lA~R ATIE Gifted and Talented Youth Program ~ MON \Q::i UNIVERSITY Voice: 973-655-41 04

Fax: 973-655-7895

Testimony for Public Hearing

New Jersey Department of Education

ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session #3 New Jersey and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

September 14, 2016

Paulette V. Blowe 1130 West 7th Street

Plainfield, NJ 07063

Good evening:

My name is Paulette Blowe. I am a student/a life-long learner and an educator. I am the Director

of the Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Youth Program and serve as a member of

the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC). In all of

these roles, I am morally, ethically, intellectually, statutorily, and contractually obligated to

provide for the education and advocacy of gifted and talented youth in the state ofNJ.

In spite of the events that took place on Oct. 4, 1957, the reaction to and subsequent public

education reforms, too many students are still (59 years later) languishing in K-12 classrooms,

schools, and districts. These students are not identified at worst, misidentified at best; are

disengaged, unchallenged, underserved academically, and marginalized. Gifted and Talented

students, like other student populations, have discernible academic and social-emotional needs

that must be addressed - countering the myth that this population of students succeed without

intervention.

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Fortunately, relevant, concise, and coherent provisions for educating and advocating for gifted

and talented students are found in the ESSA. The Montclair State University Gifted and Talented

On-Site Program is in its 35th year of providing education programs and advocacy services to

gifted and talented youth. Through our newly created Off-Site Program and revitalized Online

Program, we are increasing access to and creating greater opportunity for New Jersey's gifted

and talented youth to be engaged, challenged, and included in the state plan for enacting the

ESSA.

Montclair State University's Gifted and Talented On-Site, Off-Site, and Online Programs are

exemplary in that they include 3 dimensions of best practice in education and advocacy (for

gifted and talented youth, specifically, as well as for other populations):

1. Constellar and contiguous approaches to the implementation of ESSA state and district

requirements (Title I, II, and IV)

2. Technical support: differentiated for the building of individual and collective capacity

and competence

3. Sustainability: ensuring the integrity, relevance, and duration of programs and services

My associates and I offer our diverse expertise and collective experience to guide the State

Department of Education and legislators in implementing the ESSA provisions for meeting the

needs of gifted and talented youth. We look forward to meeting with you.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present to you this evening.

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The Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Off-Site Program will, in collaboration with the District and in accordance with the NJ.A. C. 6A:8 Standards and Assessment for Student Achievement and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Pre-K-12 Gifted

Programming Standards identify, evaluate for effectiveness existing programs/services for gifted and talented students; and, in collaboration with the District when there are no existing programs/services for gifted and talented students, define, develop, implement, and evaluate for effectiveness K-12 Gifted/Talented and Enrichment programs/services.

1. Talent Search. Screening and identification of gifted and talented students within the District's K-12 student population.

a. Design, develop, implement, and evaluate for effectiveness a screening and identification system (where no system exists)

b. Refurbish, implement, and evaluate for effectiveness a screening and identification system (where a system exists)

2. Program Development. Determining and providing a continuum of services that address the District's identified gifted and talented students' needs (interests and abilities).

a. Learning environments. Creating safe learning environments that catalyze intellectual development and foster positive social/emotional growth, while facilitating the development of leadership attributes.

b. Curricula, instruction, and assessments. Identifying and implementing a repertoire of evidence-based curricula development strategies and instructional strategies informed by the use of multiple types of assessments.

c. Resource identification and use. Augmenting and integrating current technologies to increase student, teacher, and administrator access to gifted and talented programming/services; fostering collaboration with parents/guardians and community based organizations/agencies to ensure identified students' learning needs are met; allocating/reallocating resources (fiscal and non-fiscal) so that all identified gifted and talented students receive appropriate and adequate educational services.

3. Program Evaluation. Determining/defining program purpose; collection and analysis of baseline data; evaluation of implementation processes, short-term outcome indicators, and long­term outcome indicators.

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4. Educator Professional Development (PD). Fostering intentional development of the

district educators' (teachers, administrators, parent-teacher organizations) professional

knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness in rendering appropriate programs and services

to identified gifted and talented students pursuant to the NAGC Standard 6: Professional

Development.

6. I . I. Educators systematically participate in ongoing, research-supported professional development that addresses the foundations ofgifted education, characteristics ofstudents with gifts and talents, assessment, curriculum planning and instruction, learning environments, and programming.

5. MSU Gifted and Talented Certificate Program. Providing aspiring and practicing

classroom teachers, resource specialists, educational consultants, and administrators the

knowledge and skills necessary to develop expertise in planning, developing, and

administering gifted and talented programs in schools, cultural institutions, and community

settings.

6. Mterschool Enrichment. Developing, implementing, and supporting the sustaining of

accessible, engaging, cross-curricula activities and services differentiated to meet the

identified skills and interests of students with the goals of I) enhancing students' motivation

to learn and 2) improving academic achievement for participating students. While an MSU Subject Matter Expert may conduct an initial afterschool enrichment program, the goal is to tum-key, through professional development, so that in-school/in-district teachers become the developers and facilitators (and sustainers) of subsequent afterschool and/or day-imbedded enrichment programs.

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