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Letter to the Montgomery County Board of Education from the president of the GTLD Network
Robin Metalitz
GTLD Network President
September 1, 2023
Ms, Karla Silvestre, MCPS Board of Education President
CC:
Mrs. Shebra Evans, MCPS Board of Education Vice President
Ms. Brenda Wolfe, MCPS Board Member, District 5
Ms. Grace Rivera-Oven, MCPS Board Member, District 1
Ms. Lynne Harris, Board Member, At Large
Ms. Jule Yang, MCPS Board Member, District 3
Mrs. Rebecca Smondrowski, MCPS Board Member, District 2
Mr. Sami Saeed, MCPS Student Member of the Board
Dr. Monifa McKnight, MCPS Superintendent
Ms. Kia Middleton-Murphy, Acting Director, Special Education
Mrs. Sarah P. Jackson Twice-Exceptional Instructional Specialist
Ms. Christine Robertson, Principal, LVBES
Ms. Joan Vilkinofsky, Vice Principal, LVBES
GTLD Network
Dear Ms. Silvestre,
As President of the GTLD Network, a network of parents, educators and students who advocate for the success of the Twice Exceptional program at MCPS, I write with deep concern over the state of the Twice Exceptional program, countywide, but especially the Elementary School program at Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary School.
As it currently stands, LVBES has not been able to recruit sufficient instructors to support the program. This has led to a major modification of the program to the point that many parents have concerns that their kids’ needs will not be met. The school has told them that they plan to modify the students IEPs, a sign that they are not equipped to meet the IEPs as they currently stand. Modifying a student’s IEP based on the staffing of a school is in potential violation of the purpose of an IEP – to meet the needs of a student – and this situation is unacceptable.
This is not an isolated situation – for years parents have had major concerns over the operations of the program at LVBES. Multiple parents report the teachers as being under-resourced to meet the academic, behavioral, and emotional needs of the students. First, parents report that despite the students being identified as gifted there has been a near complete lack of an accelerated curriculum to the students. Without enrichment this exacerbates the learning differences which impacts the behavior and emotional challenges in the classroom. In fact, with the lack of resources, parents have reported volatile and sometimes violent situations in classrooms that led to teachers needing to frequently call for help, and which led to one teacher being injured several years ago. This has led to major instructor turnover and burnout, harm to the mental health of the students, a high student dropout rate (including several leaving MCPS entirely), and loss of learning opportunities for the students.
The program as a whole has suffered from a large lack of transparency, with major impacts on equity of access and of the ability of Twice Exceptional students to receive the accommodations and support they need, including a lack of accelerated instruction, a core aspect of the program..
Many parents and teachers report an unclear and drawn-out process for making a Twice-Exceptional determination, often hitting roadblocks along the way. There is no apparent standard benchmark by which the determination is made that a student is Twice Exceptional, and even when a student may potentially qualify, many parents report not being told of the program’s existence, often relying on a network of friendships with other parents who are involved with the program. And there is no apparent training or other system for teachers to identify possible Twice Exceptional students and get them the accommodations and support they need.
This lack of process creates a shocking level of inequity within the system – it means that the families who manage to get into the program often need to be well-connected and have the time and resources to push their children through multiple hoops and know how to be strong advocates for them in order to access this program. Parents without these resources and connections often cannot access this program.
MCPS’s GTLD/Twice Exceptional program was once a nationally-recognized leader in setting up students for success. That reputation is deeply imperiled as the system currently stands.
As a product of MCPS education myself, and raising two children who attend MCPS Schools (one of whom is a student in this program), I’m deeply invested in saving this program and building a more equitable system that meets the needs of all our kids.
On behalf of the Network, I request the following:
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A complete overhaul and considerably more resources dedicated to the Elementary School Twice Exceptional program, including potentially moving it to a school (or multiple schools) better set up to meet the program’s needs.
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Dedicated resources to ensuring an academically accelerated program within all grades for Twice Exceptional students.
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A streamlined process for identifying Twice Exceptional students including clear benchmarks that prioritize equity and access
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More training for teachers and administrators, especially at Title I schools, on how to identify and engage with Twice Exceptional students.
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More support for teachers and administrators in dealing with students within the program who are disruptive so that they can get the support they need without endangering their fellow students or disrupting their education.
Thank you so much for your attention to these concerns. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Sincerely Yours,
Robin Metalitz
GTLD Network President
gtldpresident@gmail.com
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