AIG Center Closing

preach it brother.....that's what i've been saying.

 

Yep. Sometimes when you sign your kids up for sports, the itemization is as follows:

Hat
Shirt
Trophy

 

There are not that many AIG teachers left at the center. Maybe 7 at the max. If they keep them as part of the AIG program they would be sharing schools at best.

 

Its not the same curriculum across the board. I cant speak for private schools. In a charter school the curriculum must meet federal and state curriculum minimum requirements but can then add to that minimum if they like. They do not have to follow the requirements of the county where the school is located.

DB/s wofe

 

This is a pretty good article. I should re-read it again but I don't think it explained that a magnet program is placed in a low performing school to encourage high performing students to move from their high performing school to the lower performing school by offering an enhanced cirriculum called a magnet program. Magnet schools were established in Wake County to help racially balance the school. Wait, let me state the politically correct way they word this...They have the magnet schools to help balance the schools students body socio econonically. Yea whatever. Same thing. No one from my neighborhood was ever accepted to a Wake Co magnet school because children from my neighborhood are needed to balance our neighborhood base school socio economically. Its a weighted lottery system. They dont even deny that it is. And in my opinion making a school a magnet school doesnt make it a better school. They take half the student body in the low performing school and they bus them across town. The other half of the low performing body is still there. They then replace the half they bussed with these higher performing kids in special programs. Sure the schools overall test scores improve. But the numbers are just diluted by the mix of magnet program kids added in to the original low performing kids. Those original kids are still low performing.

its called a charter school because you establish a charter that shows your business plan and cirriculum plan. If you have a decent plan your charter is granted. ITs HARRRRRRRD to be approved. ITs HAAAAAAAARD work to stay approved. Charter schools are monitored constantly for quality assurance and compliance. (thank goodness for that)

A charter school is a public school that gets some federal and state tax money per student but no money towards a facility. Ya have to come up with your own space to have the school.

I don't really think there is much to comare between a magnet school and a charter other than they both offer an enhanced cirriculum. The purpose for the two are not the same.

DB's wife

 

I think you and some of the other concerned parents should organize and educate yourselves the best you can and make sure that JOCO schools ARE doing what they are supposed to be doing for your AIG kids. This would be the perfect time if they are closing the AIG Center because it sounds to me like they always had the center to show they have been serving the AIG students.
I would suggest using the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) website for information and names of contacts to help you.

I would start with this if you have never read it:

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/academicservices/gifted/

one thing that caught my eye was it said local aig plans have to be revised every three years and approved by DPI. I bet JOCO is working on a revised plan. Get involved with what this plan is. Be positive about it though. Maybe let someone in charge know you want to help them in any way you can by forming a parent committee or something. Or get your groups ideas together and present them at a board meeting. Just a thought.
Sounds like it is going to take some effort. Good luck to you!


Good luck!

DB's wife

 

Excellent advice. When I read the comments sometimes, it reminds me of the quote "Complaining is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere". Get organized, educate the group on the laws and policies, and present solutions that can actually be accomplished given the current economic situation facing the schools (not a Christmas list of 'I wants') and you will have a much better chance of being heard and shaping the way this goes moving forward. There are many posters here who want to be involved and seem capable of organizing a group. You have a great forum here for organizing. Go for it!

 

Do you know where they get their lesson plans from?

 

The state sets the curriculum, teachers come up with lesson plans.

 

The lesson plans are approved by??

 

if you're asking about charter schools, the answer is internally, by the admin of the school.

like she said, the state sets minimum requirements and core subject curriculum milestones. charters are free to pursue those ends in whatever fashion they think is best. they are also free to exceed those minimums. for example, if a class or student makes their way through the state's minimum curriculum milestones for their grade level by christmas, they can start working on the next grade level for the second half of the year.

