By Maggie Blackwell
mblackwell@salisburypost.com
Rowan-Salisbury school administrators assured parents Thursday night that proposed changes for academically or intellectually gifted ó AIG ó students is “off the table for now.” They hinted that modifications in some form will occur.
Officials met with a crowd Thursday night as 150 parents filled every chair in the Horizons Unlimited meeting room. More parents stood in hallways.
The meeting was held at the school board’s request to seek input from parents on changes being considered for AIG students.
Administrators spent the first hour of the meeting discussing the need for students’ end of grade test scores to continue to improve and defining “rigor” in the classroom.
Students’ grades on EOG tests must continue to climb as they move to the next grade. While a score may place a child in the 90th percentile in third grade, resulting in a grade of IV, the same score in fourth grade places the student in only the 72nd percentile, resulting in a grade of III.
Administrators said their efforts were focused on helping gifted students continue to show progress on tests.
But parents weren’t satisfied.
“You’ve spent an hour and 10 minutes talking about EOG scores and ‘rigor,’ and I want to know what that has to do with cutting AIG?” one parent asked.
Others seemed equally frustrated. “Is there data to support dismantling AIG as we know it?” another parent asked.
Dr. Rebecca Smith, Kelly Feamster and Wanda Kluttz, school system administrators, sought to answer questions after the presentation.
“As parents can you see how we felt threatened? That’s where we are coming from tonight. I still do not have 100 percent confidence that we are ready for a big change,” said Jennifer Burks, who has two AIG daughters at Hurley Elementary.
Burks later said she was unsure enough groundwork had been laid to implement any changes and she wanted to see data supporting the need for it.
Smith, assistant superintendent for curriculum, told parents the goal in changing the program is twofold: to save money and to provide consistency across schools. The state budget is not final, she said, but officials have been told to expect cuts of 3 percent to 7 percent.
She said AIG services are inconsistent, with one teacher serving 30 children while another has only 10. Some gifted students receive more hours of AIG instruction than others.
Parents confirmed the inconsistencies.
Steve and Chris Jones have a third-grader at Koontz Elementary who receives one hour of AIG education a week. “He was never bored in Guilford County,” they said. “This year, for the first time, he says, ‘I’m bored.’ ”
Granite Quarry parents Wendy Guzman and Stephanie Hawley have third-graders who receive 25 minutes a day of AIG instruction. They have concerns, however, since their AIG teacher is away on medical leave. A physical education teacher has stepped in for the rest of the year.
Kim Lentz has a fourth- grader at Millbridge. “I feel like things are OK for the moment, but I’m unsure about the long term,” she said. “I’m glad we’re looking at consistency.”
Anne and Glenn Lindsay also have an AIG student at Millbridge. They praised their AIG teacher, Gina Gregory, as talented and dedicated. “This program is absolutely necessary to raise our next generation of doctors and engineers.”