Gifted Programs at CHUH Elementary Schools to be Consolidated

The gifted program that serves students at all seven Cleveland Heights-University Heights elementary schools will be consolidated into two buildings beginning next year, with a third to be added at a later date.

and  elementary schools have been chosen as the two sites and will serve about 124 students who have been identified as gifted and talented according to standards set by the state.

The change was inspired when it became clear that this year's gifted program was no longer effective. Results from the 2011 Ohio Achievement Assessments showed that only 57 percent of students enrolled in the gifted program scored “advanced” in math and that 11 weren’t proficient. Only 24 percent of those students scored “advanced” in reading and five weren’t proficient.

“These numbers tell us exactly what our gifted teachers were telling us: We are not meeting the needs of our students in this program. That is very clear,” said Superintendent Doug Heuer during a public forum held at  Wednesday night to discuss the change.

Under the gifted program as it was structured last year, students in grade four or five who were identified as gifted were pulled out of their regular classes by a gifted intervention specialist who then taught them higher-level math and/or reading lessons for one or two hours each day. Students could be involved in pull-out programs if their scores on special standardized tests met the gifted standards set by the Ohio Department of Education in math, reading or superior cognitive ability.

Beginning in the fall, only those students who meet gifted standards in all three  areas will be invited to participate in an all-day program with their peers where all subjects will be taught by a gifted intervention specialist at one of the two new sites.

Third-graders who test into the program will also be allowed to participate. Transportation will be provided by the district for the estimated 77 students who will change schools to take part in the program.

Boulevard and Roxboro elementary schools were chosen for their locations in the north and south end of the district and because each has the necessary space, according to Heuer.

Both schools have also committed to the .

Boulevard Elementary will be a S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school while Roxboro Elementary has been designated an International Baccalaureate school. Another elementary school with a fine arts focus will be added when the number of eligible students increases.

About 50 parents attended the meeting, some whose children did not meet the district's criteria for inclusion into the program. They voiced anger over the change. Many of them didn’t learn about the change until it was discussed at a public forum held earlier this month for parents of the students that did test into the program and voiced their displeasure at hearing it second hand.

Assistant Superintendent Jeffery Talbert blamed the district for poor communication and apologized to the parents.

Those parents also said they were concerned that their child wouldn’t receive the same level of special services they had under the former gifted program, and others wondered why the change was necessary, given that it appeared the students would be segregated and the schools they would leave behind would be hurt by their exit.

Talbert said district officials worked closely with the gifted teachers who felt those who excelled in all three criteria required special instruction. Heuer explained that the teachers wanted the program to be structured like special education, which has standards set by the state, unlike gifted programs. The teachers felt the students were being hindered by not having specialized instruction, as evidenced by their low assessment scores.