Friday, May 17, 2019

Minutes from 5/14/2019 Meeting

5/15/2019 HiCap Meeting

Jen Spanton, Bonnie, Laurie, Angie, Lisa, Austina, Sylvia, Kristi, Lauren, Allison, Xiaoying, Brenae, Norma

Notifications of eligibility

  • Letters sent to families
  • 4300 to step 2, letters to all
  • Sent at least by the 26th, Friday in backpack mail
  • All got robocall about letter
  • 2 more robocalls about services for families that qualified
  • If they didn’t get a letter email Surya hicap@nsd
  • Only 120 families who didn’t respond to accept services
  • Non responders: principals can pull who is qualified through the system, can also receive info on non-responders,
  • Plan 2: sent to family liaisons to make personal phone calls to these families, cannot guarantee EAP or AAP for non-responders but will give services in-school.
  • Last week all EAP and AAP classrooms were settled
  • Still some space in various places for new summer move-ins
  • Added a lot of classrooms
  • Moorlands add 4
  • BC 10
  • Lockwood 4-5 classrooms
  • Sunrise roll up 4th to 5th , maybe new BC kids move to sunrise
  • Fernwood 2-3 classrooms of home school kids
  • Some Fernwood families chose in-class because they didn’t want to go to BC and now want Fernwood EAP, may be able to accommodate, but maybe not
  • Class size Is usually no larger than 25-26, maybe 27+ in higher grades

Feeder patterns

  • Jen has Sheet with feeder patterns – can we get this? – says will be on website
  • Only Woodmoor 4th and 5th grade students will stay (full), all other grades at Woodmoor will go to Moorlands
  • If they missed the permission window it’s hard to get them into classrooms, especially the ones they want

Siblings

  • File waivers to try to get siblings together. They will try to get them in same EAP schools
  • No priority for siblings, capacity issue
  • Waivers reviewed in August
  • Possibility of one family being at multiple different schools for EAP, can we put them together?
  • New kids get the priority for placement
  • Siblings on bus, decisions are being made later…more like August-October
  • Waiver for sibling first, then transportation will decide

Appeals process

  • 10 days to submit appeals, business/calendar days issue, will reconvene MST for last few appeals.
  • Met on 8th, heard 120 appeals, read them all, looked at all data and portfolio
  • MST made final decision, all families will receive letter early next week, US mail
  • Some were approved
  • Will try to get them the same services as all accepted on time
  • General population Threshold is 98%, below that would have accepted 30% of those tested (didn’t we want 30% to qualify? Or however many we actually have?)
  • The higher criteria cutoff creates the test-prep craze. Is this what we want?
  • This changes the makeup of the program to a higher academic program rather than a higher IQ program
  • Different thresholds for different sub-groups were set by the MST (ELL, FRL, IEP, 504)
  • We don’t know who is on the MST…don’t know the qualifications of team members, don’t know their personal philosophy
  • MST is made up of Building psychologist, Spec Ed, principals, admins. Group of 15 people
  • Do we have the demographic breakdown of who got in? Lucy is working on that info
  • Is this a change in philosophy?
  • Were students notified that SBA could be used to keep them out of HiCap?
  • May adjust tools we use and process next year, maybe cognitive shouldn’t be used as first step

Every year the program assessment may change based on analysis of previous year. Data will continue to be analyzed and testing tools will be re-evaluated. SBA is one of the tools that may be used to qualify or disqualify students. Portfolio process uses multiple data points.

Are there tools to bring newly qualified kids up to level over summer?

  • They already qualified so they are advanced already
  • When they jump into EAP later on, teachers determine where they are, compact, reduce repetition, and eventually get to EAP grade standards.
  • Can they get password for online text book for what they will miss?
  • Going from 5th grade gen ed to 6th grade AAP may skip grade levels of math and should look into IXL math and Kahn Academy

Minecraft for education, Starr, I-Ready

  • 12 teachers piloting this in east region
  • Some using with gen ed some with hicap qualified
  • Can use it for any levels of math, specific for each student
  • Starr and I-Ready are also being piloted across the district
  • Assessment and instructional tools
  • Not available to kids jumping over summer

Open House

  • Info session on Monday 13th at Bothell HS
  • Only for newly qualified students
  • Robocall to just those families, kept it under the radar
  • Did not invite the HiCap Council
  • EAP principals joined in facilitation
  • There will be welcome back events in August and other open houses
  • Historically arranged park dates, play dates in summer for new families. Council doesn’t have any way to invite them or to have them vote in the elections. How do we get these new families to sign up now?
  • Can HiCap dept send out an email to new families telling them how to sign up for our mailing list? Jen says maybe not because that would be an endorsement of us, which she can’t do.
  • No Parent panel, no open houses, no info night for all…so that leaves us with just the summer park dates and transition events.
  • Can Jen and principals invite newly qualified EAP students to come to EAP school after school one day to tour and meet the Council rep?

High School

  • Guides: Nicky and Jen working through those solidify as models then will make 2 more for other schools
  • Counselors: Nicky and Jen will talk to them about Hicap enrollment, what students should register for
  • Classes: All 4 have hicap courses offered, maybe separate class or separate section for ELA & Social studies 9th grade. IF the school already had a separation for hicap/gen ed then no change

Next time

  • Families leaving based on one particular EAP teacher. Can we do training, or selection
  • Next meeting June ?? Austina will put together a Doodle




Council only

  • Elections
    • open nominations on May 20th
    • close nominations on June 12th
    • prepare voting on June 13th
    • open voting on June 14th
    • close voting June 20th
    • announce June 21st
    • put facebook blurb telling people to sign up on website to get the nomination and ballot link
    • Austina will email regionals, etc. for continuing their term
    • Bonnie moves to hold elections as listed, Lauren seconded, unanimous vote
  • Math survey
    • Lauren sent it to the group, will send again
  • Facebook
    • Need qualifying questions to see who can be in group
    • What questions do we need? Do we keep people out?
  • How will high school students know there are hiCap sections or classes for ELA/SS in Inglemoor and North Creek?
    • Can principals call every student? Or notify them in some way?
    • Brenae will draft email asking how communication is going to happen
  • Board meeting after Memorial Day Dr. Reid will announce what EAP will do in 2020
  • Should Woodmoor EAP parents put together a petition or something saying they want to go to Moorlands? Send results to Dr. Reid