From The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – May 2nd

May 2, 2013 admin

Your Action is Needed Immediately! Last chance to influence Highly Capable funding – contact the legislators below.

“Legislature Determines That Access to Highly Capable Basic Education Must Continue to Depend on Your Zip Code”

This might well be the headline, UNLESS YOU CHANGE IT. Today, 40% of districts offer no programs or services for their most advanced learners. Not surprisingly, inequalities in access and programming disproportionately affect small and rural districts, minorities, and poor students. The Legislature has done nothing to remedy the situation for the future.

There is no other part of basic education that is being told that to ensure proper funding, parents must go to their local school boards and ask for it. Access to highly capable programming needs to be uniform statewide and should not depend on your zip code.

The state Constitution requires that the state fully fund basic education for all students and HCP services are basic education for gifted students.

Relying on local school districts to decide whether or how to fund a portion of basic education is neither fair nor equitable. The McCleary Decision says it is unconstitutional. Today’s state funding level – 2.314% of enrollment, unchanged since 2007- is demonstrably inadequate.

The Legislature must correct this situation in this session for all of Washington’s Highly Capable children, and follow the Quality Education Council’s recommendation for increased funding at 5% of enrollment.

What you need to do today:

Please use this message, or compose one of your own, and send it to each of the legislators listed below. Not all are participating in the budget negotiations but all have influence with those who are.

You may wish to use the Legislative Hotline but that requires a much shorter and more concise message. 1.800.562.6000

This is an ACTION ALERT! – From The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education

March 28, 2013 admin

Dear Gifted Education Advocate,

We must convince legislators to increase funding for Highly Capable Education, and need your immediate action. Thank you in advance for your advocacy.

Please do the following TODAY or TOMORROW. Please have students leave messages as well!

1. If you do not already know, find your legislators here.
2. Call the Toll-Free Legislative Hotline, 8AM to 8PM at 1-800-562-6000 and leave this message for your State Representatives:

“I want you to tell Representative Hunter that it is time for Washington State to ensure equity for all students. I want you to increase Highly Capable Education funding to 5%, the level recommended by the Quality Education Council.”

3. Call the Toll-Free Legislative Hotline, 8AM to 8PM at 1-800-562-6000 and leave this message for your State Senator:

“I want you to tell Senators Tom and Hill that it is time for Washington State to ensure equity for all students. I want you to increase Highly Capable Education funding to 5%, the level recommended by the Quality Education Council.”

4. Follow up with short emails to your State Representatives and Senator. Email addresses use this format: Firstname.Lastname@leg.wa.gov or find them at https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

5. Send additional emails to Ross.Hunter@leg.wa.gov, Rodney.Tom@leg.wa.gov, and Andy.Hill@leg.wa.gov

You may wish to provide them with more information in your email. Feel free to add your personal experience, or use the information below.

With 5% funding the state’s Highly Capable Programs plan will:

Ensure equity for all students by supporting early identification, a continuum of services K-12, along with appropriate professional development.
Provide equitable screening that eliminates bias
Establish a deliberate, systematic effort to look at traditionally underserved populations.
Widen opportunity for young children (K-3) who show potential in comparison to their classmates, and to develop that potential to see where it may lead.
Provide programming appropriate to the student’s strength.

We are counting on you to take action immediately. There are tens of thousands of Highly Capable children in Washington state who need your help!

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Jan. 27th

January 28, 2013 admin

At last, the most anticipated publishing event of the year is here – the GEDay handbook is finally ready!

It is attached in 3 parts: Basics, Spotlights, Myths & Facts. If you were looking for something and don’t find it included, please contact us for more information.

For those bringing student groups, and who wish to make a curriculum connection with the trip to Olympia, there is a lot of information on the state web sites. The legislature website has lots of materials on curriculum that might be used by you. Try civic education, bill information; http://www.des.wa.gov/services/facilities/CapitolCampus/teacher/Pages/default.aspx; and http://www.leg.wa.gov/BackToSchool/Pages/default.aspx#lesson_plans

It may not be too late to schedule a guided tour of the capitol building.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Jan. 3rd

January 3, 2013 admin

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The Coalition needs your input.

Have you talked with a legislator in the past year about Highly Capable Programs/gifted education? If yes, please send us an email at wagifted@earthlink.net and tell us:

– Who you talked with
– Their District
– Topic of the conversation
– How the Legislator views the issue of programs and funding for Highly Capable students – e.g. enthusiastic supporter prepared to speak up; lukewarm; not in favor of; needs more information; a believer that “all students are gifted;” etc.
– Your name and email address in case we need to contact you.

We need this information to target our planning to build legislative support for ample funding of HCP. Thank you for your participation.

Opportunities for advocates:
1. A reminder of the Connections Conference sponsored by our partner the Northwest Gifted Child Association on February 9, 2013.

2. We present the following as an informational piece only. This does not constitute either a recommendation or endorsement.
Seabury School, Tacoma, is presenting its 3rd Annual Gifted Education Seminar on February 20th. Click here if you are interested in this event.

3. Last, but certainly not least, Gifted Education Day, March 19, 2013, Columbia Room of the Legislative Building in Olympia. More information will be forthcoming soon. Please plan to join us – March 19th.

