G/T Committee Meeting Minutes
March 22, 2010
In attendance: Geoffrey Ohl, Natalie Hoyt, Brittany Robey, Angela Stanford, Tara Blood, Disa Lyon, Laura Grabowsky, Margaret Fitzgerald, Jane Miller, Darien Ross, Bahereh Parsa,
- Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 4:22 pm.
- Texas Performance Standards:
Dean Hoyt announced that the G/T 8th grade Social Study classes will be incorporating the Texas Performance Standards Project (“TPSP”) into its curriculum for the remainder of the school year. She feels that, with the TPSP, the 8th graders will be pushed to higher level thinking skills. The project will begin with a presearch question. The students will do the majority of the work in the classroom, so that they have the scaffolding in place if they have questions or clarification. The teacher will be there to help them along.
The 8th grade TPSP has several topics from which to choose. Dean Hoyt envisions allowing the student s to select the topic that is most appealing. One of the topics begins with reading a historical fiction book. Because of this angle, Mr. Ohl feels that even the English class could be pulled into the project. The research will be done mostly in the social studies’ classroom, though. The children will be asked to use index cards on which they will take notes, color coding the cards into like-subject areas. A primary purpose of the project is for the students to learn the proper way to research. One parent feels strongly that all the teachers must have a united front on this project: the teachers all offer the same three focus questions and require the same three color coding protocol in order for all the G/T students to benefit equally.
- Meeting with Westside High School
At a previous meeting, the committee concluded that one way to improve West Briar’s G/T program is to receive feedback from the high school on the readiness of incoming freshmen, matriculating from West Briar. Mr. Wyatt, 8th grade G/T English teacher, visited with his counterpart a month or so back and returned with some positive suggestions on improvement to the 8th grade English curriculum.
Dean Hoyt has been trying to set up a similar meeting with a Westside Science teacher. She has not met with much success but is still persevering to find just the right one. After acquiring a meeting with a science teacher, she will try to schedule a meeting with a geometry teacher.
- DBQ
At one of the G/T Committee Meetings in the fall, Ms. Stanford, 8th grade G/T Social Studies teacher, discussed how she was incorporating DBQ’s (Data Based Questions) into her curriculum. The Westside Social Studies Chair came to Ms. Stanford last summer and told her that West Briar needed to improve their critical writing skills and learn how to write using DBQ’s. Ms Stanford returned to the committee to give an update.
The DBQ Project was started in 2000 at the University of Illinois to help teachers help students read with understanding, think straight, and write clearly. The Project is modeled on the Document Based Question in the Advanced Placement History tests. The power of the DBQ is that it encapsulates the thinking and writing skills that good history and social studies teachers value most: close analysis and interrogation of documents, deep reading for understanding, and powerful evidence-based writing. The pedagogy of the DBQ Project is driven by the simple question, "How should the teacher structure the DBQ experience so that kids of all skill levels are challenged and successful.”
Ms. Stanford feels that her students are making baby steps in learning the process. The first one they did on the Colonies was an arduous process; the second one was about the Constitution and she felt was a little dry. The one they are working on now covers the Civil War. Ms. Stanford is anticipating that the students will enjoy this unit and will show even more improvement.
Dean Hoyt mentioned that the 7th grade teachers just received their DBQ Book. Probably next year the 7th grade G/T teachers will incorporate the DBQ Project into their curriculum.
Regarding the Social Studies TAKS Test at the end of April, Ms. Stanford informed the committee that she is not dedicating much time in her classroom to prepare her students. On March 3, she administered the 2009 Social Studies Released TAKS test. She felt that the G/T students did very well. Across the whole 8th grade, 29.3 % were commended on the practice test. In Mr. Rogers’ Social Study’s G/T class, approximately 48% were commended. In Ms. Stanford’s G/T classes, about 69% were commended.
- Mandatory Reading
At a previous meeting, when discussing ways to improve the English curriculum, Mr. Wyatt talked about assigning The Lord of the Flies as mandatory reading for the 8th grade G/T classes. Mr. Wyatt’s class is currently reading the book; Mr. Lowe’s class will read it next.
According to Dean Hoyt, the 6th and 7th grade English teachers were delighted to take up mandatory reading again. The 6th graders will be reading The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. The 7th graders are going to read Alice in Wonderland.
- POW’s?
Mr. Ohl wondered if the parents are seeing that POW’s are being assigned on a regular, consistent basis. The 8th grade parents reported seeing their children doing POW’s every 2 weeks. The 7th grade parents on the committee mentioned that their children are doing a POW pretty much every other week. On the other hand, the 6th grade parents on the committee reported that they have not seen very many; the 6th graders have been assigned maybe only 2 POW’s since it was discussed at the February meeting.
- Other
- Test, Quiz and Assignment Schedule
One parent commented that she does not feel that the website is being updated regularly with assignments, but even more importantly, with upcoming quizzes and tests. Mr. Ohl said that sometimes it is hard to keep it up to date as teachers are not able to anticipate how long it may take to get through the material on a certain unit.
Ms. Robey noted that she sends out a “Weekly Blast” to all the parents who provided her with an email address. In her Weekly Blast, she mentions what is coming up that week and what to expect ahead for projects, tests and quizzes. She feels that this is not only a service to her parents by keeping them informed but also to herself. By proactively distributing this information, she receives fewer emails from the parents.
Mr. Ohl likes the idea of the Weekly Blast and will encourage all his G/T teachers to use this type of communication.
- Spelling Bee
One parent asked why West Briar does not participate in the Spelling Bee. If the Science Olympiad is offered for the gifted science students, this parent felt that the Spelling Bee should be offered for the gifted ELA student. Mr. Ohl pointed out that the Spelling Bee is offered at West Briar. The students compete within each classroom and the winners of the classroom go on to the school wide competition.
- Do-Overs
Mr. Ohl feels that the goal of education is to teach the child. In this regard, he does not feel that a child who makes a failing grade on a test has learned anything. He encourages the teachers to allow the students to make up a test if they fail it. In fact, in Science, the student is allowed to make up a test if he or she make below an 80 on the test.
In order for a student to qualify for a Do-Over, the student must first come in for a tutorial. This is to make sure that the student learns the material. In most of the classes, a different test must be given, especially if the first test was multiple choice. In some classes though the same test can be re-given, like Algebra, where the student is demonstrating that he or she knows the process.
- Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 5:45.
Respectfully Submitted,
Disa Lyon