Media links | PG | 2e | Underserved |

CPS held 2 parent feedback sessions for the Accelerated Placement Act on April 23 and 25. After presenting about 30 slides including a law overview, nearby district policy, current policy and updated policy, CPS collected feedback. CPS said that there will be pieces they are considering incorporating from the feedback forums that will make it into the final policy. The following is our overview summary of the impact of the policy changes as they were presented in the slides. Use links above to dive deeper if you wish.

• 2019-2020: The only policy impact for the year as of the first feedback forum is for early Kindergarten entry. This will serve between 20-40 students district-wide as a best guess. To be eligible for early entry:

  • a child would have to turn 5 between September 2 and October 31 of 2019.

  • score 98% on an IQ test administered by CPS for a small fee that can be waived for low income households.

  • parents would have to choose to apply for early K during the specific enrollment period this summer, it’s not an automatic process.

• 2020-2021: CPS shared that they estimate about 200 students would be eligible for single subject and whole grade skip.

• This represents CPS phase 1 implementation and there were no hints to what may be in phase 2. Click here to read the top 7 ideas to expand policy to be more equitable and accommodate more children.

• During the second forum, CPS shared verbally that the draft policy was available online to the general public and that feedback from the two forums will make it into the final draft. It is the current understanding that there will not be additional opportunity to provide feedback on the revised draft.

  Related Links (pls be patient while we update links): | Overview | Top 7 | Part 1-Legislative Overview/Deferral | Part 2 - Forums | Part 3 - Draft Policy | Part 4-Overall Impression | Early K | Early 1 | Whole Grade Skip | Single Subject Grade Skip | Equity | More Thoughts and Questions | Timeline | Media links

  During the second forum, CPS shared verbally that the draft policy was available online to the general public, but we can’t find it so it’s based on notes taken during meeting. Please contact us if you find any error so that we can make a correction. Also, see disclaimer at top of page.

  This content is brought to you by MAGE. Click Contact to be put on our distribution list.

Top 7 Policy Improvement Ideas - CPS Accelerated Placement Act

Related Links (pls be patient while we update links): | Overview | Top 7 | Part 1-Legislative Overview/Deferral | Part 2 - Forums | Part 3 - Draft Policy | Part 4-Overall Impression | Early K | Early 1 | Whole Grade Skip | Single Subject Grade Skip | Equity | More Thoughts and Questions | Timeline | Media links

The CPS proposed implementation could be modified in 7 easy ways suggested below to to serve more children more equitably. Use Links in the navigation at the top of this article to learn more. The purpose of the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act is to provide acceleration to the children that need it, in order to allow more gifted students to be taught to their potential.

1. Allow applications for a subject acceleration or grade skipping for grades 3-6 starting this June for the 2019 academic school year, during the same period as the kindergarten early admission evaluation timeframe.

1. Include selective enrollment programs, SEES and SEHS, in the initial implementation of the policy. The law requires the all students be allowed to access the accelerated placement evaluation process, regardless of whether or not they have been identified as gifted or admitted to any special program.

2. Allow acceleration if the child demonstrated that he or she would benefit from the accelerated placement based on a fair evaluation of multiple data points. There should be multiple pathways for demonstrating readiness for accelerated placement. The point of the law is not to require that a student hit minimum thresholds on all of the criteria considered.

3. Increase the grades for whom the skipping is allowed from 3-6 to 1-12.

4. Do not limit the number of years that can be skipped. Propose an additional set of criteria to skip additional grades.

5. Increase the number of months for early K to at least match 1st grade entry, for children turning 5 by December 31. Keep the checks to make sure the child is ready to go early, but remove the requirement that the child is gifted to attend K early.

6. Create an accountability process as part of the policy to show how CPS is evaluating equity and sharing outcomes of the evaluation with the public.

Related Links (pls be patient while we update links): | Overview | Top 7 | Part 1-Legislative Overview/Deferral | Part 2 - Forums | Part 3 - Draft Policy | Part 4-Overall Impression | Early K | Early 1 | Whole Grade Skip | Single Subject Grade Skip | Equity | More Thoughts and Questions | Timeline | Media links

Disclaimer: The above are all an opinion based on individual understanding of the information presented at a public forum. During the second forum, CPS shared verbally that the draft policy was available online to the general public, but we can’t find it so it’s based on notes taken during meeting. Please contact us if you find any error so that we can make a correction.

This content is brought to you by MAGE. Click Contact to be put on our distribution list.

Latest on Gifted Ed Policy for CPS 3rd largest district in US/largest in IL

Latest on Gifted Ed Policy for CPS 3rd largest district in US/largest in IL. https://tinyurl.com/y2jvebqa  @MAGEEducation @ChicagoGifted @iagcgifted @iagc_gifted @NAGCGIFTED @SENG_Gifted #giftededucation #cps #publicschool

CPS Accelerated Placement Act Part 3

CPS unveiled their new policy regarding Accelerated Placement yesterday at the first of 2 Parent Forums, followed by a Q and A and feedback/recommendation session from the audience. CPS stressed that they are going slowly to see how things go, before adding more acceleration components. Even though many may wish for more from CPS, this is a monumental change in the right direction and it is in everyone’s best interest to insure that at least this change passes the board this summer. If you have anything to say about this policy, the best time is NOW. Thursday is the second forum, and this may be it before the board meets to vote on the proposed policy in June.  Two events you need to know about:

CPS Parent Forum: 6PM, Thursday 4/25/2019, Lincoln Park High School, 2001 N. Orchard St.