If you are planning to be in Olympia, you can find a lot of excellent information at Visiting the State Capitol.

Other reminders:
4. We are up to 637 followers on Facebook. We hope to reach 750 by the time the Legislature begins considering ample funding for HCP. If you use Facebook, please “like” us NOW.

5. As usual, all three gifted groups need funding. Attached are two membership/donation options: The Joint Memberships in the Coalition, NWGCA and WAETAG or membership in the Coalition only. Please consider joining/donating to one or more of these support organizations.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Dec. 10th

December 10, 2012 admin

At our general meeting on November 30, members of the Coalition decided on our priority for the next legislative session. Our main effort will be to increase state funding for HCP. This can only be done by changing the formula. In order to change the formula, we will need specific legislation since the current formula is enacted in statute.

We are waiting to see what the QEC recommends to the Legislature regarding HCP funding. In prior recommendations they have asked the Legislature to enact a new funding formula. If their recommendations this year continue to request this, and they suggest a specific piece of legislation, we will support that bill. If the recommendation does not contain suggested legislation, we will have to feel our way forward, depending on the mood of the Legislature.

We recognize that 2013 may not be the year to request more money. However, the McCleary decision requires the Legislature to show year by year progress to full funding for basic education, and a new formula for HCP goes some way to meet that requirement at a relatively low cost.

Last year, advocates gathered in Olympia to say thank you to legislators for making HCP an integral part of basic education. Our theme for Gifted Education Day, March 19, will be to continue to educate legislators on the unique needs of gifted students. Approximately 1/3rd of the Legislature will consist of new members so we have a gigantic job ahead of us. The upcoming Gifted Education Day Handbook will contain a number of suggested themes you can use when talking with your legislators. A list of legislators will be forthcoming. Start planning now to join us in Olympia on March 19th.
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Have you talked/corresponded with a legislator recently? Will you be talking/corresponding with one in the coming months? If yes, we will appreciate hearing from you about the conversation. Please email us the following information about any contacts you make.

Name and title of person contacted:

Type of contact (personal or group visit) (email contact) (letter) (phone)

Issues discussed:

Is the Coalition expected to follow up with this contact?

Describe any follow-up needed:

Notes and comments; was contact supportive or enthusiastic about HCP:

Your name:

Group, if any:

Your email address or other contact information in case we need to check with you:

Note: Legislators now request that we send everything by email and not send printed letters and materials unless specifically requested. Email addresses of current or re-elected members are on the legislature web site. Email addresses of newly elected members will be available after the start of session, January 14th.
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On the federal level, a petition garnering support for the TALENT Act, is on line. If you wish to support the petition, you can use the links on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/wagifted or go to NAGC and click on Petition on the Talent Act to lend your support. http://www.nagc.org/
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Are you looking for educational opportunities online for yourself or your gifted students? The Coalition’s internet service provider recently sent this list of online education resources. I checked them and they are legitimate. Sending this list to you does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement; it is for informational purposes only.

Kahn Academy: award-winning education site for all ages (free)

Starfall: specializes in pre-K & K-2 phonics and reading (free)

Study Ladder: videos, activities, worksheets & more in 10 subjects (free trials + subscriptions)

Academic Earth: free videos & courses from top U.S. universities

Purdue OWL: leading free writing lab; great writing & grammar exercises

MIT OpenCourseWare: get virtually all MIT course content for free

Coursera: free online courses from the world’s top universities

Smarthistory: art history education by time, style, artist or theme

CreativeLIVE: free workshops in photography, design, filmmaking & more

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Sept. 10th

September 12, 2012 admin

Campaign Season In Full Swing; General Election Coming Up

• Due to retirements and redistricting, many of you are finding yourself in a new district and/or with new candidates to consider.

• We will have a new Governor and education seems to be a major issue in the campaign.

• 20% of the seats in the Legislature are open.

• Supt. of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will be unopposed on the ballot.

• Initiative 1240 on charter schools is among the issues before the voters.

Do visit the web page of the Secretary of State for more voter information, a voters’ guide and make use of your custom-tailored voter guide. http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2012/09/heres-your-wa-2012-electionataglance/

If you missed the gubernatorial debate on education (August 29) and the presentations on the initiatives, they are archived on TVW and can be viewed on your computer. http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwsearch&year=2012&contentCode=G

Please attend candidate forums and presentations and ask key questions about the candidate’s support for Highly Capable Programs.

The following are some key points to be made when questioning candidates.

– Washington is on the cutting edge in establishing a quality education for Highly Capable students. We are the first state to make it a part of basic education.

– To retain the educated business community and their families, we need to provide a high quality education system for children who will be our future leaders. Support for Highly Capable Programs is an opportunity to move forward in raising standards and promoting economic growth in Washington.

– Three important pieces are now in place:

Effective with the school year 2012-2013, Highly Capable Programs are part of basic education for students in K – 12.
Highly Capable Program Technical Work Force was given the mission to standardize state-level procedures, including definition, identification, and criteria for programs. This task is completed and the Report is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/HighlyCapable/Workgroup/default.aspx
Special Endorsement – Washington State now offers educators a special endorsement in gifted education.

– The challenge is to insure that districts have the support needed to fully implement highly capable programs K-12 as part of basic education.

Kate Simkowiak

The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education