Accelerated Program Document Elementary Buildings Reading

A CLUSTER of students in a heterogeneous class. KEY: The cluster needs ongoing differentiated learning that is different from the rest of the heterogeneous class. How do parents know if their child is part of the Accelerated program? -In May, parents receive a letter if their child is placed in the program for Accelerated reading each year their child is part of the program. Once the student is placed in the program at the elementary level, the student remains in the program unless performance proves otherwise. If a child is underperforming, communication with the parents has to occur by the classroom teacher first and attempts need to be made with the support of the GDS and GT to intervene and support the student before removal of the program should occur. What if the z-score for an Accelerated student has gone down one year and no longer fits the profile of the other students placed in the Accelerated program? -As with RtI and progress monitoring, we need to monitor, support, and intervene if necessary. Things to consider with the support of the GDS and GT include: has appropriate differentiation occurred, has the student been informed that s/he is not meeting the expectations, have goals been set, have the parents been informed? Students are placed with

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A CLUSTER of students in a heterogeneous class. KEY: The cluster needs ongoing differentiated learning that is different from the rest of the heterogeneous class. How do parents know if their child is part of the Accelerated program? -In May, parents receive letters if their child is placed in the program for Accelerated math each year their child is part of the program. Once the student is placed in the program at the elementary level, the student remains in the program unless performance proves otherwise. If a child is underperforming, communication with the parents has to occur by the classroom teacher first and attempts need to be made with the support of the GDS and GT to intervene and support the student before removal of the program should occur. What if the z-score for an Accelerated student has gone down one year and no longer fits the profile of the other students placed in the Accelerated program? -As with RtI and progress monitoring, we need to monitor, support, and intervene if necessary. Things to consider with the support of the GDS and GT include: has appropriate differentiation occurred, has the student been informed that s/he is not meeting the expectations, have goals been set, have the parents been informed? Students are placed with specific guidelines. Ultimately, we do not want any student to go in the gruzyn2011

specific guidelines. Ultimately, we do not want any student to go in the other direction in terms of progress. Regular classroom placement will be considered after other options have been discussed and tried. Why might cluster sizes vary from year to year? -Identification is based on the local population (grade level). The academic pool of the entire grade level population is one factor in determining the size. Our target population is about 5-10% identification. This is a range and there is no cut-off. We look for those students who are most discrepant from their peers.

other direction in terms of progress. Regular classroom placement will be considered after other options have been discussed and tried. Why might cluster sizes vary from year to year? -Identification is based on the local population (grade level). The academic pool of the entire grade level population is one factor in determining the size. Our target population is about 5-10% identification. This is a range and there is no cut-off. We look for those students who are most discrepant from their peers.

Which students will be pulled out for Accelerated services? Which students will be pulled out -Those students identified as for Accelerated services? Accelerated will be pulled out for -Those students identified as services. Those students with a z-score Accelerated will be pulled out for of 1.5 and above are a target services. Those students with a z-score population. These students may need of 1.5 and above are a target something even more differentiated population. These students may need than the rest of the Accelerated cluster. something even more differentiated The key here is this should be flexible than the rest of the Accelerated cluster. and decisions need to be made based The key here is this should be flexible on students and their profiles: data, and decisions need to be made based classroom performance, and teacher on students and their profiles: data, observation. classroom performance, and teacher observation. If a preassessment tool is What if my entire heterogeneous used and identified Accelerated class would benefit from the students do not preassess out, differentiated learning differentiated learning opportunities opportunities that have been should still be given to these identified crafted for the Accelerated cluster? students to work on in the classroom -Great to hear! Then we have to go that may be different from the other back to the drawing board and create identified Accelerated students and something even more differentiated for different from the rest of the class. the cluster. More differentiated does not mean more work; just different What if my entire heterogeneous work taken to an even higher level of class would benefit from the complexity. differentiated learning opportunities that have been What if those students with a 1.5 crafted for the Accelerated z-score and above do not cluster? preassess out? gruzyn2011

-Great to hear! Then we have to go back to the drawing board and create something even more differentiated for the cluster. More differentiated does not mean more work; just different work taken to an even higher level of complexity.

-Well, when you are Accelerated you are not Accelerated in everything. Monitoring needs to occur. Maybe these students can receive a quick shot of differentiation when they quickly catch on. These quick shots should be in place of, not in addition to grade level curriculum and class requirements. If these students are not performing to an expected level of proficiency when given these quick shots of differentiation, then a conference should occur and the GDS or GT should be included. What if a parent of a non-identified Accelerated student asks me what class is my student in? -The class is a heterogeneous class. (What if they saybut the Accelerated students are in there?) It is a heterogeneous class that contains the Accelerated cluster. (What if the parent asksSo does that mean my child is part of the Accelerated program if they are with these students?) No. You would have been notified in May of formal identification. *NOTE: Children are not in the Accelerated program by association. Parents sometimes assume that their child is Accelerated because their child is in the same classroom as the cluster.

What if a parent of a non-identified Accelerated student asks me what class is my student in? -The class is a heterogeneous class. (What if they saybut the Accelerated students are in there?) It is a heterogeneous class that contains the Accelerated cluster. (What if the parent asksSo does that mean my child is part of the Accelerated program if they are with these students?) No. You would have been notified in May of formal identification. *NOTE: Children are not in the Accelerated program by association. Parents sometimes assume that their child is Accelerated because their child is in the same classroom as the cluster.

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