CGCC Parent Discussion following Forum: 8PM,Thursday 4/25/2019, Gemini, 2075 N. Lincoln Ave., 

MAGE Admissions Coffee: 9AM Saturday 4/27/2019 - another chance to discuss impact of policy on public and non-public gifted education in the city.

Our understanding of the policy summary is below and touches 3 areas:

Early K/1 admissions: 

·       New early K admission for qualified children starting this year for children who turn 5 between September 2 and October 31 of the incoming academic year to start K early if the parents want to. Notifications in June to start process.

·       Children must have completed a year of preschool first (public or private)

·       No change to the current 1st grade admission policy.

·       Testing is a 2-system approach: needs to test in the top 2% IQ and 91% Academics to qualify, in addition to other factors. Student therefore has to be gifted + academically performing.

·       Testing administered by CPS psychologists.

·       Parent developmental survey part of assessment.

·       No early entry to Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES).

·       Testing is $25 or the fee is waived for qualified low-income families.  

Whole Grade Acceleration

• No acceleration this 2019-2020 school year. Applications for 2020 acceleration open in January 2020.

• Acceleration limited to a 1-year skip. Applicable to neighborhood and magnet programs.

• Only available for grades 3-6. No acceleration after 6.

• No grade acceleration in Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES)

• Illinois readiness assessment attainment of “exceeds”, Iowa Acceleration Scale used for determining acceleration, presumably with several components such as an IQ test, in addition to other factors: GPA 4.0 in the 4 core subjects for 2 consecutive years (need clarity around transfers), 3 consecutive NWEA MAP tests of 95% or above. 

• Have to be at least 2 years ahead on math AND reading in order to qualify for 1-year skip.

• Can reverse skip at the end of 1 quarter.

• Out of district/homeschooled students first have to be enrolled for a year at grade level that they are coming from before acceleration can take place. 

• A vague clause says that if a school already does any sort of acceleration/grouping, they don’t have to also skip students. This needs to be quantified: if a school does a math accelerated grouping once every 2 weeks for 1 hour, does that mean that no student in that school could be grade skipped?

• $250 fee.

Single Subject Acceleration

·       Acceleration limited to a 1-year skip. Applicable to neighborhood and magnet programs. 

·       Only available for grades 3-7. No single subject acceleration after 7.

·       No grade acceleration in Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES)

·       Illinois readiness assessment attainment of “exceeds”, Iowa Acceleration Scale used for determining acceleration, presumably with several components such as an IQ test, in addition to other factors: GPA 4.0 in either math or reading for 2 consecutive years (need clarity around transfers), 3 consecutive NWEA MAP tests of 95% or above. 

·       Have to be at least 1 year ahead on math OR reading in order to qualify for a skip in that subject.

·       Not applicable to Social Studies, Science, only math and reading.

·       Can reverse skip at the end of 1 quarter.

·       Out of district/homeschooled students first have to be enrolled for a year at grade level that they are coming from before acceleration can take place. 

·       No acceleration this 2019-2020 school year. Applications for 2020 acceleration open in January 2020.

·       $35 application fee.

The district presented a deck approximately 30 slides long, that explained the law, the current policy and the policy change, the workflow and timeline for the process, and research about some other districts in the state and their practices to meet the act. It is important to keep in mind that gifted ED hasn’t had a facelift in Chicago in ages. While this policy is probably not perfect, it’s still a gain and a win for some of the Chicago’s gifted and talented. It won’t help everyone or impact everyone. Not every gifted child even needs a skip. But it has the potential to help a lot of people and to create a second path to acceleration beyond the SEES program.

For background info about the act and its history with CPS, see our previous news coverage of this - Part 1 - CPS deferral and Part 2 - Forums.  Contact us to be put on our mailing list to not miss our opinions about this policy - Part 4 and other news.

Disclaimer: The above are all an opinion based on individual understanding of the information presented at a public forum from notes taken during the forum. Please contact us if you find any error so that we can make a correction.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) SEES and SEEHS - Selective Enrollment vs. Gifted - Wave 1 edition

To all the families anxiously expecting their SEES offers today, good luck in “wave 1.”

But what exactly is SEES and what exactly will it do for my child, you might ask? Why do so many people try to get into SEES? How are SEES different from the other schools? Are SEES a gifted education? Does every gifted child even need a selective enrollment program? We will focus on the basics in this entry and we will add more info in future entries, because much is possibly about to change. Please see our previous news entry about important news and key dates this week for CPS gifted families.

First, the basics:

Chicago Public Schools SEES (selective enrollment elementary and middle school programs, grades K-8, including classical: teaches 1 year ahead, RGC - regional gifted center: teaches 1-2 years ahead, and AC - academic center high-school environment starting earlier with grades 7-8 schools) and SEHS (selective enrollment high schools) Selective Enrollment programming is designed to instruct at levels 1-2 years ahead of the rest of CPS as measured by the outcome of city- and state-level testing. To achieve those number outcomes, many SEES (and frankly, non SEES) schools will stop regular instruction to teach and practice to the test.

Next, how does the process work?

