I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START. [1. Agenda for the February 8, 2021 Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee Meeting (Part 1 of 2)] [00:00:04] >> OKAY. I MEAN WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE. HELLO EVERYONE. LET'S SEE. AS SOON AS I DO THAT, I ALWAYS GET TWO PEOPLE THAT JOIN. MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO DO. SO, A FEW MORE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE JOINING US. BUT JOINING US AS ON THE COMMITTEE TODAY IS MELISSA KUHN. HE HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE TUCKER PTA IS CONSIDERING AS THE REP FROM TUCKER. SHE WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMITTEE AND HOW WE OPERATE. AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN THE COMMITTEE IS TO ATTEND ONE OF OUR MEETINGS. SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING. FEEL FREE. YOU KNOW TO JUMP IN AND ASK QUESTIONS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS. PROVIDE YOU OPPORTUNITY. DO YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE AT THIS POINT? YOU DON'T HAVE TO OR -- WHAT GRADE IS YOUR CHILD IN? THAT MIGHT BE ONE THING. >> SORRY, I HAD TO MIND THE UNMUTE ABOUT THE. I HAVE A 5TH GRADER AND A FIRST GRADER TOO. >> GREAT, FANTASTIC. THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> THANKS FOR HAVING US. COUPLE QUICK THINGS. TOMORROW I AM ATTENDING VIRTUAL MEETING WITH THE OTHER CHAIRS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEE. THE SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR, ALL OF THOSE. THEY TRY TO BRING US ALTOGETHER AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. AND SO WE'LL JUST GO OVER THINGS FROM YOU KNOW THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THINGS THEY UNIVERSALLY WANT THEIR SUB COMMITTEES TO KNOW ABOUT. BOUNCE IDEAS AND SEE WHAT'S WORKING WELL AND A GOOD WAY TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION. ANYTHING OF PARTICULAR INTEREST COMES OUT OF THAT MEETING, I WILL LET YOU KNOW IN MARCH. AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE PRETTY MUCH INTO A QUICK STAFF UPDATE AND THEN OUR GUEST SPEAKER, WHICH I KNOW WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE OUR GUEST SPEAKER FROM LAST SPRING AND SO IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ALL VERY INTERESTED IN. AND LEARNING ABOUT. FOR FUTURE MEETINGS, I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP. WHEN WE'RE HOPING TO DO FOR THE MARCH MEETING IS GO OVER THE INDICATORS. THAT IS THE ANNUAL REPORT THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE THAT GIVES US THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE TAG PROGRAM. AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES TO THAT LAST YEAR TO GET DATA THAT WE FOUND WOULD BE EVEN MORE HELPFUL TO YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE AS A COMMITTEE. SO HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO GO OVER THOSE IN MARCH. MY INTENT KIND OF THROUGH THE END OF YEAR IS THAT WE WILL BE DOING WORK BASED ON ALL OF THE GUEST SPEAKERS. ALL OF THE RESEARCH, ALL OF THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAD OVER REALLY THE LAST YEAR AND WE WILL BE PUTTING THOSE TOGETHER IN SUB COMMITTEE REPORTS. AND IT IS ALSO MY HOPE THAT ONCE THE NEW DIRECTOR OF TALENTED -- AND GIFTED, THAT PROGRAM. WE WILL GET A VISIT FROM DR. HUTCHINGS AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE ABLE TO GET INSIGHT WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE LOCAL PLAN. I KNOW MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR. THE LOCAL PLAN IS THE GUIDING DOCUMENT FOR HOW TALENTED AND GIFTS SERVICES ARE DELIVERED IN ALEXANDRIA CITY AND NEEDS TO FOLLOW GUIDELINES FROM STATE. THAT'S SOMETHING I KNOW THIS COMMITTEE HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR FOR THE AT LEAST THE LAST TWO YEARS IF NOT THE LAST THREE YEARS AFTER THE CONSULTANT'S REPORT. MY HOPE IS WE WILL BE ABLE TO WELCOME THEM. SO IF I COULD JUST TURN IT OVER. I DON'T THINK TIANA IS HERE. DR. MANN. DO YOU HAVE STAFF UPDATES TO SHARE WITH THE COMMITTEE? >> YES, I DO. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. HAPPY MONDAY. YES TIANA IS TAKING A WELL-DESERVED BREAK. >> I'M SORRY. YOU TOLD ME THAT. MY BAD. >> NO WORRIES. PROBABLY THE BIGGEST UPDATE AND LAURA JUST MENTIONED IT. WE'RE IN THE FINAL STEP FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR OF TALENTED AND GIFTED AND ADVANCED ACADEMICS. WE SHORTENED IT SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SAY THE WHOLE LONG TITLE EVERY [00:05:03] TIME. >> YEAH, GOOD. >> THE LAST STEP IS THE CANDIDATE TO MEET WITH DR. HUTCHINGS AND DR. MAZINKO AND GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HOPEFULLY GETTING THEM ON BOARD TOMORROW IF POSSIBLE. STILL WORKING. VERY BUSY PEOPLE'S CALENDARS TO GET IT SCHEDULED. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. I KNOW TIANA AND THE TEAM HAVE DONE TRAINING ON THE TAG PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT PIECE AND MAKING SURE WE'RE READY TO GO THERE FOR IDENTIFICATION PROCESS FOR OUR STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC. AND I THINK THAT'S IT. FOR A BRIEF UPDATE SO OUR GUEST SPEAKER CAN GET US STARTED. >> WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME KRISHNA FROM THE FAITH CENTER TO THE COMMITTEE. I HAVE JUST ASKED HER TO GIVE US AN OVER VIEW ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, THE CONSTITUENCIES THEY ARE SERVING, MAYBE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO REACH OUT TO THAT THEY ARE HOPE TO GO GET BETTER TRACTION WITH. AND THEN I THOUGHT WE COULD ALSO SHARE WITH HER YOU KNOW COMMUNITIES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE DOING BETTER WITH AND MAYBE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. IT IS A PLEASURE. SO I'M NOT SURE IF EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE FAITH CENTER. SO THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGE CENTER WAS CREATED ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO. I CAME ON BOARD ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF, AND THEIR MAIN PURPOSE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT FAMILIES ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR KID'S EDUCATION BUT ALSO LINKING THEM TO THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME. SO IT IS A PARTNERSHIP AND OUR GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY, WITH TEACHERS, WITH PARENTS BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLES THAT WE HAVE IS THAT WE ARE ALSO PART OF THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM NOW. WE DO A ROBUST OUTREACH BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW OF THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO HAVE PARENT LIAISONS, SOME SCHOOL BASED. WE HAVE ABOUT 10 IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND WE HAVE THREE THAT ARE LANGUAGE SPECIFIC IN SPANISH AND ARABIC THEY ARE WORKING WITH SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. WHEN WE ARE IN PERSON, IT IS MUCH DIFFERENT SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I MAKE A DECISION. PART OF THE FACE CENTER, WE DO AN IN-PERSON FORMAT. WE DO COFFEES WITH THE PRINCIPALS. