MA Bill HR 3490 - An Act Relative to Gifted and Talented Students

Sponsored by: Representative Geraldine Creedon,
Representative Deborah Blumer, and Representative Peter Larkin
Submitted by: Judith Platt
Supported by: Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education (MAGE)
MA Department of Education Advisory Council on Gifted Education

Revised version reported out by Joint Committee on Education, Arts and Humanities - February, 2004

(Proposed amendments to Massachusetts General Law, Part I, Administration of the Government, Title XII, Education, are in bold; editorial comments are in italics.)

Chapter 69: Powers and Duties of the Department of Education, General Provisions
Section 1I. Performance of public school districts and individual public schools; evaluation system; assessment instruments; reports
(Regarding MCAS)
In addition, comprehensive diagnostic assessment of individual students shall be conducted at least in the fourth, eighth and tenth grades. Said diagnostic assessments shall identify academic achievement levels of all students in order to inform teachers, parents, administrators and the students themselves, as to individual academic performance. The board shall develop procedures for updating, improving or refining the assessment and reporting systems in order to document and actively promote within each school and district proficiency for all students and advanced achievement for those capable of outstanding performance.

Chapter 71: Public Schools, School Committees
Section 38G. Certification for certain teaching and administrative positions; provisional and standard certificates; policies and guidelines regarding requirements and qualifications; applications; recommendations; review; continuing education; renewal of certificat.
(As part of the introductory definitions of Chapter 71, after the definition of “Board” would be inserted a revised version of the 1998 definition created by the DOE for G&T grants)
“Gifted and talented”, any student in grades pre-K through 12 who meets any of the following: (1) demonstrates results on a standardized aptitude examination which is three or more standard deviations above the mean; (2) performs, or is capable performing, satisfactorily at two or more grade levels above the student's chronological age, as determined by an evaluation by the student’s teacher; or, (3) a student who is no more than 13 years of age and demonstrates a score on the math or verbal scholastic aptitude test which is equal to, or greater than, the average on either test obtained by college-bound high school juniors.

(Regarding certification of new teachers, and recertification of current teachers, the following would be inserted after the 22^nd paragraph which requires training in strategies for children with disabilities for all teachers.)
The board shall further require that in order to receive a provisional or standard educator certificate persons applying for such certificate shall have completed courses or training session in strategies and methods for the effective instruction of gifted and talented students to help such students reach their full potential. The board shall also require, as a provision of an educator’s recertification, that all educators have training in such strategies and methods.

(Regarding professional development)
The board shall establish policies and guidelines for approval for any continuing education units, inservice seminars, projects, courses and other activities which would be deemed sufficient to maintain the development of professional skills including, but not limited to, strategies and methods for the effective instruction of students who are gifted and talented, and the knowledge of subject matter pertinent to particular certificates in accordance with the same procedures used for initial approval of collegiate preparation programs. The commissioner shall establish for each certification alternate methods for fulfilling the professional development requirement, at least one of which must be at no cost to persons employed by a school district who are engaging in such an activity for the purpose of satisfying the professional development requirements for recertification of this section.

Chapter 71: Section 38Q. Professional development plans; statewide assistance plan (Regarding a district’s Professional Development Plan, inserted after the 6^th sentence)
Every school district in the commonwealth shall adopt and implement a professional development plan for all principals, teachers, other professional staff, paraprofessionals …and annually shall update such plans and set forth a budget…Said plan may include teacher training which addresses the effects of gender bias in the classroom. The plan shall also include training in analyzing and accommodating students who are gifted and talented to help them reach their full potential.

Chapter 71: Section 38Q 1/2 %p1/2%p. Curriculum accommodation plan
(Regarding a district’s Curriculum Accommodation Plan, new paragraph added)
A school district shall adopt and implement a curriculum accommodation plan to assist principals in ensuring that all efforts have been made to meet students' needs in regular education. The plan shall be designed to assist the regular classroom teacher in analyzing and accommodating diverse learning styles of all children in the regular classroom and in providing appropriate services and support within the regular education program including, but not limited to: direct and systematic instruction in reading; provision of services to address the needs of children whose behavior may interfere with learning or who do not qualify for special education services under chapter 71B…

A curriculum accommodation plan shall also provide curriculum accommodations for students who are gifted and talented.