The selective enrollment process starts with the application. Parents need to apply for SEES and SEHS by the fall deadline. Parents of children not meeting age criteria need to either fill a form for early entry if they are within a date cut off, or are disqualified if not and are not allowed to test. Parents select target schools in order of priority, receive a test date, take their child to the test, and then wait for offers. Wave 1 offers for the 2019 Academic School Year come out today, April 22, by midnight! If a family didn’t get an offer, but a child did receive a high score, traditionally top 2% for classical programs, over 130 for the RGC, they have a good shot at getting some offer at some SEES school eventually, sometimes by October of the academic school year. This gets a lot more complicated for the academic centers and high schools. Where you live counts - there is a tier system that some love, some hate, and some try to game - to try to make the system more fair. Usually, wave 2 happens about 2 weeks after wave 1.

Each wave comes with a deadline by which to accept or reject an offer, and clear instructions of what to do. After an offer is given, there are about 2 weeks to tour the school and fill out acceptance paperwork. You should get an email from the offered school with tour dates soon after your offer. We will be posting soon about what to look for on a tour). If you reject an offer, you may get a different offer in wave 2. The tricky bit is, you might not get another, or a better one.

What do you mean, wave 2? Let’s say there are only 2 schools A and B, each with 1 seat, and only 2 students, A and B interested in the seats. Let’s say, parent B wants A but received B, parent A vise versa. If both reject their first offer and are the only applicants in the pool, then they are to receive the opposite offer next if there is a seat in both/only available schools. If you include the multitude of variables in the number of students, their scores and preferences, the picture is infinitely more complex. But, you stand a shot to receive an offer all the way through early fall. Some families test only to see if their children would get in, and have no plans to take an offer. They are just trying to get an idea of where their child falls as compared to others. There will be offers rejected at every school. Even if no school that a parent wanted gives them an offer, at the end, CPS may give some families of high scoring students a chance to enroll at some other random gifted program that’s under-enrolled, usually in a newer SEES or in an area that is not geographically convenient for as many.

Can a school principal help you get your child into their SEES school? Absolutely not. There are laws and regulations against that and the test results are on central control. Another basic fact is that there is no sibling preference in SEES programs, like there is in Options.

This week will seal the fate of many of the 8,000 of the City’s gifted children. Check our our previous entry for information and for what to do to be a part of what’s happening.

CPS, Accelerated Placement Act, and a call to action - Part 2

This article is brought to you by MAGE - non-profit, private gifted option in City of Chicago.

Families of gifted students in the Chicago Public School District, and those in nearby areas should be aware of the just announced CPS-run Engagement Forum regarding the Accelerated Placement Act in less than 2 weeks time. Here are some key events around that time:

• CPS sends out their first round of offer letters for the 2019-20 year for selective enrollment and options programs electronically to the CPS application portal on Monday, April 22, 2019.

• CPS Forum Tuesday, April 23, 2019 6:00PM - 7:30PM Colman Office, 4655 S. Dearborn Street.

• CGCC Post-Forum Gifted Parent Meet-up 8:00PM - 9:00PM 2206 S Indiana Ave.

• CPS Forum Thursday, April 25, 2019 6:00PM - 7:30 PM Lincoln Park High School, 2001 North Orchard Street.

• IAGC Policy Meeting, Saturday, May 4, 2019, 10:00AM-12:00PM IMSA

The only information about these forums publicly available currently is here. In 2017, a new law was passed in the State of Illinois that set the framework for the support needed for some gifted students. The law is called the Accelerated Placement Act and you can view the actual full text of the law here. The law was passed with a 1 year grace period, to go into effect on July 1, 2018. The state issued a guidance - a reminder - to districts to remind them of this new law, albeit, an unfunded mandate. Many districts jumped into action, creating policy to comply with the new law. CPS is the largest district in IL and the 3rd largest in the country. Their reaction to the law is a big deal. What did they do?

For context, some key bits of the law from the above link:

“For purposes of this Article, "accelerated placement" means the placement of a child in an educational setting with curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older or in higher grades than the child. "Accelerated placement" under this Article or other school district-adopted policies shall include, but need not be limited to, the following types of acceleration: early entrance to kindergarten or first grade, accelerating a child in a single subject, and grade acceleration.” (Illinois General Assembly Public Act 100-0421)

The rest of the act goes through important detail around notification of program availability, identification, and wording that could potentially be interpreted as the foundation for a Gifted IEP in the state.

Chicago Public Schools, CPS, in a meeting on August 22, 2018, chose to defer the adoption of this act, and the deferral decision can be read here. Only 3 people came to speak for the immediate adoption of the Accelerated Placement Act in CPS in that August 22nd meeting, which was well covered by Chalkbeat, and you can read about it here. After 3/4 of a year with news from CPS, these new forums are finally scheduled. They come at an auspicious time - CPS Selective Enrollment School results come out for Kindergarten through eighth grade on the 22nd of April, the day before the meeting. Therefore, it is unclear if there will be change, what year the change will take effect, and how it will impact the decisions made for the coming year. It is important to show CPS that you care about gifted education in the city, and that you show up. Unless people step up and show up, CPS might not think this is an important policy to create, continue to defer the adoption of this act. You can read our coverage of the Accelerated Placement Act Part 1 here.

What can you do beyond just these forums? You can go to learn more at CGCC and IAGC, our two local gifted organizations, that periodically have policy-related events. You can even join the IAGC Policy Committee that works with Illinois Board of Education to create new policy for the gifted. That committee’s next quarterly meeting is Saturday, May 4th at IMSA, at 10AM, so mark your calendar.

Not in Chicago? Your district is watching the largest district in the state and the 3rd largest in the country to see what they will do. If you care about gifted education, you should come and participate in those forums because your voice has power to improve gifted education in Chicago and everywhere that will use it as a case example.

