Seattle Public Schools faces a wave of criticism as it dismantles its Highly Capable Cohorts program for gifted students, a move administrators claim will lead to more diversity, equity and inclusion in the district. The shift replaces the old program with a new one initiated in 2021: the Highly Capable School Neighborhood Model, a whole-classroom approach in which students of all capabilities are in the same classroom, but the teacher individualizes learning plans for each student.
There won’t be extra staff for that model, leading some critics to question how sincere the district is at addressing needs of gifted learners, who can become problem students if they suffer from chronic boredom. In addition, teaching gifted students is a specialty, as is teaching students with learning disabilities. In Seattle, slow learners and fast learners will be in the same class, and teachers will have to adapt.
According to the district’s website, the decision reflects a commitment to addressing historical inequities by altering how advanced learners and highly capable students are identified and served.
The Washington Policy Center has criticized the change, saying it is racially motivated.
Senate Bill 5044 was passed by the Washington Legislature in 2021 and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, adding diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism curricula to existing cultural competency training for school board directors, district staff, and school staff.
The school district says the new model will offer improved services, and will be “more inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive.”
In Anchorage, the Anchorage School Board is planning to cut the IGNITE program for gifted students in its upcoming budget. the plan is to cut the program from 20 teachers down to two teachers who would be tasked with covering 60 elementary schools and a total of 2,000 gifted students in Anchorage.
