Magnet School Proposed For Gifted Students District 81 Task Force Also Suggests Expanding Honors Classes, Appointing A Coordinator

A magnet school for high-achieving students is one of several recommendations from a task force studying Spokane School District 81’s gifted-education programs.

Comprised of parents and teachers, the group will revise its proposals before taking them to the school board this spring, said curriculum coordinator Fran Mester.

The magnet school, as envisioned, would involve a full-time program for gifted students in grades 1 through 12. It would be an addition to - not a replacement for - the district’s current programs for gifted students.

Other recommendations include: Appoint a coordinator to provide leadership for gifted education at all grade levels.

Review and revise how students are chosen for current gifted-education programs. The group heard parents complain that the process unfairly excludes minority students and students from certain schools. At the middle schools, admittance standards vary.

Support extracurricular competition such as Odyssey of the Mind and Science Olympiad.

Ensure that each school has at least one teacher trained in gifted education.

Expand types of honors classes at middle schools and high schools.

Create a mentorship program to match students with professionals.

Teach teachers to challenge all children using gifted-education techniques such as critical thinking.

Improve communications with teachers, parents and the community.

Recently, more than 800 students applied for 150 slots in the new Saturday Academy, a weekend program for high-achievers.

“Definitely, the community is telling us we need to see some options,” Mester said.

District 81 currently offers several programs for gifted and high-achieving students.

Gifted students in grades 2 through 6 attend Tessera, a one-day-a-week program at Libby Center.

Students in grades 7 and 8 take Extended Learning Program classes in language arts and social studies.

High school students take honors classes designed to prepare them for college.

Also available are advanced-placement classes in which high school students can take an exam and potentially receive college credit. Juniors and seniors also may attend college classes through the Running Start program.

The task force has worked for more than a year as part of the district’s strategic planning process.

, DataTimes MEMO: What’s next? The task force will gather public opinion on its recommendations Thursday at 7 p.m. at Shadle Park High School, 4327 N. Ash.