Stay tuned for part 3 in a few weeks. We hope that update brings good news for the city’s gifted.

About Midwest Academy for Gifted Education (MAGE): We are a not for profit, private gifted school focused on building community for gifted families in Chicago. If we don’t speak up for the City’s gifted, who will? Our next Admissions Coffee is on April 27th at 9AM and is a chance to connect to other gifted families in the city.

Read Part 1 of our coverage - CPS deferral of meeting the Act.

Read Part 3 of our coverage — CPS unveils new policy supporting the ACT.

Check back for Part 4 - analysis of the policy, coming soon. Contact us to be on our news distribution list. Disclaimer: the above is opinion. Please contact us if you find any errors.

The Truth about Chicago Math

There is something your school administrator might not want you to know. If your child received at least 230 RIT on the NWEA MAP test in mathematics, your child may be ready for pre-algebra, or even more.

According to the NWEA, the creators of the test, here is the guidance given to schools for course placement for students taking the 6+ (grades 6+) MAP:

“A student score at or above the following scores on a 6+ mathematics tests suggests student readiness for:

• 230: Introduction to Algebra

• 235: Algebra

• 245: Geometry”

Here is a table showing an interpretation of the Assessment Data showing the number of Chicago Public Schools where the average classroom at the listed grade level has reached each of these benchmarks.

What does this mean for students that are still taking the NWEA for grades 2-5? NWEA has guidelines that say that students who score over 230 on the 2-5 NWEA MAP test could be moved to the 6+ NWEA:

"Based on these observations, our recommendation is that students who score at the 90th percentile (231) or higher on the 2 – 5 mathematics test in the fall of fifth grade be transitioned into more advanced sixth grade (or higher) instruction”.

Most city schools, including the Selective Enrollment SEES ones, such as Regional Gifted (RGC) or Classical Elementary Schools don’t not have a policy to accelerate a student from MAP 2-5 to 6+. When a student moves to 6+, their score might drop a few points. If they are over 245 on the 2-5 MAP, they will probably still be over 230 RIT points on the 6+. It doesn’t mean that they should be immediately placed in pre-algebra, merely that someone should notice and that they could be evaluated. If not you, the parent, then who?

By the Spring 8th grade MAP, only about ½ of CPS students are ready for pre-algebra per the NWEA benchmark. The top 2nd grade classrooms in CPS outperform the bottom 8th grade on this test. However, the top CPS classrooms that pull the most gifted kids are only teaching 1-2 years ahead. The top students in 2nd+ grade will have less access to prealgebra+ than the 8th graders who didn’t meet 231 benchmark points before their 9th grade the following year.

Here is a table that shows a score of 230 or higher by grade at the year end. These students, at a class average, achieved the NWEA benchmark for promotion to 6+MAP, and may be eligible for pre-algebra+. This does not take into account the individual students who are scoring high but are in schools where the class average is lower than 230. In a couple of Chicago City schools, there is prealgebra - geometry by 8th grade, but they are the minority.  

CPS chose to be not compliant with the 2017 State Law, Accelerated Placement Act. The Act says that public school students, regardless of placement in a gifted program, should get what they need in terms of acceleration. It is now a legal right for a child to get acceleration when they are ready. Area private schools just have to strive to do slightly better than the average public schools in order to gain tuition-paid admissions, much higher than ours, in many cases.

How does the lack of instruction at a student’s academic level and speed impact the child’s long term trajectory in terms of achievement, self esteem, grit if they are not learning new material or are not regularly challenged?

There is no ceiling to learning at MAGE, and we have small class sizes to make sure that each child is actively and individually nurtured at their level and speed. We are rigorous in terms of content, yet laid back in terms of stress to the child: no grades, no homework. Come to our admissions coffee this Sunday, March 24th, at 10:30 AM to learn more. Future events are on our calendar.

Changes coming to Gifted Ed from State, City Elections, Appointments.

In the last week, there have been sweeping education-related changes in Chicago. While no one can fully predict the outcome of these changes, here’s what’s been happening:

Illinois Department of Education (ISBE):

• There are 9 board members that govern ISBE. They are appointed by the governor.  On Monday, February 25, Governor Pritzker replaced 8 of the 9 board members. 

• Pritzker kept Susan Morrison on the board. This might be good news for the gifted, as she was a part of the administration that passed the Accelerated Placement Act, and has previously served as a director of gifted education. 

• The other good piece of news is that a new appointee, Cynthia Latimer is an ex special ed teacher. Hopefully this background means that she understand gifted and twice exceptional children. 

• The state also now has a new Superintendent. It is unknown to us how she feels about gifted education. If you have experience with her in the area of gifted ed, please drop us a note!

• Another dramatic change that could impact students that attend area private schools, including gifted, is Pritzker’s move to phase out the just recently created tax incentives for assistance to qualified low income families. Ironically, in Iowa, a state with much better gifted ed in the public sector, the opposite is on the legislative table - public funds to be given for private school and homeschool tuition.

• In our state, gifted ed is an unfunded mandate. Terms such as 2e are not even defined in our state legislation. There are no exclusively gifted IEPs or 504s in the CPS district. Even if a child has other developmental or learning differences, none of the accommodations in their plan can be related to above-classroom average acceleration. It will be interesting to see how this new board perceives the underserved gifted population in the State of Illinois. It is too early to make predictions about any improvements to the state’s gifted plight.

