Advocacy & Action in Progress

Fixing Honors & HAP/Gifted & Talented (G&T)

HAP AND HONORS CRITERIA ARE BROKEN! There are multiple issues with our G&T/HAP

1. Honors Test is unfair in terms of abilities and economically discriminatory:
   1. Uses questions for Math in subject matter that children have not been taught, thus catering to a gifted child but not to a “talented” child or to a top performing student whose work earned “As”
   2. Does not provide a test study guide as kids are given for all other tests
   3. There is also an economic unfairness because parents who realize how to beat the system and who can afford to do so, will pay tutors to teach ahead in order to prep for the terrible tests
2. As a result of this inappropriate fusion of Honors and G&T
   1. There is too much emphasis placed on testing into Honors and too much devaluation of Grades. Under NJDOE guidelines and best practices nationally, we are supposed to have a clearly defined G&T curricula and programs from K-12, yet we only had it from grades 3-8 and 7th and 8th grade programs have deteriorated to the point where kids are not being taught basic skills while exploring more conceptual subject matter
3. The Superintendent trying to combine HAP and Honors in middle school, which defies the best practices of high performing schools in the state and nationally.
   1. Must have a non-G&T Honors that is open to the top 10% to 20%.
   2. Should have a separate Honors for G&T and regular Honors, but one should never combine the 2 cohorts, to the exclusion of regular honors, because it underserves or bars qualified Honors Students or underserves G&T students whose needs are not fully met
4. HAP/G&T additional issues:
   1. HAP has never adequately addressed math, science, art or music. It was a poor model, created as a higher reading course and ill-conceived. We need to adopt a different model
   2. HAP entry criteria are also inappropriate:
      1. InView is not considered the best test for high aptitude anymore CogAT and others serve better.
      2. Additionally, there is a difference between "Gifted" and "Talented"; our approach frequently screens out the talented. There are some high achieving kids who may fall into the "talented area but not the gifted. For example, a gift child may know or understand things intuitively a quantum leap above others, and not be able to explain how or why. A Talented Child may have a greater facility for the subject matter and process he subject matter quickly but require stepwise processes
      3. Over the years, politics, racial bias, especially unconscious bias against Black males have been issues raised many times in HAP selection. There is a fallacy perpetuated that kids could not study for the logic sections of the InView. I discovered late that CriticalThinking.com has extensive workbooks and curricula designed specifically for that purpose.
   3. Reevaluate Kids and Accept Applications Annually: Kids have different peaks and valleys when they may demonstrate higher ability or decline in ability and  some performance may be tied to emotional development
5. Solutions:
   1. Honors
      1. “A” students are admitted without and exam, as is done with most schools
      2. “B” students already in Honors get to stay without a test
      3. The BOE must codify an Honors Policy!
   2. G&T/HAP:
      1. Adopt a new model K-12
      2. Create HAP Honors Classes 6-8
      3. Revised HAP in Policy

We are supposed to challenge kids and not frustrate them. The current Middle School Honors system demoralizes them. The Board has a duty to ensure that Honors and G&T policies are abiding by state guidelines, fair and demonstrating best practices. The Board also has an obligation to advocate for children and parents subjected to these inequities.

Homework Volume & Approach:

There are multiple issues with the implementation of Homework.

1. We need a clear curricular philosophy and practice defining the role and objectives of homework.
   1. What is the purpose: review, retention, new learning, reinforcement, conceptual challenges, teamwork projects, etc?
   2. What is our pedagogical approach? Whether a traditional view or a "flipped school" approach which parallels college (Read ahead, then hear the lecture and do the work in class…then study what you have done)
   3. There must be a desired benefit or outcome.
   4. We need consistent curricula guidelines aligned with grade, age, and subject matter because for WOHS college prep, the amount of homework may need to differ
      1. We confuse homework rigor and intellectual challenge with volume.
      2. There is a place for periodic high volume so that students learn to manage volume for college; yet, this does not need to happen nightly.
      3. There are many classes and teacher who don’t give enough while many others give too much 3.
2. Project work is assigned without teaching project management techniques
3. We have a culture that abhors memorization and is in denial about the fact that memory and memory development correlate with success (especially in medical school, etc.) AND that it should not be an either/or but rather a both/AND, whereby, kids need motivational experiential, conceptual work and we can still teach them how to learn through various means.
   1. I have been teaching my kids memorization techniques that also involve conceptual approaches: using multiple senses to encode information to association, to mnemonic techniques (rhyme, rap, poems) to shortcut reminders (example: SOH CAH TOA in trig)
4. Note taking/Cornell Method as part of homework link to classwork is lost, and outlining to organize and memorize data. If we teach how master information, study will be easier.
   1. We make our kids work harder by not teaching Cornell note taking consistently or holding them accountable for using it
   2. We stopped mid-terms finals which helps college prep and presents another type of planning and prep in the homework challenge.
5. Homework for Mastery of Information or Skills: Homework is supposed to be practice in process or application of concepts and information, like a basketball player taking 1,000, 3-point shots until it becomes reflex or a football team practicing a complex end-around or onside kick until execution is seamless…practice, not torture.
6. Homework Holiday: Princeton school district will institute homework holidays soon. So, there will be intense periods of homework and periods of no homework.

SMART Goal Statement 3: 21st Century Learning Environment

Create a 21st Century Learning Environment that better ensures, safety, security, smaller class sizes (15-18) and ease of access for special needs, in addition to providing modernized, classroom learning labs that facilitate technology integration and activation, personalized instruction, independent and team learning, experiential project-based learning, and an integrated learning environment for Pre-K to 12

SMART Goal Statement 3 Objectives: 21st Century Learning Environment

1. Lower class sizes to ideal 15 to 18 student range for Pre-K to 5 (Currently 69% of our K-5 classes have 20 - 25 students and 89% have 19 or more kids!!! )
2. Eliminate trailers from all schools
3. Develop an incremental 5 to 10-year building plan that addresses not only current overcrowding, but also the impending threat of 3 housing d apartment developments with (based on 1.2 to 1.8 children per HH) will swell our district with 600 to 1,800 children within 5 to 7 years
4. Elevate our commitment to student mental and physical health and wellness through
   1. Require 100% participation in the President’s Physical Fitness Program where kids have definitive benchmarks, special needs allowances and can earn a patch/award upon achieving each grade level requirement
   2. Encourage healthy food choices through the elimination of processed snacks increasing the offerings of whole fruits and vegetables.
   3. Reinstitute the health and wellness tracking program requiring kids to log their activity for months per year
5. Fund the Facilities and the Future: Create a focus on fund development and 21st Century public-private strategic partnerships with corporations, foundations and association, generating grants, sponsorships, donations, internships, mentorships, in-kind C&I partnerships and building/classroom learning lab sponsorships; funding the future while reducing tax payer burden