ja_mageia

Subject:  Urgent Request for Information: OCDSB Gifted Program Waiting List

May 9, 2010

Dear ABC Ottawa Members and Parents of Gifted Students in the OCDSB,

We are seeking your assistance in assessing the current situation with specialized gifted classes at the OCDSB.  It has been difficult to get a complete picture through the staff of Learning Support Services.

A formal request for information on the number of applications for placement in gifted classes at the elementary and secondary level for September 2010 was made several days prior to the Board's Special Education Advisory Committee on April 28, 2010.  The numbers finally came available on Friday, May 7th.  Staff reports there were 232 applications for elementary classes and 218 for secondary.  A breakdown by grade had also been requested; to see where the demand is, and if classes would be created to meet demand.  That information was not given.

It has come to our attention the grade 2 specialized gifted class at Hawthorne will be closed; apparently due to a lack of demand.  There is also word the grade 3 gifted class at Mutchmor will be changed to a 2/3 split.

It is disconcerting that in spite of 232 applications there are classes being closed due to a lack of demand.  What we don’t know is where the demand is - at what grades and in what regions of the city.  Staff insists that demand for the gifted program is in steep decline.  Anecdotally, however, we know many parents are frustrated with the lack of availability of gifted placements.

We are seeking your assistance in compiling information that will assist us in deciding where to focus our attention.  We cannot persuade the Board of Trustees to stop or even question cuts to the gifted program unless we are able to demonstrate to them that there are substantial numbers of families with children on the waiting list for gifted placements.  Because staff will not share this information with us, SEAC, or trustees, we are putting out a plea to you to help us piece this information together.

Please---if you would like to see the congregated gifted program remain a viable option for gifted students in the OCDSB, e-mail ABC Ottawa with answers to any of the questions below that apply to you and your family.  With your assistance, we will hopefully be able to gather enough information to encourage the Board of Trustees to not only look more closely at the gifted placement cuts for next year, but also at the manner in which staff manage the waiting list and placement applications.

At this point we have heard from some parents who have been offered the requested placements for their children, but also from concerned parents who have been told there is no space for their children.  We have heard from some of whom have had siblings placed in different schools and others who, having missed the application deadline, have been told they cannot be placed on a waiting list and will not be permitted to apply until next Spring.

We have also heard Learning Support Teachers are encouraged to persuade parents to give the regular classroom a try.  If so, are your children getting the support they require?  Is adequate differentiation happening for them?

Time is of the essence: please respond to ABCOttawa@abcontario.ca by May 12th at the latest, as we hope to present this information in some form at the Education Committee meeting on May 18.

And please pass this message on to any other families you know who have applied for placements in the congregated gifted program, or who you know have an interest in the continued viability of the gifted program. The more information we can gather, the more likely we will be able to advocate effectively to the Board of Trustees. 

Key Questions (we are interested in feedback from all grade levels, not just primary): 

1) Did you apply for a gifted placement for your child/children for the 2010-2011 academic year? If yes please specify:

-- grade(s) applied for;

-- whether or not you have been offered a placement for next year, and if so, where;

-- nearest gifted site to your home;

-- number of times (years) you have applied for a gifted placement for your child/children.

2) Did you decline a gifted placement for the 2010-2011 academic year? If so why?

3) Did you receive timely and helpful information on the application process from your community school's Learning Support staff/principal?

4) Has/have your gifted child/children gone through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee process (IPRC), and do you have a one-page document called a Determination Record identifying them as gifted? If not, is this because school staff told you that IPRC's are not done unless a child is going into a specialized gifted class?

5) Have school staff told you there is no point in applying for a gifted class placement for your child/ children because there are no spots available?

6) Staff report to trustees that interest in the congregated gifted program is dropping because parents are happy with the differentiated programming that is being provided to their children in their home school. If your child is identified as gifted, has an IEP, and is receiving a differentiated program in a regular class, please let us know whether or not you believe your child's educational needs are being met in the regular class placement. 

7) A special request to any parents of gifted students who applied for placements in a grade 1 or 2 gifted class for September 2010 and were not offered a placement: staff have reported that all families who applied for grade 1 or 2 gifted placements have been offered spots in gifted classes. If you are on the waiting list for one of those grades and have not been offered a placement, please let us know, and if you would be willing to share more information about your application please contact us at: ABCOttawa@abcontario.ca.

Please note – no personal identifying information will be used in reporting the results of this questionnaire to Education Committee. We will report only the overall trend regarding applications and waiting lists to Trustees.

Thank you for your assistance! 

Sincerely,

Marc Comeau

Chapter President

ABC Ottawa 

If you have questions about this message please contact ABC at 613-860-1398, or ABCOttawa@abcontario.ca