• If you are interested in learning more about gifted policy and advocacy at the state level, or to help make improvements, then you may be interested that our state’s gifted organization, IAGC, has a working committee for this. This committee gets credit for the passage of the Accelerated Placement Act. The implementation of this act was deferred by CPS. Anyone can get involved right now with the IAGC policy committee. The instructions to get involved are at the bottom of this page.  Their next meeting is on 4/13/2019: 

City of Chicago

In the mayoral run-off, there are two candidates, Toni Preckwinkle (1 year experience as a teacher) and Lori Lightfoot. 

• Both candidates support a fully elected board. Would a fully elected board support more equitable gifted education? In a city where there is a huge achievement gap and many other challenges that are much greater than gifted equity, it is doubtful that there would be swift change for the gifted.

• Both candidates support no more new charter school openings. In a way, this limits the opportunities available to engaged parents that are not happy at their neighborhood schools. The result will be that they will have to become active in their neighborhoods instead. 

With all those changes in the air, what will happen to the future of Charters and SEES programs, and Gifted Ed in the City of Chicago? Here are some things to consider:

• First of all, are SEES and Charters even better than regular public schools? Or is it that parental engagement and innate academic performance of their attendees allow them to teach in mostly the same way but with better results?

• What is the biggest predictor of academic success for an average student in those schools? 

• The scariest question of all is would CPS eye closing SEES to pay for the revitalization of neighborhood programs, as the Accelerated Placement Act calls for changes for students in all schools anyway.

We will explore these questions and more in future installments.

Talent Search Testing

The 2019 winter Talent Search season is upon us here in Chicago. We wanted to share some brief information about talent searches with you.

What are Talent Searches?

Talent searches allow above grade precision achievement testing to determine what a student already learned and to plan their learning path for the future, including making decisions around coursework to support future college options.

When does my student actually need a Talent Search Test?

Your student needs the Talent Search when they need to become eligible for selective enrollment programs that require it, or when it is necessary for proper school planning and placement. If a student is in the top 5% on standardized school testing, they may be a candidate for a Talent Search.

When Is my student ready to take a Talent Search Test?

The answer varies by student. Many talent searches are lengthy, for example, a full length PSAT or ACT. Some are 4 hours long. Some children, regardless of age, will struggle with the demand of concentrating so long, and may become frustrated. Please take stamina into consideration when making your test selection.

The answer also varies by ability. It is fairly safe to generalize that when the tools used for grade level testing are no longer accurate because the child has knowledge above grade or is maxing the test out. Some HG-PG students will max the NWEA MAP tests for their grade. There is guidance on in the test documentation about when to transition the student to the next level of testing, but it has bands, K-2, 2-5, and 6+. A student maxes the 2-5 NWEA per their documentation when they reach 245 in mathematics, as an example. If they have had exposure to above-grade knowledge or instruction, they may need to move to the 6+ version. However, many schools will not allow a mid-year switch or have hard rules about grade-test associations. This is partially to preserve class-level average scores.

While the NWEA MAP Norms allow you to roughly triangulate your child’s approximate instructional grade need, the result doesn’t give specific recommendations like, “your child now needs pre-algebra”. The talent search test results will say that very specifically, though the output they provide varies. Schools, in our experience, listen to the college board testing a lot more than their own NWEA here in Chicago, and are much more likely to act on the numbers than they are to believe outside standard academic testing by a psychologist. If a child is showing above grade by NWEA Norms, or prematurely maxed their band, it may be time for talent search. The PSAT becomes available in 3rd grade through Talent Searches like Northwestern CTD. The SCAT, which has several bands and administers a test 1-2 years ahead of grade level, can be available starting with 2nd grade students through the Talent Search at Johns Hopkins. Belin Blank has developed the BESTS Talent Search for students in the 95% or higher, in grades 4-9.

After the test:

• Many Talent Searches come with various levels of recognition for completion and achievement, which look good on CVs for elite programs, another reason many top students take them.

• If your student scores high, for example in the top 90% on a talent search or another standardized test, they may be eligible for Talent Search programming such as College of DuPage talent search programs.

The nuances for the extra-young:

A younger homeschooler who is grade accelerated to the appropriate entry grade may be able to take the test, though this varies by program. But, they may be penalized for being young, in terms of treatment for honors.

How do I support my student for the actual test?

Make sure they get some exercise the night before the test, are well hydrated and have a healthy meal, and then get an early, good night’s sleep. The next day, have a decent breakfast, ideally with some protein, if the test is long. Aim to arrive at the opening of the entrance window, so that traffic or parking don’t make you miss the start.

Pack the following:

• Entry ticket, if one is required

• 2 #2 pencils. Sharpen!

• Water bottle

• State ID or equivalent document (see your test’s requirements)

• Appropriate calculator if allowed or needed for the test. Check batteries!

• SNACKS!!!

Would you like even more information?

A great article about talent searches and why they are helpful is from Duke TIP. Duke TIP says, “for students who achieve very high scores on grade-level tests, accurately assessing what they already know is difficult. Scores on many grade-level tests do not measure how far students have mastered material beyond their grade level.” This summary is perfectly aligned with our school’s educational philosophy. Davidson Institute also has a well put together publication about university based talent searches, their benefits and necessity for gifted students.

Would you like to know what other locals do?

Come meet others with similar children and learn about how can MAGE can support your gifted student, regardless of their age, grade level, or achievement. You might want to stop by our next coffee. Check our calendar, or email us to RSVP for the upcoming February 10th coffee at 10:30 AM.