 

As an AIG parent who has been one of the most vocal about keeping the Center open and about improving the AIG program overall, let me say that this has been done. A group was formed, we went through the law regarding AIG education, we went through our county's policies for AIG education and a complaint was formed pointing out what wasn't being done and what we felt needed to be done. This complaint was sent to the DPI who knocked it back to the county for review. The DIP "approves" AIG plans only to say that the county has one in place, they have no say over what is in the plan or how it is being implemented. Therefore, any complaints to them are worthless as they have no authority to force a county to do anything (maybe they can make them prove the AIG money is being spent on AIG programs, I'm not sure). I, and many others, have also talked to board members, the superintendent, Godwin, Beaman, etc., and all I get is BS from them.

So many of us have done more than sit back and complain. It's not really my fight anymore, but hopefully those that will still be with the county schools will band together and help/force positive changes to the AIG program. Oh, and good luck getting on the committee that revises the policy . . .

 

Well tooted.

 

Momtofive,
Good for you! I hope you (or anyone else) didn't think I was saying everyone is complaining without doing anything because I didnt mean that at all. This is a discussion board and a complaint or comment is how we get the ball rolling on the topic. Thats understandable. Then I just meant to comment on how to work at getting a solution to the problem. Your group might have already tried this with no resolve but that doesnt mean another group couldnt try.
Is this not your fight anymore because your children have aged out of the JoCo public school system? Things may have changed some since then or could now be changed if your group wasn't successful. Did you have a chance to read the info on the link I posted. It seems to be some recent changes on the AIG program. Im going to cut and paste it here for all to see. Maybe it just looks good in writing but it seems like something and someone to work with.

Copied from the NCDPI website:
In North Carolina, state legislation mandates that public schools identify and serve academically or intellectually gifted (AIG) K-12 students. Each LEA determines how to identify and serve its own AIG student population. This honors local context and supports each LEA to do what is best for its own AIG student population. LEAs must adhere to state legislation, which guides LEAs and defines academically or intellectually gifted students (see below), and will also use the NC AIG Program Standards, adopted July 2009, as a guide in the future development of local AIG programs. The newly approved NC AIG Program Standards provides a statewide framework for quality programming, while honoring local context.
An LEA's policies and practices regarding its local AIG program are developed through the writing of a local AIG plan. This AIG plan is approved by the local board of education and submitted to State Board of Education/DPI for comment. DPI assists LEAs with their local AIG program and plan but does not approve local plans. Per state legislation, AIG plans must be revised every three years by the LEA. In 2009-10, LEAs will be revising their local AIG plans and programs with the guidance of DPI.
AIG services at DPI are housed in the Academic Services and Instructional Support Department, and the AIG state consultant reports directly to the Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Angela Hinson Quick. The primary role of the state AIG consultant at DPI is to advocate for the needs of AIG students in public schools by providing leadership, guidance and technical assistance regarding AIG issues, policies and practices to multiple stakeholders, including LEAs, families, IHEs, and other related organizations.



Sounds like The Deputy Chief Academic Officer Angela Hinson Quick would be a good contact for consult. I mean all you can do is continue to get resolve.
Again Good luck EmmaCaroline!

DB's wife

 

DB's wife, I continue to urge people to stand up for the AIG children. And I will continue to do all I can for them. It is no longer my fight because my kids will be starting at the charter school next year. I do believe that the more phone calls that are made and the more e-mails that are mailed and the more complaints that are sent will cause more positive changes to occur in our county's treatment of gifted students. As of now, there are so few that are willing to be vocal so it looks like we're a smaller group than we are. But I do hope that more will stand up and fight for their children.

 

I think you have to look at the record of this board. It is too political and will only consider those things that will boost their campains. It's a shame.

 

The short of it is if we hadn't dumbed down our school requirements we wouldn't have so many "gifted" children. So since we have dumbed down our schools we need to spend extra money to attend to the "gifted" children instead of spending it on the few slower children, which there seems to be alot fewer of now days.

 

I dont get what you mean?

db's wife

 

He has stated in the past that unless he uses the word" Seriously" that we are to ignore what he says because he is just trying to run phis post count.

 

I have kept that in mind as well. 8)