ThisWeek CW 02/05/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/02/02/groveport-madison-school-staff-requests-more-gifted-programs-athletics.html

Three Groveport Madison staff members made pitches last month for the district to use some of the money generated by a levy approved in May 2014 to bring back some middle school athletics and expand the district’s overall programming for gifted students.

Middle school guidance counselor Scott Stevens and Dean of Students John Hurd presented plans to the school board Jan. 14 for returning some athletics to all three middle schools. The district’s coordinator of gifted programs, Melody Blake, presented plans to expand the gifted program to all buildings.

Hurd said his plan, which would cost the district about $130,000 for the first year of operations, would bring volleyball and boys and girls basketball back to the seventh and eighth grades at all three middle schools. Currently, athletics are only being offered at Middle School Central.

Stevens said offering athletics at all three schools would give more students the opportunity to participate in a positive after-school activity.

“We’ve tracked athletes in the past and found that the kids get much better at classroom participation and better grades when they’re in athletics,” Stevens said. “It would be preferred if the coaches are in the same buildings as the kids are in, because then you will see the kids in the hall and you know what’s going on with them. I don’t think this proposal is much different than what we’ve had in the past.”

According to Hurd, a significant portion of the first year’s budget would go toward resurfacing the gymnasium floors at the North and South buildings, as well as purchasing the necessary equipment and uniforms. He estimates an additional 120 students would participate in the volleyball and basketball programs; if all goes well, he hopes the district could consider expanding other sports after a review two years into the program.

Gifted programming has been limited over the past several years to four teachers who provide intervention to gifted students in grades six through eight. Blake said the addition of six more gifted intervention specialist teachers, along with changes to how the program operates, would allow for gifted programming at every building.

“Over the course of the years that I’ve been here, I’ve had parents asking when we’ll expand gifted services down into elementary,” she said. “I’m proposing the hiring of six gifted intervention specialists assigned to each elementary building.”

She said the district is doing a “great job of identifying students who are gifted,” but pointed out that new indicators on the state report card will rate districts in how many students they actually serve.

With 10 total gifted intervention specialists, Blake said she would be able to have at least one specialist per each subject — math, reading, science and social studies — as well as one specialist who would help further develop programming for the middle school and high school gifted programs.

The specialists would work with gifted students in their current classroom settings, Blake said, in a co-teaching model with the regular classroom teacher.

According to a document she provided to the board, the estimated cost of this program would be almost $400,000 per year.

The board took no action on the proposals, which appear to have the support of Superintendent Bruce Hoover.

“Over the last two months, you’ve seen a comprehensive rollout of things designed to offer students opportunities and increase student achievement,” Hoover said. “When we made cuts prior to the levy, those were some anguishing decisions, so I think re-establishing some of these will meet promises made to the parents and community and help the kids meet the needs of the 21st century.

“In the coming months, we’ll put together all the numbers and then we’ll need to vote on each item.”