Good luck to everyone who is testing this weekend!

IAGC Conference

Today’s annual Parent Saturday of the IAGC conference was well-organized and well-attended. Midwest Academy for Gifted Education enjoyed meeting all the parents and businesses that came. Parents go to the IAGC conference, our state’s main gifted event with people who understand the local gifted conditions, because they want to learn how to better support their gifted children both emotionally and academically. They also sometimes go because they are feeling that their children are not being supported at all in the school. We heard quite a few of those tales today. We hear you and we are here to help.

MAGE booth @IAGC

We also met many new local professional members of the CGCC, the Chicago Gifted Community Center that have recently been added in the area. Area gifted parents should consider the benefits of being a member of the CGCC, to support the local gifted community as a whole, and to learn about resources out there. CGCC can also point you in the right direction, if you are not sure of the best resource to help with your unique challenges.

We list many useful things that can be of interest to gifted families on our Gifted Resource page, but we don’t aggregate them the same exact way as CGCC. CGCC and IAGC between them have the metro area and state resources, where we aggregate items the closest to or in Chicago city proper, that we are directly familiar with (not always all gifted, sometimes they are just gifted-friendly). So, please check out all three lists regularly and keep them in your bookmarks, as they all are constantly changing.

One organization that we wanted to highlight from the conference is Davidson Institute. Davidson exists to support children that are HG+, and they do much of this for free. They have a free school for HG+ in Utah, and they also launched an online high school (this bit is not free, but they do work with families to help make it affordable), two years ago, with middle school options available as well. Their young scholars program is stellar, free, and we would highly recommend it to all the gifted families that qualify. There is a wonderful and active local Davidson community, and that alone is a compelling reason to submit a free application. Generally, submitting all the required records by the first of the month will result in a decision by the start of the following month. So, what are you waiting for?

Did you miss the live IAGC conference? Is there a topic of interest that you wish to hear more about? Drop us a note by clicking on the button below! We are planning our free parent education panel discussions now, each with several different takes on the topic from teachers, parents and mental health professionals that work with gifted children and are our area’s top experts.

In addition, there is still one more free day in the Bright and Quirky Virtual Conference remaining. If there is a gifted topic for which you could use some help, especially if you have a 2e child, please click here for your free registration for the last live day Sunday day, or to buy a pass to watch the whole conference again later. Here’s the line up and schedule for the last day:

Day 7: PARENTING COMPLEX BRIGHT & QUIRKY KIDS

Sunday, February 3, 2019. Begins at 10 am ET/7 am PT

SESSION 1: Debbie Reber | Raising Your Differently Wired Child

SESSION 2: Kate Arms & Jen Merrill | How to Avoid Burnout When Raising a 2e Child

SESSION 3: Nicole Tetreault PhD | Helping Your Uniquely Bright Child Flourish

SESSION 4: Olivia Martinez Hauge MFTA, OTR | When Parents Feel Like They’re Not Doing Enough

SESSION 5: Dan Siegel MD | Deep Mechanisms of the 2e Brain: Prequel to the Talk in Day 1 of the Summit

State Non Profit Approval

MAGE had incorporated as a 501.c.3 organization in March of 2018. However, there are several legal components before an organization can become a true not for profit and be eligible for government and corporate grants. We are pleased to announce that we had gained the state approval to be a 501.c.3 in December. Now, only the federal designation remains, and is expected by 2020.

Upcoming Gifted Events

We wanted to highlight 2 conferences for parents of gifted children that are happening in the next 3 weeks.

Feb 2: Parent Saturday at the IAGC Conference

IAGC Parent Saturday

(IAGC is Illinois Association for Gifted Children)

February 2, 2019  
9:00 AM - 12:30 AM followed by a parent lunch through CGCC. 
 
Chicago Marriott Naperville, Naperville, IL

A great local annual event, the conference starts with a keynote by Dr. Michele Kane. Dr. Kane is one of the world’s top experts on gifted education and social emotional issues and is the head of our state's only gifted endorsement program for educators. After the keynote, the event continues with a presentation from Eric Calvert and Carolyn Welch, IAGC Advocacy Co-chairs, on all things gifted education policy in Illinois followed by many options for breakout sessions. If you are an educator, the preceding 2 days of the conference are just for you. 

We hope to see you there! Please stop by our table to say hi. The event is not suitable for children, and no childcare is provided. The registration is $60. 

The event is followed by a parent lunch put together by a separate gifted organization, CGCC, Chicago Gifted Community Center. The link  below is to register just for lunch and does not require the registration for the actual conference.

Can't make an in-person event, but want to attend a gifted topic conference? Do it remotely! This is a free 2e Online Summit that starts on Monday, January 28th and runs for 7 days. It is called Bright & Quirky Child Online Summit. You will be able to choose what interests you the most and will have 24 hrs to watch the presentations available each day of the conference on your own schedule. Great for those hours when your child is asleep. 

An example, a fabulous speaker, is Michelle Garcia Winner, an SLP that developed Social Thinking, a social skills curriculum that works well for many gifted children for whom communications are sometimes tricky.

Day 1: Understand your bright & quirky child
Day 2: Manage emotional intensity, meltdowns & behavior
Day 3: Navigate school and learning challenges
Day 4: Manage social challenges and build community
Day 5: Increase focus, motivation and executive function
Day 6: Calm stress, anxiety and perfectionism
Day 7: Parent complex bright & quirky kids

Interested in a Family-Friendly Gifted-Themed Event in the City of Chicago? We host at least one per month! Please subscribe to our newsletter or check our events calendar often to learn about more events. But don't forget, you are also a part of a local community that could help brainstorm ideas for your specific needs, such as finding intellectual peers for play, or resources on a topic around your child's interests.

