Equal education for all

Last night, MCEA member George Vlasits testified before the BOE on behalf of the Montgomery County Education Fund to request that the BOE  ask the State Board of Education to delay approval of a new regulations regarding "Gifted and Talented" education.

Testimony of George Vlasits, Executive Director, Montgomery County Education Fund

Montgomery County Board of Education Meeting, 2/14/12

Members of the Board,

Thank you for this opportunity to address an issue of vital interest to our school system and its students. Two weeks from today the Md. State Board of Education is set to approve a drastic extension of the COMAR regulations concerning gifted and talented education. We, at MCEF, are very concerned that these regulations have been crafted without adequate input from those who will be impacted.

I am here today to ask the Board to take immediate action and urge the State BOE to delay approval, to allow time for thorough review and analysis, particularly considering the potential consequences the changes will have on the education of minority, low income and ELL students.

Our concerns are as follows:

1. These regulations require “different” programs in Grades PreK-12 which will have a negative effect on MCPS’ long standing commitment to providing enriched and innovative instruction for all students, rather than tracking students based on early identification of “academic promise”.
2. They mandate an identification process that begins in PreK (ages 3 & 4), even though there is no sound, research based, evidence for such early identification. In addition, moving the process to an earlier age will exacerbate the gaps in the identification process which have been well documented in the MCPS SIPPI report.
3. The regulations are an unfunded mandate which is particularly troubling in this period of budget restraint. They will undoubtedly have the consequence of shifting resources away from the education of the general population of students and thus result in aggravating the achievement gaps.

Time is of the essence. Once enacted, these regulations may well result in the dismantling of MCPS’ efforts to provide a world class education for ALL STUDENTS. Thank you.

Attachments

Proposed COMAR regulations: Chapter 13A.04.07 Gifted and Talented Education

MCEF Petition to the Maryland State Board of Education

For further information please contact

            gvlasits@gmail.com

To find out more about MCEF, visit our website

            www.mcef.org