Admissions Coffee

Please join us for one of our upcoming Admissions Coffee! Or, if you've been to one of these before, come just to socialize with other gifted families during that time.

Admissions Coffee
Sundays, January 20 and February 10
10:30AM-11:30AM or by appointment.

If you would like to help us in our success, please consider sharing our Web site, http://www.mage.education/ on social media, or follow us on FB, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
 

Rock the Pizza Play Date!

In December, we hosted a fluorescence and phosphorescence-themed play date following our Admissions Coffee. We had a blast!

Several guests brought a sample from their collection, and everyone enjoyed sharing the stories behind how the piece was acquired from those that received it from a special relative or found it themselves, and what it was. A geologist joined with his own samples, and helped identify and discover the pieces further. The children especially enjoyed learning from him and looking at his super cool samples. They also enjoyed the rock climbing wall and jumping equipment and the opportunity to play and make new friends.

Lot’s of collaboration and discussion.

One of the children brought a dinosaur tooth to pass around. It didn’t produce any visible fluorescence and phosphorescence but was very much enjoyed anyway.

We looked at a number of local and exotic rocks and fossils. This includes our state rock, and a sample we collected ourselves from a Silurian outcrop just south of Chicago this fall.

We discovered that our classroom floor marble is unintentionally fluorescent.

In an extension of the activity, children enjoyed drawing with light on the floor and on our intentionally fluorescent walls as well as a craft project using photosensitive beads. 

Here’s a sample of various rocks and minerals with regular light.

And here’s that same collection under a UV light.

If you have a gifted child and would like to be informed of our events, please sign up to be on our distribution list, or follow us on FB, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Admissions Coffee is monthly and is coming up on Sundays, January 20th and February 10th, 10:30 AM. Please drop us an email to RSVP.

Free College tuition in IL for top students

In case you haven't yet seen it, here’s some interesting news about UIC offering free tuition to attract high-achieving Illinois students: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-uic-free-tuition-20181009-story.html. This is a very thought-provoking article. If the state is concerned that the brightest students are leaving, they should consider that many leave the state – and especially the City of Chicago – long before college due to a lack of gifted academic options, teacher training, and radical acceleration. It’s equally important to understand that gifted students are not always high achievers. And not all gifted students will be college-bound. Understanding your child's individual profile and strengths is critical to making long term educational plans.

Have you started the long-term conversation about options? What are your thoughts about the “pipeline” and opportunities for top academically talented and/or gifted students. What big picture things should we, as a state, or as a city, be doing, to support our brightest minds?

Does this put additional pressure on our top students? Are they going to be more likely to stay for scholarships? What about on the urgency to get students into selective enrollment public schools? Will some people instead try to stay at a weak school, in order to get a scholarship by having an easy chance at a valedictorian title? Just some thought-provoking questions about what this change means for the gifted/talented population. Drop us a note, we would love to hear your thoughts.

If you don’t want to miss our news, please consider subscribing to our mailing list, or follow us on FB, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Accelerated Placement Act and the City of Chicago, part 1

On July 1, 2018, a new law, the Accelerated Placement Act (click here for the complete text of the law) went into effect in Illinois. This law is a huge win for Illinois families. However, what will now be different? We will be exploring this issue and posting updates as they become available. Click here for a great article about the change.

For for updated information about CPS and Accelerated Placement act, please read Part 2 - Forums, and Part 3, New Policy Draft. Part 4, policy update and analysis, is coming soon.  Contact us to be put on our mailing list to not miss our analysis of this policy - Part 4 and other news.

Briefly, the law gives the framework to grade skip into K and 1st grade, for example, and then the ability to receive acceleration. We at MAGE hope these changes become available to all Illinois students. In the meantime, we are here, as we believe that there is a long road ahead. Similar laws already exist in other states, and yet private gifted schools also abound in those states - we do not think that any change in Illinois policy will make us obsolete, though we would love it if they did. 

We will start with sharing some information about how you can be a part of the solution here in Illinois. The amazing organization responsible for making the law happen is IAGC - Illinois Association for Gifted Children. If you have a gifted child and you live in Illinois, we would like to encourage you to join IAGC as a member, so that you can be a part of the solution for Illinois children by supporting the organization and by sharing in the dialogue. Every person that joins helps strengthen our state's commitment to gifted interests.  The next policy committee meeting is August 10@10AM @IMSA. Join the conversation!

In the next few weeks, we will be exploring additional topics:

Chicago Public Schools, CPS. What is the timeline for the policy change? Currently, office of OAE, Office of Access and Enrollment which controls the City's public gifted programming and fields the calls about the act, nebulously says that the policy change will be implemented next year. We are waiting on more details. There will be no changes for this year or in time for fall SEES applications for the next academic year as far as we understand at this time. 

What changes will public/charter, private, and parochial schools in Chicago make to comply with the new law? For example, the Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest networks outside of the public network. Would be interesting to understand their planned changes. We will be reaching out to the existing schools to find out their plans. Please share information with us and we will be happy to post it, as it becomes available. 

What are the benefits and consequences for any school to be compliant or not compliant with this new law? Is there a cost to implement the new law? What is the long term economic impact of this law on each school?

What policy changes would be relevant in Illinois? In our opinion, it would be helpful if academic differences were recognized as a special need.

-For example, if a student is more than 1-2 standard deviations off in ability to academic performance, many other states have laws with regard to considering that student as having learning differences. In Illinois, such learning differences are not recognized legally. A student is only recognized with a learning difference if they perform to specific measures below average levels of attainment, not as compared to their own potential.

-If a student needs acceleration and the school is not providing it, it would be interesting if they had the ability to transfer to a school that would provide the academic services needed, much in the same way that a student with behavioral issues can tuition out into a specialized program designed to meet their needs. Since giftedness is not recognized as a special need in Illinois, and since academic accommodation is not a part of our IEP in our state, legislative changes to support these sorts of processes might be helpful. Funding around supporting programs and endeavors would also be interesting. 

This article is an opinion article, and has not been peer reviewed or thoroughly researched beyond included links. 

CPS accidentally leaks massive gifted student personal data

If your child has applied to a CPS selective enrollment school, you should be aware that there was a large data breach on June 15th, 2018. A simple mistake by an employee resulted in a mass email of a database file containing student names, application numbers, and contact info to over 3700 families. This is a violation of the trust parents put in CPS, as well as a security liability for those families. If you've sought enrollment in a CPS SEES school, you should double check their announcement to see if your data was compromised. You can check your inbox for an email sent on June 15, 2018, titled "CPS - OAE - Supplemental Application Opportunity". If you received this email, chances are, your child's data was in it. We believe the families who were impacted by this breach were those whose child had high enough scores for a SEES (Regional gifted or classical selective enrollment) seat but did not yet select one.

This is not a first time that sensitive student data was leaked by CPS.  Since this affects the Chicago gifted population specifically, we thought it would be newsworthy for us to share with our audience in case they are impacted. CPS promised to punish the employee accidentally causing the leak, and they said they will investigate. We hope that this new leak finally results in changes to the storage and sharing protocols of student data in CPS, not just an elimination of one employee.

At MAGE, we take privacy and data security very seriously and have policy in place to prevent a similar event from occurring. We are also still accepting fall applications.

Here is the CPS email following the leak:

Good evening,

Earlier today, in an unacceptable breach of both student information and your trust, we mistakenly included your private student and family information in an email to you and more than 3700 other families who were invited to submit supplemental applications to selective enrollment schools.

We sincerely apologize for this unintended disclosure and ask that you please delete the information in question.

We are taking this matter very seriously, and a review of this incident is underway to determine how this breach occurred and ensure a similar matter does not occur again. Additionally, we will be removing the responsible employee from their position because violating your privacy is unacceptable to the district.

If you would like to speak with someone regarding this matter, please contact (773) 553-2060.

Sincerely,

Tony Howard

Executive Director

CPS Office of Access and Enrollment

Four Year Old Program

We have received a lot of interest in a four-year-olds program from the gifted community. While we always planned on adding this age group next year, we are now considering adding this option for the Fall of 2018. The Executive Board has formed a committee to make this determination in the next few weeks. Please drop us a note or stay tuned to this space if interested in this age group. 

Midwest Academy for Gifted Education issues first Press Release, 4.10.18

Chicago is missing something. Of the top five cities in the U.S., Chicago is the only one without a private school option for gifted students. Several exist in the suburbs, but there is no option for families who want to stay in the city. 

That changes this fall with MAGE, the Midwest Academy for Gifted Education. Parents and educators are launching the not-for-profit for elementary through high school. It meets a need for greater flexibility and individuality than Chicago Public Schools currently offer with their gifted programs. And parents whose children have already tested into those CPS programs can easily apply to MAGE.

How is MAGE different? Because we are new and independent, we can apply the best advances in teaching gifted learners.

·     Students are grouped by ability, not age, but still with plenty of age-appropriate social peer interaction.

·     There are no grades received for classes, and homework is rare. 

·     Teaching is centered around student inquiries, heavy on project work, collaboration, and real life experience instead of worksheets.

·     At every grade level, this includes immersive studies in STEAM (adding Arts to the now-standard blend of Science, Technology and Math) as well as civics, global citizenship, design, and exposure to trades and handcrafts

·     Social and emotional education is built into the school day.

·     And of course, low teacher - student ratios of 1:8 or 2:20.

The Chicago Public Schools gifted and classical program students usually find themselves in classes at least 28 to one teacher, from kindergarten on. CPS aims to accommodate children who are 1-1.5 years ahead of grade level. But there is little support for those who are farther ahead, or not uniformly at this level. MAGE is designed to be a more flexible alternative for the highly gifted and the asynchronous learner. 

Here’s an important addition: MAGE also accepts siblings of gifted students even if they do not meet the same criteria, in order to help families with quality of life. Right now, many parents spend hours driving to multiple schools, or have to move across town, if one child is accepted to a CPS gifted school and others are not. With MAGE, parents can focus on education rather than transportation.

MAGE has worked hard to make admissions easy for many Chicago families. If their children have taken an NWEA (MAP) or CPS selective enrollment test in the last 3 years and scored in the top 2%, they may already have the documentation required in order to submit an application for consideration. MAGE has a part time program at every grade level, supporting young children that need to go home and nap, homeschoolers, and many other diverse needs. Chicago is full of wonderful schools, accommodating diverse needs - and now, even more so, because of MAGE.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Irene Gottlieb at info@mage.education or (312) 600-5571. Additional information about MAGE can also be found on the web at http://www.mage.education/.