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW THE DUAL CAPACITY FRAMEWORK WHICH IS THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOCUMENT THAT GUIDES HOW SCHOOLS SHOULD BE WORKING WITH FAMILIES AS PARTNERS. I AM HAPPY TO REPORT FROM ALL THE, FROM REGION FOUR, ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM NOT ONLY FOR OUTREACH BUT ALSO TRAINING AND RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES. SO, I KNOW THAT MANY OF THE FAMILIES DEPENDING WHERE IN THE CITY THEY KNOW US AS BASICALLY PIZZA FOR THE PIZZA BECAUSE WE DO PIZZA IN OUR MEETINGS AND THAT IS VERY INTENTIONAL BECAUSE SOME OF THE BARRIERS FOR THE FAMILIES WE SERVE IS THE FACT THAT IF THEY HAVE TO GO HOME TO GET FOOD, THEN THEY CANNOT ATTEND THE MEETING. RIGHT. BUT ALSO CHILD CARE SO WE PROVIDE CHILD CARE FOR OUR MEETINGS AND ALSO WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TO THE FAMILIES IS ALIGNED WITH THE LEARNING COMPONENT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE FAMILIES ASK FOR OR IS A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL BUT IT IS RESEARCH BASED. WE TALK ABOUT THE CHILD CARE PIECE. WE USE EITHER PARENTS WHO ARE CERTIFIED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS. AND ALL OF OUR STAFF THAT WORK FOR CHILD CARE. ARE CERTIFIED THROUGH THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA. SO I JUST WANT TO OPEN THE PRESENTATION REAL QUICK. IT'S SUPER SHORT. [00:10:02] DID YOU GET THE SHARE SCREEN? IS THAT ON? >> YEAH. LET'S SEE. I HAVE THREE DIFFERENT MONITORS. JUST BEAR WITH ME. CAN YOU SEE THE PRESENTATION? CAN YOU GUYS SEE IT? >> YES. AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. SO -- CAN YOU EXPAND THAT BY ANY CHANCE TO FULL SCREEN? >> THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. LET'S SEE. I'M GOING TO RESHARE. CAN YOU SEE IT BETTER NOW? >> YES. AWESOME. MUCH BETTER. SO, WE ARE GOING TO DO A LITTLE FAMILY FEUD HERE. BASICALLY WHAT ARE WE KNOWN FOR. AND I THINK I ACTUALLY GAVE IT AWAY ALREADY. SO, PIZZA. PARENT LIAISONS. CHILD CARE, GETTING FAMILIES, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE KNOWN IS IF THERE'S ANY, THEY ARE LIKE CAN WE CALL FACE TO GE FAMILIES. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE DEVELOPED, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK THAT ACTUALLY HELP FOR EXAMPLE IF A SCHOOL SAID I WANT TO GET FAMILIES. I'M LIKE WE WILL TRAIN YOU AND YOUR STAFF BECAUSE IT IS PRETTY EASY. IT'S JUST KNOWING HOW AND WHAT RESOURCES WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS POSSIBLE. INTERCEPTIONS SERVICES, LINK YOU WITH THE OFFICE AND FREE STUFF. THAT'S BASICALLY WHEN THEY SAY RIGHT. AND JUST I'M GOING TO MOVE ALONG. AND WHO WE ARE. OUR OFFICE MERGED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS SO ARE NOW A BIG FAMILY. AND THAT IS GREAT BECAUSE A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE SHARE WITH FAMILY WE, IT GOES FROM COMMUNICATION TO OUR OFFICE TO MAKE SURE IT'S FAMILY FRIENDLY SO THEN WE SEND IT OUT FOR THE MOST PART WE ARE ABLE TO D THAT. NOT ALL THE TIME ESPECIALLY IN THE TIMES OF COVID IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING BUT WE TRY REALLY, REALLY HARD. WE HAVE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC OUTREACH. WE HAVE PARTNERSHIP IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. ANY PARTNERSHIP GOES THROUGH OUR OFFICE. WE HAVE THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AND THEN WE HAVE SCHOOL FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. AND WHAT ARE WE KNOWN FOR WHEN WE ARE IN PERSON IS BASICALLY WORKING WITH PARENT LIAISONS, I ALSO RUN THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM UNDER FACE PROGRAM. COFFEE TIME. WE DO LEARNING ACADEMIES AND IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS SO WE WILL HAVE LIKE LITERACY NIGHT, MATH NIGHT AND COMMUNITY SITES ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN AND ALSO ON THE WEST SIDE. WE HAVE A PARENT INFORMATION LINE BUT RIGHT NOW AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT IT, ON THE COVID, SINCE COVID WE ACTUALLY HAVE A HEALTH LINE STAFFED WITH PEOPLE THAT WHEN PARENTS CALL INSTEAD OF THEM GOING THROUGH ALL THE WHO DO I CALL? WE ACTUALLY TRY TO HELP THEM ONE STOP SHOP AND GET THEIR ANSWERS OR CONNECT THEM AND GET BACK TO THEM. WE HAVE MULTILINGUAL OUTREACH. LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, TO REMOVE BARRIERS WE PROVIDE CHILD CARE AND TRANSPORTATION, ENGLISH CLASSES AND PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS. THE OTHER PART IS WE DO A LOT OF TRAINING FOR STAFF AND ALSO WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF UNDERSTAND THE EQUITY AND INCLUSION WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT. WE DO A LOT OF WORKSHOPS, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ALSO USE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION WITH FAMILIES. I'M THE DIRECTOR. MY PARTNER IS AT A MEETING TONIGHT. WE BOTH WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY [00:15:07] ENGAGEMENT DELIVERABLES ARE MET WHEN IT COMES TO ACPS. SO THAT IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE DO. DID YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? >> SURE. I THINK WE'LL, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMITTEE. YOU KNOW I THINK AND I'M NOT AS, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE INTRODUCED SORT OF LIKE TALENTED AND GIFTED A LITTLE MORE. BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW YOU'RE ALREADY AWARE OF IT. I THINK WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH OUR COMMITTEE ARE YOU KNOW MAKING SURE THAT THE TALENTED AND GIFTED PROGRAM, THE STUDENT THAT IS PARTICIPATE IS MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SCHOOL. THAT IS A KEY THING. THE SECOND THING THAT I THINK WE'RE VERY FOCUSED ON IS MAKING SURE WE ARE IDENTIFYING STUDENTS WITH THE POTENTIAL AND PROVIDIN AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE RESOURCES THROUGH THE TALENTED AND GIFTED PROGRAM. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED FOR KIDS THAT JUST AREN'T BEING IDENTIFIED. ONE OF THE BIGGEST WAYS THAT YOU KNOW THE DISTRICT AND ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE DO THAT IS BY HAVING UNIVERSAL TESTING. SO IN FIRST GRADE THE NAGLIERI AND THEN THE COGAT. YOU'RE TOUCHING EVERY CHILD BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO PICK UP EVERY CHILD IT SHOULD. SO, YOU KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE LANGUAGE BARRIERS AND I KNOW BEFORE DONNA LEFT, SHE WAS WORKING ON SOME POTENTIAL WAYS THAT CHILDREN COULD BE IDENTIFIED WHERE ENGLISH WASN'T THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE. SO I KNOW IT'S ON THEIR RADAR WITH A LOT OF FOLKS. BUT ONE THING I'M INTERESTED IN WOULD BE YOU KNOW WE HEAR A LOT IS THAT SOME COMMUNITIES DON'T EVEN ACTUALLY KNOW THAT THE TALENTED GIFTED PROGRAM EXISTS. SO FOR COMMUNITIES THAT DO KNOW IT EXISTS, PARENTS CAN NOMINATE THEIR CHILDREN. NOT NOMINATE, REFER THEIR CHILDREN. OBVIOUSLY THOSE CHILDREN STILL HAVE TO MEET THE CRITERIA AND THERE'S PLENTY OF CHILDREN THAT DON'T HAVE THESE NATURAL ADVOCATES, WITH THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS HAVE PROBABLY A PRETTY GOOD YOU KNOW, RELATIONSHIP WITH A LOT OF THESE COMMUNITIES. WE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WHAT WOULD WORK. IS IT A COMMUNICATIONS IN A NEWS LETTER? IS IT BETTER, I KNOW THE YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM HAD A VERY ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA. THE PARENTS COMMUNICATED THROUGH TWITTER. WE'RE JUST A COMMITTEE AND CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAFF. >> SO, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW WE DID A FAMILY EVALUATION. A FAMILY ENGAGEMENT EVALUATION, AND WE ACTUALLY, IT WAS ACROSS THE DIVISION. AND THE FINDINGS, I WILL SHARE THEM WITH YOU BUT BASICALLY IS HOW FAMILIES WOULD LIKE TO BE GIVEN INFORMATION. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO FAMILIES WHO ARE FIRST LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH, THE BEST WAY IS TEXT MESSAGING. BUT ALSO WHAT YOU PUT IN THAT TEXT MESSAGE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS, THE LEAST EFFECTIVE IS NEWS LETTERS. THAT'S THE LEAST EFFECTIVE. BUT TEXT MESSAGING AND MAKING SURE THAT FACE-TO-FACE AND THAT THE INFORMATION IS SHORT, SWEET AND TO THE POINT, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF I WERE TO PROMOTE SOMETHING ABOUT THE TALENTED AND GIFTED PROGRAM, WE WOULD HAVE TO START BASICALLY EXPLAINING DID YOU KNOW THERE'S A PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE TALENTED AND GIFTED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I'M JUST MAKING IT UP. AND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES? WHAT IS IN FOR THEM? WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? HOW IS THAT GOING TO HELP THEIR CHILD? IF YOU ACTUALLY GO FROM THERE, MOST LIKELY YOU WILL CATCH THEIR ATTENTION. AND THEN HAVING SOMEONE THEY TRUST AT THE SCHOOL THAT CAN ALSO REINFORCE THAT, IT [00:20:06] WILL BE, A WIN-WIN SITUATION. I WILL SAY IN ORDER FOR YOU TO OVER THE COMMITTEE, TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT THE PROGRAM, YOU HAVE TO START WITH TRAINING YOUR STAFF. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IDENTIFYING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TYPICALLY THE ONES WHO ARE SENDING LIKE HEY, YOU KNOW THIS KID I THINK THEY WILL BE GREAT FOR THE PROGRAM. AND THEN HAVING PARENTS ALSO WHO ARE WHAT WE CALL THOSE MULTIPLIERS IN THOSE SCHOOLS WHO EITHER SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OR THEY'RE VERY CONNECTED FOR THEM TO BE PART OF THE MESSAGE. SO, WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE WITH YOUR GROUP A STRATEGY AND WAYS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY INCREASE OUTREACH WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WE DO ALL THE TIME. BUT ALSO WHAT ARE THE METHOD OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAVE BEEN MORE EFFICIENT. WE KNOW CALLING THEM IN THEIR LANGUAGE. WE ACTUALLY HIRE PARENTS WHO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AND WE HAVE THEM EXPLAIN TO THEM IN A SIMPLE LANGUAGE, WHAT WE ARE INVITING THEM FOR, WHAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHILD AND MAKING SURE THEY UNDERSTAND IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, THEY CAN ALSO ASK AT THAT MOMENT. WHEN WE SEND FLYERS OUT THAT SAYS, COME AND JOIN THE TALENTED AND GIFTED MEETING. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, IT WILL GO STRAIGHT TO THE GARBAGE. IF YOU PUT DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS GREAT PROGRAM THAT WILL DEVELOP, YOUR CHILD WILL BE ABLE TO BE CHALLENGED AND THEY WILL BE LIKE OKAY. BECAUSE ALL PARENTS WANT THE BEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN. IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO PROMOTE EDUCATION OR MAKE THINGS MUCH BETTER FOR THE CHILD, MOST LIKELY YOU WILL CATCH THEIR ATTENTION. THE TRANSLATION, MAKE SURE IT'S DONE IN A WAY THAT IS CORRECT. SO, YOU KNOW THE WORDS WE ARE USING FROM THE ENGLISH ARE NOT UP HERE THAT THEY'RE PARENT FRIENDLY. WE REALLY DON'T HAVE TO PUT LIKE TODAY I SAW SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY PUT OUT THERE AND IT SAID, LIKE, IT WAS A BIG WORD. I WAS LIKE IS THAT REALLY NECESSARY? CAN WE JUST USE TRANSPORTATION. HOW IS THAT? SO, I MEAN JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. I KNOW THAT DOING MEETINGS AT THE SCHOOL BUT ALSO HAVING LIKE LET'S SAY TEACHERS WHO CAN ALL BE ADVOCATES AND DURING PAREN TEACHER CONFERENCES WHEN THEY DISCUSS WITH A PARENT. THERE'S SO MANY WAYS THAT I CAN BE ALL NIGHT TELLING YOU. DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN ACTUALLY PROMOTE TALENTED AND GIFTED AND MAKE IT EASIER WHEN IT COMES TO FORMS. SO WHAT ARE THE PROCESSES THAT YOU HAVE, HAVE A PARENT, I MEAN YOU CAN HAVE LIKE MISS YOUNG CAN GET A COUPLE PARENT VOLUNTEERS AND SEE IF THE PROCESS YOU HAVE IS FRIENDLY FOR ALL PARENTS. IS IT EASY TO ACCESS ONLINE? WHAT IF THEY DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER? WHAT IF THEY DON'T HAVE A PRINTER? IS IT MOBILE FRIENDLY. THOSE KIND OF QUESTIONS. WE WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO IF YOU NEED TRAINING AND WE CAN PROVIDE BRAIN STORMING IF YOU WANT ABOUT WHAT STRATEGIES TO USE AS YOU GET TOGETHER FOR RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH. >> THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMITTEE FOR QUESTIONS. YOU GUY CONSIST JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND I WILL CALL ON YOU. OR SOME OF YOU I CAN'T SEE. I GUESS JUST TAKE YOURSELF OFF MUTE. OKAY. ASHA HAS A QUESTION. >> I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I HAVE A COMMENT. >> YES. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GUEST SPEAKER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL PRESENTATIONS I HAVE HEARD SO FAR AND HOW WE CAN ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND REACH CHILDREN OF THE [00:25:05] CHILDREN TO EXPAND THE DIVERSITY IN THE GROUP. I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT ABOUT TEXT MESSAGING. I THINK THAT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO REACH THEM AND I APPRECIATE YOUR CANDIDNESS ABOUT US USING SIMPLER LANGUAGE AND FORMULATING THE INFORMATION IN A WAY OR WORDING THE INFORMATION IN A WAY. NOT USING BIG WORDS SO THE PARENTS CAN EASILY UNDERSTAND BECAUSE FOR WHATEVER REASON. SO I THINK THESE ARE TWO GREAT POINTS AND I THINK THOSE ARE TWO OF THE MOST HOW DO YOU SAY, THE MOST USEFUL THINGS I HAVE HEARD THUS FAR TO PUT INTO PRACTICE. SO. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING AS WELL TO HELP US GO THROUGH HOW WE COULD DEVELOP THE INFORMATION TO HELP THE OTHER, TO HELP BRING OTHER KIDS INTO THE PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. AND IT IS MY PLEASURE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HOPE THAT WE CAN DO WITH MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE THE MORE THE MERRIER. AND WE ARE ABLE TO SIMPLIFY INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE FAMILIES ALSO AFTER YOU RECRUIT THEM COME BACK INTO AN ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY FEEL WELCOME. THAT IS GOING TO BE THE KEY. NOT ONLY TO RECRUIT BUT ALSO TO RETAIN THE FAMILIES. AND FOR THEM TO GO OUT AND BE YOUR ADVOCATES AND ALSO YOUR MULTIPLIERS. >> THANK YOU. >> ZION. >> YES. YOU KNOW ME. WE WORK BEFORE. AND I VOLUNTEER A LOT. SO I KNOW THE FACE CENTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. I HAVE, I MEAN YOU SAID IT MOST OF THE THINGS BUT I HAVE A LITTLE IT'S NOT CONCERN AS A COMMENT. I KNOW THAT ACPS IS REALLY TRYING YOU KNOW INCREASE DIVERSITY WITH THE SCHOOL. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR IS YOU KNOW A MAJOR PROBLEM BECAUSE OF PANDEMIC. AND SO MANY THINGS THAT THE FACE CENTER ARE DOING, ALL OF A SUDDEN STOPPED. SO, YOU KNOW CHRISTIAN, YOU KNOW MOST OF THE COMMUNITY CANNOT TYPE OR READ. ALL THOSE WEBINAR THAT YOU GUYS ARE YOU KNOW DOING IT LIKE, BUNCH OF WEBINAR ABOUT TC NAMING OR SO MANY REOPENING WEBINAR. THOSE WEBINAR, YOU CAN'T TYPE FOR US IS VERY, I MEAN IT'S EASY. BUT 90% OF PARENTS, THEY CAN'T WRITE. SO BUT THEY CAN'T TALK. BUT THAT CHANCE WASN'T GIVEN TO THEM. IT'S JUST ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO FIX THAT PART? >> SO, THE REASON WHY THIS IS HAPPENING AND THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD TO STOP AND I DIDN'T DO THE WEBINARS FOR THE IDENTITY PROJECT. WE DID MOST OF THE COMMUNITY SHOTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE BEEN IN ANY OF THE MEETINGS WHERE THEY CALL ZOOM BOMBERS, WHEN WE STARTED ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SPEAK WEEK EVEN HAD VERY, NOT APPROPRIATE CURSING, PORN, I MEAN IT WAS LIKE ALL MY GOODNESS. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PROTECT NOT ONLY THE FAMILIES BUT ALSO HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS? WE TRIED WITH ZOOM TO SEE IF WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE FAMILIES SIGN IF BUT THAT WAS A PROBLEM BECAUSE IMAGINE THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS, YOU CANNOT LOG IN. AND HOW DO I VERIFY THAT LOG IN IS VALID? WE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IF YOU SEE WE STARTED WITH A LOT OF WEBINARS AND FOR THE FACE SIDE, I HAVE DECREASED THEM A LOT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT GOOD PRACTICE JUST TO HAVE FAMILIES LISTEN AND NOT BE ABLE TO TELL US. WE HAVE TRIED, WE HAVE BRAIN STORMED ABOUT VIDEOS. WE JUST CAN'T FIND ANYTHING THAT PROVIDES A SAFETY MEASURE THAT, THAT I CAN SAY OKAY, THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU GUYS DON'T SEE IT. I AM MODERATING MOST OF THE TIME ON THE BACKGROUND. AND WE GET SO MANY BAD WORDS ON THE WRITING SIDE. IT'S JUST THAT THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE CAN CONTROL BECAUSE I JUST DISMISS IT. PEOPLE DON'T SEE IT. [00:30:04] BUT WE GET IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, WE GET AT LEAST TWO TO THREE PEOPLE TRYING TO EITHER TALK AND WHEN WE DON'T LET THEM TALK, THEY JUST CURSE US LIKE UP AND DOWN. SOMETIMES WE KICK THEM OUT. THEY COME BACK WITH DIFFERENT NAMES. THAT IS THE REASON THAT WE HAVE TO DISABLE THE TALKING PART. >> OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. I HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING ALL PRINCIPAL COFFEE AND THEN WE TALK, WE TRY AND THEN SHE LET US DO EVERYTHING. I NEVER SEEN HER ANY PARENTS CURSING OR ANYTHING WHILE SHE BLOCKED IT I THINK. CAN YOU LEARN FROM HER HOW SHE DEALS WITH IT? SHE GET A BUNCH OF PARENTS AS WELL REALLY MAD FRUSTRATED OR NOT, BUT SHE HANDLE IT WELL. SINCE MARCH WE HAVE THIS COFFEE WITH PRINCIPAL AND ZOOM AND WE TALK. >> YEAH. IT'S JUST THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ONE SCHOOL VERSUS WHEN WE PROMOTE THIS KIND OF EVENTS, WE PROMOTE IT TO 16,000 FAMILIES OUT. SO WE PUT IT EVERYWHERE. WE SEND THE LINKS THAT ARE OPEN TO EVERY -- WE SEND ROBO CALL AND TEXT. WE PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IN ORDER FOR US TO DO IT AT THAT MAGNITUDE, LIKE TO DO IT THE WAY PRINCIPALS DO IT, I JUST DON'T HAVE THE STAFF DO IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE I WILL HAVE TO REDUCE IT TO ONLY THOSE FAMILIES THAT ARE IN THAT SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND MAKING SURE I AM SENDING THE LINKS DIRECTLY TO THEM. THEY SEND THE NEWS LETTER AND GO IN. THEN I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT DIVISION WIDE. I WILL HAVE TO DO FOR EACH AND EVERY SCHOOL. THERE'S SO MANY, IT'S ME AND THREE PARENT LIAISON IN THE SCHOOL STAFF. >> AND ONE MORE QUESTION AND I WILL STOP. YOU ARE REALLY AMAZING JOB TRANSLATING. HAVING THIS YOU KNOW ENGLISH AND SPANISH BUT SAYS LISTEN THIS WEBINAR OR ARABIC WEBINAR AND EVERYTHING IS ENGLISH. IF YOU ARE DOING FOR, I MEAN THIS IS THE FACE I'M LOOKING ABOUT. SO IF YOU ARE, WE ARE RIGHT NOW STRUGGLE WITH TAG SCHOOL. SO IT'S GOING TO EFFECT, IN ENGLISH THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND SO WE'RE NOT REACHING THE COMMUNITY. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO IMPROVE THAT? >> SO BASICALLY WE HAVE A 20 HOUR PART TIME ARABIC SPEAKING FOR THE FACE CENTER. AND SAME THING. LUCKILY I SPEAK SPANISH SO FOR THE MOST PART, I CAN DO IT. WE PUT FORWARD A FULL TIME ARABIC SPEAKING PERSON, BUT IT'S ABOUT CAPACITY. YOU LOOK AT PERCENTAGES, 36% SPEAK SPANISH. 6% SPEAK HERIC. THE PROBLEM IS THAT EVEN FINDING RIGHT NOW, QUALITY TRANSLATIONS, WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH THAT TOO. BECAUSE EVEN WHEN WE GO OUT THERE TO TRY TO GET VENDORS TO HELP US WITH THE TRANSLATION, THE TRANSLATION IS NOT GOOD EITHER. SO, HAVING THAT AS THE ONLY PERSON AND HE'S ALSO ANSWERING PVTS. HE'S ON THE HELP LINE. HE GETS ABOUT 60 TO 100 PHONE CALLS A DAY. AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE. AND I'M BEING VERY HONEST. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF I DON'T CARE, I CAN'T GET PEOPLE THAT SPEAK HERIC, WE CANNOT FIND THEM BECAUSE THE DEMAND IS SO MUCH. WE CAN STEAL, I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAY THIS, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING AT SALARIES AND STUFF. [00:35:02] ALSO WE ARE COMPUTING WITH OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE PAYING MORE FOR THE SAME KIND OF LANGUAGE SKILLS AND SO, IT IS HARD TO COMPETE WHETHER YOU ARE NOT PAYING THE TOP. SO. >> LET ME ASK YOU, I MEAN, I THOUGHT I FINISHED MY QUESTION, YOU SAY 5 OR 6% ARABIC SPEAKER. WE REQUEST IT WAS LIKE SIX YEARS AGO AND CHECKED OUT. THAT WAS OUR PLTI PROJECT. YOU USED TO HAVE IT MORE THAN 11%. THAT'S WHY THE CIVIL RIGHT ALLOWED YOU TO HAVE AMERICAN ARABIC SPEAKER BECAUSE YOU HAVE MAJORITY AND HAVE TO PROVIDE. IT STUCK THERE AS WITH 20 HOURS. I MEAN WHY NOT INCREASING THAT AND THEN JUST, I'M JUST QUESTION IT. >> SO, MY ARABIC SPEAKING WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FULL TIME BEFORE COVID HIT. THE LAST DAY, THE LAST DAY THAT THE BOARD, THAT THEY DID THE ARABIC, THEY DELETED HIS HALF-TIME. SO WE SUBMITTED IT AGAIN AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL DO IT AGAIN AND I WANT TO SAY, I BELIEVE IT'S BETWEEN 9 AND 10 RIGHT NOW. AND IT'S ABOUT 6 ARABIC. BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I MEAN WE, I THINK AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN HERE, EVERY YEAR I HAVE A FILE THAT EXPLAINS THE NEED ARABIC SPEAKING. NOT ONLY ONE FULL TIME, WE NEED MORE AT SCHOOLS. YOU HAVE ADAMS AND PATRICK HENRY. WE HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM HAVING SOMEONE THERE TO HELP THEM AND I DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. BUT I DO HAVE A LOT OF I GUESS POWER WHEN IT COMES TO EXPLAINING THE REASONING BEHIND IT. BUT AGAIN, I CAN TELL YOU I HAVE OFFERED JOBS TO PEOPLE FOR PARENT LIAISONS THAT SPEAK EITHER ARABIC AND THEY JUST, WE CAN'T PAY THEM. BECAUSE THE POSITIONS DON'T PAY THAT MUCH. HOPEFULLY SOON, WE WILL GET THAT RESOLVED BUT I KNOW IT'S A PROCESS AND I KNOW THAT I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR YOU BUT JUST KNOW THAT EVERYBODY IN MY TEAM IT IS AWARE. WE WANT TO MULTIPLY PEOPLE ACROSS THE WEST END. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS. NOW WE'RE GOING TO SCHOOL BOARD AND ASKING THEM TO ADD MORE. >> THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND. >> THANK YOU. I HAVE ONE KIND OF LAST QUESTION BUT LET ME SEE, WOULD ANYONE ELSE ON THE COMMITTEE HAVE A QUESTION BEFORE I KIND OF WRAP? OKAY. >> YEAH. THIS IS MARK LACEY. HAS FACE EVER TALKED ABOUT TAG OR YOUNG SCHOLARS AT ALL IN A MEETING? HAVE THEY EVER DONE IT EVER? >> YES. SO WHEN I FIRST STARTED WE DID A HUGE SATURDAY EVENT AT MINNIE HOWARD. WE HAD OVER 150 FAMILIES TO COME IN AND LEARN WHAT TAG WAS. WE DID BREAK OUT ROOMS. WE PROVIDED CHILD CARE. PIZZA AND BASED ON WHAT I WAS TOLD, THAT ACTUALLY HELPED FAMILIES TO EITHER SELF REFER THEMSELVES OR INCREASE APPLICATIONS FROM STUDENTS THAT TYPICALLY DO NOT KNOW OR APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IT GOT SUSPENDED. CAN'T REMEMBER WHY. BUT ALSO OUR PARENT LIAISONS AT PATRICK HENRY AND FERDINAND DAY REQUESTED THE COFFEES OR MEETINGS THEY OFFERED HAVE BEEN ABOUT WHAT IS TAG. BUT, AGAIN IT'S BY REQUEST AND IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOUR COORDINATOR IS AT THE [00:40:06] SCHOOL COORDINATING TAG AND THE RELATIONSHIP THEY HAVE WITH OUR PARENT LIAISON BUT, DEFINITELY WE HAVE DONE SEVERAL ONES IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS THAT I HAVE BEEN AT THE FACE CENTER. >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND A GREAT ANSWER AND GREAT SUGGESTION OF SOMETHING TO MOVE FORWARD TO BRING THAT BACK. I JUST WANTED TO CLOSE THIS SORT OF KIND OF HIGH LEVEL BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FALL IS THAT DONNA REARLY WAS DO A ROAD SHOW WHERE SHE WOULD GO TO EACH SCHOOL AND SHE WOULD USUALLY TALK TO PTA MEETING AND SHE WOULD TALK ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW TALENTED AND GIFTED. SO THE GIA. WHAT HAPPENS IN FOURTH AND 5TH GRADE. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY A TALENTED STUDENT. IT'S A GOOD PRESENTATION AND WOULD BE ADVERTISED IN THE SCHOOL PAPER AND EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID, I DON'T KNOW THAT WAS REALLY THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY AND SO, I THINK THAT'S JUST BEEN THE HABIT AND ROUTINE. SO, HOW DO WE, AND NOW I'M GLAD TO KNOW YOU GUYS ARE IN PART OF COMMUNICATIONS NOW. I MEAN, THERE'S NOT A TON OF COMMUNICATION THAT GOES OUT ABOUT TAG. AND UNFORTUNATELY WHEN IT DOES, I THINK IT'S SORT OF OUT OF CONTEXT LIKE NOW IS A REFERRAL PERIOD. BUT, IF YOU HAVE, IF NO UNDERSTANDING IS APPARENT, THAT DOESN'T REALLY HELP YOU. I MEAN, SORRY. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IF WE WERE GOING TO RETHINK THIS FOR MAYBE NOT NEXT FALL BECAUSE HOPEFULLY WE'RE BACK. JUST SORT OF HIGH LEVEL THEORETICALLY, IF YOU WERE GIVING US A SUGGESTION, HOW WOULD WE BEST GET INFORMATION OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TO SAY, WHAT I THINK WE ULTIMATELY WANT TO CONVEY TO PARENTS IS, HERE ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHILD WITH POTENTIAL. AND FOR THOSE PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT STUDENT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THEIR HEAD IN A BOOK ALL THE TIME. NOT NECESSARILY THE MOST ATTENTIVE IN CLASS TO BREAK DOWN THOSE MYTHS. HOW WOULD WE GET THE MESSAGE OUT? WE WANT TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT GIFTED IS AND THE POTENTIAL OF GIFTED. AND THEN WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THOSE SERVICE YOU THROUGH ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. >> COULD I ADD BEFORE. TAG ON TO LAURA'S QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE TIMELINE FOR THAT? IS STARTING IN THE FALL WHERE ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS COME HOME THE BEST TIME? WOULD IT BE BEST TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS OR INFORMATION SENT OUT IN THE SPRING BEFORE SUMMERTIME SO THAT WHEN PARENTS OR WHEN STUDENTS COME BACK IN FALL, THEY DON'T LOSE THAT INFORMATION IN ALL THE STUFF THAT COMES HOME. >> WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS? >> TYPICALLY WE HAVE A DEADLINE IN AROUND THE END OF JANUARY. SOMETIMES WE PULL IT BACK EARLIER, THIS YEAR IT'S IT WAS THE END OF JANUARY. BUT IT'S RIGHT AFTER FIRST QUARTER. SO CALL IT END OF NOVEMBER. >> OKAY. SO, I WILL SAY SEPTEMBER IS HORRENDOUS TO PROMOTE ANYTHING. OKAY. BECAUSE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING COMING AT ONCE. PACKAGES, NEW SCHOOL, OPEN HOUSES, YOU NAME IT, BACK TO SCHOOL. IF YOU ARE MAKING THE DECISIONS IN JANUARY I WILL SAY IN OCTOBER, OKAY, YOU PARTNER, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE COMMUNITY SITES AND IN OCTOBER WE DO A LOT OF HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. OR HOW TO, SO BASICALLY WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT IN THERE. THAT THEY KNOW THAT THIS PROGRAM JUST AS ESL. SPECIAL EDUCATION, THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT EXISTS AND WHAT IT IS. SO THEN YOU PUT THAT INFORMATION IN THERE. WE DO COFFEES WITH THE PRINCIPALS IN 10 SCHOOLS. SO THAT COULD, THAT WOULD BE ALSO AN AVENUE TO PUT THAT INFORMATION BUT THE BEST [00:45:03] WAY IS FOR EXAMPLE, MESIAN SPEAKS HERIC AND IS SOMEONE TRUSTED IN OUR COMMUNITY. SOMETIMES WE HAVE 100, SOMETIMES WE HAVE 200. FOR THEM TO EXPLAIN TO THE FAMILIES WHAT IT IS AND THE ADVANTAGE IS THIS HAS CREATED FOR HER CHILDREN SPEAKS A LOT. HAVING THE APPLICATIONS THERE AND PEOPLE THAT SHE CAN INTRODUCE YOU GUYS. FAMILIES FEEL COMFORTABLE IF THEY SEE YOU MORE OFF, THAT'S ONE AVENUE. WE DO SOME IN SPANISH AND DO THE SAME. ARABIC, THE SAME, YOU CAN DO A VIDEO. MISUE CAN DO ONE IN TARIQ. YOU CAN HAVE ONE EXPLAIN WHAT IS TAG AND STREAM IS OUT. THEY CAN CALL THEM OR SOMEBODY IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS AND THAT'S HOW YOU CREATE TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY AND ALSO THEY FEE IDENTIFIED. I AM GOING TO BE VERY HONEST. I AM AS YOU CAN TELL HAVE AN ACCENT. I HAVE TWINS. MY KIDS DIDN'T GO TO ALEXANDRIA TO BE HONEST. WITH A TAG PROGRAM WAS MY SON WAS REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM AND I WALKED IN AND THE PERSON WHO WAS AT THE TABLE ASKED ME, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE HERE FOR THE TAG PROGRAM OR THE EL PROGRAM. MY CHILD WAS THE ONLY KID HISPANIC IN THE GROUP. WHEN I TALK ABOUT FEELING IDENTIFIED AND WELCOME AND ALL THAT STUFF, IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT FAMILIES ALSO CAN SEE THAT OTHER PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN IT. SO THEY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG EXPLANATION. SORRY. I GO ON AND OFF MUTE. NO. THAT WAS WONDERFUL. THIS IS GIVING US A LOT OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT AND WE WILL BE VERY HELPFUL AS WE LOOK AT RECOMMENDATIONS AND MAKING THEM TO THE SCHOOL BOARD. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >> IF YOU DO A TIMELINE AND START FROM THE SPRING, TRYING TO REACH OUT, IT IS SO HARD. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, IT IS FAMILIES ARE ON INFORMATION OVER LOAD. >> YES. IT IS SO, I WILL SAY, IF WE GO SORT OF NORMAL, AND START LIKE PROMOTING IT AND IF YOU GUYS NEED HELP WITH THE TIMELINE, AND WE CAN INCORPORATE SOME OF THOSE THINGS IN SOME OF THOSE COFFEES WITH THE PRINCIPALS THAT WE'RE DOING AND SOME [2. Minutes from the January 11, 2021 Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee Meeting] INFORMATION, THAT WE DELIVER TO SCHOOLS, THAT WILL BE HELPFUL. TO GET THE WORD OUT. BUT, DEFINITELY VIDEOS. AT THIS TIME, LIKE CLIPS. TWO MINUTE. >> WHAT IS TAG AND STUFF LIKE THAT. >> AWESOME. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. >> BYE. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON. SO I WANTED TO GO TO THE MY CHILD IS BEING LOUD. SORRY. THE MINUTES FOR JANUARY. I KNOW ZION REACHED OUT TO ME AND HAD A CONCERN THAT SOME THINGS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE MINUTES. DID ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? IN LOOKING OVER THE MINUTES BEFORE I BRING THIS UP? ANY OTHER, LET ME SHARE MY SCREEN AND SHOW YOU WHAT WE WANTED TO ADD. TO THE MINUTES. SORRY. CAN YOU GUYS SEE THIS? [00:50:06] SO WHAT I WANTED TO ADD UNDER COMMITTEE DISCUSSION WAS THE FOLLOWING. THE COMMITTEE RESPONDED TO THE YS UPDATE WITH CONCERNS ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS TO PARENTS ABOUT THE PROGRAM. MEMBERS FELT THE FAMILIES ARE UNAWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES. NOTE UNLIKE GIA AND SSA, THERE ARE NO PARENT OR COMMUNITY REFERRALS FOR YS. STUDENTS ARE SELECTED BY TEACHER SELECTIONS OCCUR AT DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS DEPENDING ON SCHOOL. AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELL BEING OF STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THE COMMITTEE WAS ADVISED TO SPEAK TO DR. CRAWFORD. SO YOU KNOW, THE MINUTES WE CAN'T GET INTO LOTS OF DETAIL ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DISCUSSED. I THOUGHT ZION WAS RIGHT, WE DIDN'T REALLY GIVE ENOUGH INFORMATION REGARDING THESE DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE WE DID SPEND TIME ON THEM. CAN I JUST OPEN IT UP? OH, WAIT. I HAVE DO UNSURE. DOES ANYBODY HAVE FURTHER COMMENTS OR COULD I ADD THOSE TO THE MINUTES AND GO AHEAD AND APPROVE? ZION, WERE YOU OKAY WITH THAT ADDITION? >> YES, I'M OKAY WITH IT. BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG SCHOLAR WHAT WE DISCUSS. THERE'S NO COMMUNICATION WE TALK ABOUT IT LAST MONTH. I USE MY PHONE AND HAVE A GROUP YOU KNOW APP THAT I CAN CONNECT WITH A BUNCH OF PARENTS HERE AND ASK THEM, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUNG SCHOLAR AND HAVE NO IDEA. WHEN I ASK EVERYONE IS ALERT AND KNOW. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THIS, I MEAN WE SHOULD WORK ON IT. BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE ME. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WITH THOSE TWO ADDITIONS CAN I GET SOMEBODY TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE JANUARY 11TH MINUTES PLEASE. >> APPROVE. >> THANK YOU. CAN I GET A SECOND? >> SECOND. >> WONDERFUL. ALL RIGHT. SO I'LL HAVE TO TAKE, YOU HAVE TO GO OFF MUTE. SO THAT I CAN ROLL CALL. SO, ALL IN FAVOR, ZION. >> YES. OKAY. ME. >> YES. ASHA. >> YES. LEE. >> YES. MARK. >> YES. ASMERON. >> YES. >> DEAN. >> YES. REESEY. >> YES. >> LINDSEY. >> YES. >> KATHLEEN. >> YES YEP. >> I THINK THIS IS DAPHNE. >> YES. JULIA. >> YES. >> MARY -- MARYBETH. >> YES. SORRY. >> THAT'S ALL RIGHT. >> AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS APPROVED AND PASSES. [1. Agenda for the February 8, 2021 Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee Meeting (Part 2 of 2)] I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SUB COMMITTEES. THAT WILL TAKE A TEENY BIT MORE TIME. REAL QUICKLY, DOES ANYBODY HAVE VIRTUAL LEARNING UPDATES THEY WANT TO SHARE FROM THE COMMUNITY FROM THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES? RAISE YOUR HAND OR JUST COME OFF MUTE. >> I CAN SHARE SOMETHING. THIS IS MARYBETH. >> I AM NOT ON VIDEO TONIGHT. I WANTED TO SHARE THAT I THINK SINCE THE LAST TIME I UPDATED ON GEORGE MASON THAT K-2 STARTED DOING ONCE A WEEK MEETINGS WITH A TAG TEACHER AND HAD ON GOING PROJECTS. THAT'S BEEN A REALLY GOOD DEVELOPMENT AND BEEN GOING REALLY WELL. AT LEAST FOR MY SON. >> AWESOME. YEAH. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? REGARDING THAT? >> I CAN SAY ABOUT HAMMOND. THEY ARE WORKING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AS A GROUP. IT'S AMAZING. THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY AND I AM LIKE THIS CASE, I KNOW WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. SO, IT WAS AMAZING. >> I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT. I'M SURE YOU ARE REALLY RELIEVED. >> YES. >> ALL RIGHT. SO IF WE CAN JUST GET IT OUT TO MORE SCHOOLS. OKAY. [00:55:01] ALL RIGHT. LET ME GO OVER SUBCOMMITTEES AND THEN WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. SO WITH SUB COMMITTEES, I THINK EVERYBODY GOT THEIR TOP SELECTION. I WILL SHARE THE SPREADSHEET WITH YOU GUYS. IT WORKED OUT PRETTY WELL AS FAR AS WHAT YOU SAID YOUR TOP SELECTION WAS AND ALSO BALANCING THE SUB COMMITTEES WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE FOR A LONG TIME. AND SO I THINK THAT WILL BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR EACH SUB COMMITTEE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT'S GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS AT LEAST TWO IF NOT THREE YEARS. SO WHEN WE'RE PULLING THE REPORTS TOGETHER. AND THESE ARE NOT LIKE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE EXTENSIVE REPORTS. TWO TO THREE PAGES WOULD BE A PRETTY BIG REPORT JUST TO GIVE YOU GUYS SORT OF A GUIDELINE, HITTING AT THE CRITICAL COMPONENTS YOUR SUB COMMITTEE HAS TAKEN ON AND REPORTING BACK TO THE SCHOOL BOARD. THE ONE CAVEAT I HAVE AND YOU WILL SEE IT ON THE SPREADSHEET THAT I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU IS I NEED MARK AND JULIA TO KIND OF DECIDE WHICH COMMITTEE YOU'RE EACH GOING TO BE ON. AND YOU'RE BOTH ON EQUITY COMMITTEES BUT I HAD TO SPLIT THOSE IN TWO. I WOULD PREFER TO HAVE ONE OF YOU ON EACH JUST BECAUSE OF THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD ON THE COMMITTEE. FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. BECAUSE I THINK YOU CAN YOU KNOW GUIDE THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE COMMITTEE IN WRITING THIS UP. SO I'M GOING TO LEAVE THAT UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE YOU WANT TO TACKLE. SOME OF IT MAY HAVE TO DO WITH WHICH MEETINGS, IF YOU MISSED A MEETING WITH AT GUEST SPEAKER YOU MAY NOT WANT TO DO THAT. I TALKED TO DR. MANN ABOUT OUR IDEA OF HAVING A STAFF LIAISON AND SO, I THINK WE'RE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT. I THINK THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND SUSAN AND I ARE WORKING ON IT IS MY HOPE HAD BEEN THAT WE COULD USE ZOOM AND BREAK OUT INTO SMALL GROUPS. AND THEN YOU ALL COULD EACH INTERACT AND WE WOULD HAVE WORK SESSIONS WHICH WE WERE IN LIVE PERSON MEETINGS, I WAS TRYING TO RECREATE THAT, BUT WE CAN'T RECORD THE SMALL GROUPS WHEN WE BREAK OUT. THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES. SO SUSAN AND I ARE GOING TO WORK ON THIS. WE'RE LOOKING AT AND SUB COMMITTEES CANNOT MEET, EVEN IF IT'S VIRTUALLY WHEN YOU HAVE MORE THAN TWO, TWO COMMITTEE MEMBERS MEET IT'S CONSIDERED A PUBLIC MEETING SO YOU CAN'T DO THAT. SO SHE'S LOOKING AT BEING ABLE TO SHARE POTENTIALLY SHARE A DOCUMENTS BACK AND FORTH WHERE YOU MAKE COMMENTS. THAT MIGHT BE ONE WAY. THE OTHER THING WE MAY HAVE TO DO IS I MAY HAVE TO BREAK UP THE MEETINGS. SO THE SUB COMMITTEE A MEETING FROM 7 TO 7:20. SUB COMMITTEE B MEETS THIS TIME. I DON'T WANT YOU GUYS WASTING A WHOLE NIGHT SITTING AROUND. SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO ADDRESS IT THAT WAY. MORE TO COME ON THAT. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU. LET ME SHARE THE SCREEN. I WILL TALK THROUGH SUB COMMITTEES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO FOR, JUST BECAUSE IT'S AT THE TOP. VIRTUAL LEARNING AND YOUNG SCHOLARS PORTFOLIO, DEE AND LINDSEY WORKING ON THAT. SOME FOLKS SAID PUT ME ON WHATEVER COMMITTEE. I APPRECIATE THAT. THE NEXT COMMITTEE IS UNDER EQUITY, AND I THINK TACKLING WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING SPECIFICALLY REFERENCING THE GUEST SPEAKER WE HAD DR. NAGLIERI FROM LAST YEAR AND OUR OWN ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE OF THE COGAT AND HOW THAT'S ADMINISTERED. YOU CAN BRING IN OTHER RESOURCES WE TALKED ABOUT ON THE COMMITTEE. BUT THE FOCUS I THOUGHT WAS ON IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING AND HOW THAT RELATES TO EQUITY AND SO AYE GOT ASHA, DAPHNE AND MARK OR JULIA. YOU CAN FIGURE THAT OUT. GUEST SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS. AGAIN, TAKE THE BEST OF WHAT WE LEARNED FROM DORN, JONATHAN AND KRISHNA AND WRITE THAT UP. AND THIS WOULD BE ZION, MARYBETH AND KATHLEEN. AND THEN EITHER MARK OR JULIA. [01:00:02] THE K-12 ROAD MAP, AND I THINK ALSO THIS WOULD BE WHERE THE DIFFERENTIATION IN THE CURRICULUM WOULD PROBABLY COME UP. THAT'S NICK, EMILY AND ASMEROM. AND STUDENT VOICES I HAVE LEE AND REESEY. SO THEY WOULD BE BRINGING IN STUDENT PERSPECTIVES UTILIZED BY THE OTHER FOUR SUB COMMITTEES AND WHAT WE DISCUSSED. SO, WE'LL HAVE TO DO WORK ON HOW WE ORGANIZE THIS. I THINK THE LAST THING I WILL SAY ON IT IS I REALIZE SORT OF EQUITY IS OVERARCHING PRIORITIES. SO I MEAN IT COULD CERTAINLY COME UP IN VIRTUAL LEARNING AND IN THE K-12 ROAD MAP. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR SCOPE OF WORK SPECIFICALLY, THE THING THAT WE ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT ARE IDENTIFICATION, TESTING AN THEN SORT OF GOING FORWARD. HOW DO WE DO THIS? DR. CLUCKER TALKED TO US ON DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND WE COULD GLEAN WHAT WE HEARD FROM DORN ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AND FAMILIES AND WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY AND SORT OF HOW THAT PLAYS A ROLE IN EQUITY. WITH THAT, CAN I OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMITTEE FOR FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS ABOUT MOVING FORWARD? IS EVERYBODY THRILLED WITH THEIR ASSIGNMENT? OR? >> OF ALL THE CHOICES YOU GOT, I THINK THE ALLOCATING THE NORMAL TIMES INTO BLOCKS, I THINK WOULD WORK FOR ME. AT LEAST. GIVE MY COMMITTEE 7 TO 7:45. YOU CAN PLAN AHEAD. I ADVOCATE THAT ROUTE FOR COMMUNITY. HAVING THE INTERACTION ON THE SCENE IS GOOD. RATHER THAN TRYING TO SHARE DOCUMENTS. THAT'S WHAT I ADVOCATE FOR. >> I WOULD SAY, I MEAN I AGREE, AT LEAST INITIALLY BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL TAKE TIME TO FIGURE OUT LIKE HOW YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE YOURSELVES. IN THE PAST COMMITTEES WE TALKED AND THEN WE MIGHT TAKE PIECES AS EACH INDIVIDUAL AND WOULD GO AWAY AND MAYBE WRITE UP STUFF AND COME BACK TO THE GROUP. THERE WAS A LOT OF ITERATIONS WE HAD DONE. THIS IS NOT A 10 PAGE REPORT. IT'S SUCCINCT AND YOU CAN LOOK AT STUFF IN THE PAST JUST TO REMEMBER SORT OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE. DAPHNE, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? >> I JUST, I JUST HAD A CLARIFICATION QUESTION. I'M UNDER IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING. I JUST WANTED TO JUST CLARIFY WHAT THE EXPECTATION IS. ARE WE TO SUMMARIZE LIKE THE COG AT TESTING OR THE TESTING AND IDENTIFICATION THAT'S CURRENTLY USED? IS THAT THE EXPECTATION? FOR THIS SECTION? >> I THINK WE CAN TAKE IT FURTHER THAN THAT. BECAUSE YOU KNOW I MEAN I MEAN I WOULD HOPE WE WOULD TAKE IT FURTHER. YES WE NEED TO SORT OF STATE SORT OF HOW IT'S WORKING NOW. OR EXCUSE ME, NOT -- SORT OF STATE WHAT THE UNDERSTANDING IS OF HOW THOSE TESTS ARE BEING ADMINISTERED NOW. AND THEN IF WE QUESTION HOW SOME OF THOSE TESTS ARE BEING ADMINISTERED AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADMINISTER THEM BETTER, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >> OKAY. >> IF THE COMMITTEE WANTS TO QUESTION WHEN THE TESTS ARE ADMINISTERED. SHOULD IT BE IN FIRST GRADE? SECOND GRADE? I KNOW WITH THE NAGLIERI, WE TALKED ABOUT IT GIVEN MORE THAN ONCE WOULD BE HELPFUL. >> WE HAVE TALKED, SO I THINK YOU CAN, MY HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE EXPANSIONS ON IT. >> WE CAN TALK ABOUT POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS. >> YEAH. >> SURE. >> OKAY. GOT IT. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN YOU KNOW THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY WAS, I THINK THE WHOLE COMMITTEE HAS -- YOU KNOW HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INPUT. I MEAN NOT OVERWHELM EACH SUB COMMIT. IF YOU'RE NOT ON ONE PARTICULAR SUB COMMITTEE AND SEE SOMETHING THAT'S MISSING OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO BRING FORWARD, THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THAT WITHIN REASON. I WEAN WE WANT TO GET THESE THINGS DONE. I DON'T WANT FOLKS TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN'T CONTRIBUTE. PARTICULARLY WHEN I LOOK AT, I BROKE THE EQUITY THING OUT. [01:05:02] AND JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT MANAGEABLE FOR THREE TO FOUR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY WRITE SOMETHING. YOU KNOW THERE IS DEFINITELY CROSSOVER YOU KNOW WITH THAT. SO THAT'S JUST A COMMENT. AND I THINK I WOULD ALSO SAY, I DON'T KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO NECESSARILY AGREE ON THE SUB COMMITTEE. AND I THINK THAT COULD BE BROUGHT FORWARD. I THINK WE COULD SAY YOU KNOW THE SUB COMMITTEE COULD REPORT AND SAY, HERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT AVENUES. LIKE ONE THING, YOU KNOW JONATHAN TALKED ABOUT LOCAL NORMS. I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THAT ON THE COMMITTEE. IF THE SUB COMMITTEE SPLIT ON WHETHER LOCAL NORMS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. THAT'S FINE. JUST PRESENT BOTH SIDES. I DON'T EXPECT, I DON'T EXPECT EVERYTHING TO HAVE FULL CONSENSUS IS WHAT I'M SAYING. IF WE'RE DOING OUR JOB RIGHT, WE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD GOOD INFORMATION. HAVE IT SUPPORTED AND SOME OF THESE ARE JUST TOUGH. IF WE ALL AGREE ON EVERYTHING, THE SCHOOL BOARD SHOULD JUST IMPLEMENT EVERYTHING WE RECOMMEND. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT SUB COMMITTEES? >> YEAH. THIS IS MARK. FOR SUSAN. WE WATCHED THE SPEAKER. IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO DO THAT? I PROBABLY COULD FIGURE THAT OUT. THE IF YOU COULD WALK US THROUGH HOW TO LOOK AT AN OLD MEETING. >> I THINK CURRENTLY, WE CAN'T POST THAT MEETING YET BECAUSE IT'S BEING CAPTIONS AND TRANSCRIBED. I THINK I CAN SEND YOU TO A LINK OF A PREVIOUS MEETING THAT IS NOT POSTED. >> WE'RE WAITING TO GET, DR. PLUCKERS THAT MEETING. WE'RE WAITING TO GET THAT CAPTIONED AND POSTED AS WELL AS DORN'S. SO THAT EVERYBODY IN THE ACPS COMMUNITY CAN WATCH IT. BUT THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM SUSAN HAVING RECORDS WERE THAT'S THE CAVEAT. >> SO, I'M STILL HOPING THE MEETINGS ARE GETTING POSTED. >> I WILL FOLLOW BACK UP. I KNOW THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF MEETINGS THESE CAPTIONING. IT MIGHT BE A LOT OF THINGS TO DO. SO THEY'RE NOT AHEAD OF IT. BUT, PREVIOUS MEETINGS FOR TAG WERE NOT RECORDED. UNLESS YOU HAD A SPECIAL MEETING RECORDED FOR A SPEAKER. SO WE DO HAVE THE ONES I THINK FROM THIS YEAR BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE ONES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS. >> YEAH JUST MOST OF US TAKE NOTES BUT, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS ZOOM, IT'S REAL EASY TO HEAR IT AGAIN. >> I HAVE SOME VERY EXTENSIVE NOTES. I KNOW I HAVE EXTENSIVE NOTES THAT EMILY GARRETT HANDED FOR WHEN NAGLIERI SPOKE TO US AND SOME OF THE STUFF FROM LAST YEAR I HAVE EXTENSIVE NOTES. AS YOU'RE THINKING IN YOUR COMMITTEE, I WILL GET YOU MORE THAT I MAY HAVE. THE >> OKAY. >> LAURA, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE PRESENTERS SUB COMMITTEE. IS IT SUMMARIZING THE PRESENTATIONS THAT WE HAVE SEEN OR GIVING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE OR BOTH? >> WHAT I WAS KIND OF HOPING WAS THAT YOU, THAT THE GUEST SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE TAKEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THIS IS OUR YEAR END REPORT WE GIVE TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. YOU KNOW MANY OF THEM DON'T ATTEND ALL OF THESE MEETINGS AND SO THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY AS EDUCATED AT THIS POINT AS WE ARE ON A LOT OF THESE TOPICS. ME HOPE IS EACH OF THE GUEST SPEAKERS THERE WOULD BE A SUMMARY OF WHAT THAT PERSON WAS TALKING ABOUT AND THE COMMITTEE COULD TAKE THAT A STEP FURTHER AND SAY SO THIS IS WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THIS GUEST SPEAKER. AND THIS IS WHAT WE THINK WOULD BE USEFUL WITHIN ACPS. THIS IS HOW WE COULD USE IT AND THIS IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE OR THE YOU KNOW NEW CHANGE OR NEW OPPORTUNITY WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE. >> THAT'S HELPFUL. THANKS. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP. WE HAVE ONE ATTENDEE. JULIA ANN WATCO. [01:10:01] CAN YOU BRING HER OVER AND SEE IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO, I KNOW SHE RAISED HER HAND ABOUT SOMETHING. I WANT TO SEE IF SHE HAS A COMMENT. >> HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? >> YES. I WANTED TO SAY SECOND GRADE TAG IS NOT GOING GREAT IN EVERY SCHOOL. >> OKAY. THE COMMUNITY IS HAVING PROBLEMS. I KNOW THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE IS NOT TO DISCUSS INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS. BUT, I NOTICED THAT THERE'S NOBODY IN CHARGE OF TAG AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE AND IT REALLY SHOWS. THERE'S BEEN ILL RESPONSIVENESS TO MY CONCERNS THAT I HAVE COMMUNICATED. >> OKAY. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THE PERSON WHO IS ACTING IN CHARGE WOULD RESPOND SUBSTANTIVELY TO QUESTIONS. >> YOU KNOW WE HAVE A COUPLE MINUTES. CAN YOU JUST LET US KNOW LIKE DO YOU HAVE A CHILD THAT'S NOT RECEIVING SERVICE THAT SHOULD BE? OR IS THERE NOT A TEACHER ASSIGNED? WHAT THE HIGH LEVEL ISSUE THAT'S GOING ON AND IS IT EFFECTING, HOW MANY FAMILIES IS IT POTENTIALLY EFFECTING? >> THE QUALITY OF SERVICE IS POOR. I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OTHER PARENTS WHO AGREE. >> OKAY. >> IS, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE -- I THINK DR. MANN. ARE YOU GOING TO ADDRESS THIS? >> I JUST HAD A QUESTION. YOU SAID IT WAS SECOND GRADE? IS THAT? >> SECOND GRADE MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL. >> OKAY. AND YOU E-MAILED WITH MISS BURRELL AND ALSO MISS DOMINICK. >> I HAD A MEETING, WELL IN PERSON, I SHOULD A ZOOM MEETING WITH MS. BURRELL AND SHE REFERRED ME TO TIANA. WHO I UNDERSTAND IS TAKING A BREAK. >> IS IT POSSIBLE -- >> TIANNA PROMISED TO GET BACK TO ME ON A SPECIFIC DATE AND THAT WAS SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. SHE HAS NOT SUBSTANTIVELY ANSWERED ONE QUESTION. >> IS IT POSSIBLE -- >> I'M JUST -- I THINK MY BIG POINT IS THAT IF THEY WERE LEADERSHIP IN TAG, IT WOULD REALLY HELP THE QUALITY OF THE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE OVER SIGHT WHICH THERE IS NOT CURRENTLY. >> YEAH. UNDERSTOOD. AND DONNA IS TRANSITIONING OUT. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAUGHT IT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THAT POSITION HAS ACTUALLY BEEN RAISED TO DIRECTOR LEVEL. AND THEY HAD EXTREMELY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. SO I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHO THEY WILL NAME. BUT I KNOW THEY'RE BRINGING THAT PERSON ON. AND THAT THEY WILL BE RAMP UP TIME. SO, THEY'RE DEFINITELY HAS BEEN, IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE THIS YEAR WITH THE PANDEMIC ON TOP OF IT. HOWEVER, I THINK I MEAN DR. MANN, DO YOU WANT TO JUST HOW DO YOU WANT TO HANDLE THIS? IF TIANNA IS OUT. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE JULIE DROP OFF. BUT THIS CERTAINLY IS WHERE WE DO HAVE PARENTS COME FORWARD. WHEN THEY NEED HELP WITH THE SYSTEM. SO, YOU KNOW. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION AND WE WILL TRY TO -- >> YES. I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. AND I CAN REACH OUT TO MISS BURRELL AND MISS DOMINICK AND GET YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FORWARD ME THE E-MAIL YOU SENT TO MISS DOMINICK. >> I WILL FORWARD THAT TO YOU. THANK YOU. >> OKAY. THANK YOU. >> PERFECT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY ELSE? >> I HAVE A QUESTION. THIS IS MARYBETH. AND I DON'T KNOW, DR. MANN IF THIS WAS AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION FOR YOU OR NOT. I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT HOW, SORT OF WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR THE DELIVERY OF TAG SERVICES IN FOURTH AND 5TH IS WHEN WE RETURN TO SCHOOL IN MARCH. AT LEAST I KNOW AT OUR SCHOOL AND I THINK THIS IS TRUE IN A NUMBER OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TRUE AT ALL. THAT TAG FOURTH AND 5TH ARE DELIVERED WITH A TAG, SORRY, ELA AND MATH ARE DELIVERED WITH A TAG TEACHER DIFFERENT THAN THE HOME ROOM TEACHER. I HAD A QUESTION OF SORT OF HOW THAT WOULD BE DONE IF COHORTS ARE NOT GOING TO BE [01:15:08] CHANGING CLASSROOMS. I GUESS PART OF MY QUESTION IS ARE COHORTS GOING TO BE CHANGING CLASSROOMS? >> SO THAT IS A QUESTION THAT WE GO OVER AND DISCUSS PROBABLY AT LEAST FOUR TIMES A WEEK. IN MEETING. RIGHT NOW WE ARE BASED OFF OF GUIDANCE FROM THE ALEXANDRIA HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND ALSO OUR OWN SAFETY MITIGATION TRYING T MINIMIZE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE PLAN RIGHT NOW, WE'RE MEETING A LONG MEETING WITH ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS TO HAMMER OUT MORE OF THE FINER DETAILS THAT PULL OUT WOULD STILL HAPPEN BUT IT MAYBE VIRTUAL. SO THAT STUDENTS WILL BE STAYING PUT IN THEIR ROOM. I AM HYPOTHESIZING. WE'RE STILL TRYING TO WORK OUT THE FINER DETAILS. THE PLAN IS STUDENTS WOULD BE STAYING PUT BUT YOU WOULD STILL HAVE, WHETHER TAG SERVICES OR EL WILL UTILIZE ZOOM TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND IN THE SIMPLEST STATE THAT IS THE PLAN. STUDENTS WOULD BE STAYING PUT. AND THAT TEACHERS WOULD BE ZOOMING IN OR STUDENTS ZOOMING IN TO THE TEACHER. AND BUT THAT WE STILL HAVE THE DELIVERY OF THOSE SERVICES WHETHER TAG EL OR SPECIAL EDUCATION. >> THANKS FOR ANSWERING THAT. >> OKAY. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. >> YEAH, THIS IS MARK. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. MANN TOO. SO, WITH THE, I WAS READING THAT THE DISTRICT IS CONSIDERING SORT OF PROCTORS OR ASSISTANT TEACHERS THAT ARE YOU KNOW GOING, BECAUSE SOME TEACHERS ARE HIGH RISK AND CAN'T COME IN OR CHOOSE NOT TO COME IN. ARE THE AP CLASSES AND CLASSES THAT ARE TAG CENTRIC, DO YOU HAVE ANY INDICATIONS ON HOW MANY TAG TEACHERS ARE GOING TO HAVE ASSISTANCE AND GO REMOTELY OR BE IN PERSON OR TOO EARLY TO TELL? >> >> MARK, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO RIGHT NOW THE SURVEY IS STILL OUT FOR STAFF TO TELL IT US IF THEY HAVE A MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WILL KEEP THEM OUT. DR. HUTCHINGS IN HIS WEBINAR LAST WEDNESDAY LET EVERYONE KNOW WE'RE RETURNING TO SCHOOL I THINK MARCH SECOND. IT'S I'M TRYING TO NOW REMEMBER. I COMPLETED THE SURVEY MYSELF. CHILD CARE. HEALTH. BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE DOCUMENTATION OR FILL OUT THE FORM WHY YOU WOULD NOT COME BACK. THE EXPECTATION MORE OF OUR STAFF ARE RETURNING. WE'RE CALLING THE CLASSROOM MONITORS. I DON'T KNOW YET BECAUSE WE'RE STILL COLLECTING THOSE DATA ON HOW MANY MONITORS WE WOULD NEED. OUR INITIAL THOUGHT WAS AROUND 500 DIVISION WIDE. AND THE NUMBERS CREPT UP AND THIS IS BEFORE DR. HUTCHINGS ANNOUNCEMENT LAST WEEK AND OBVIOUSLY WE WILL DO ANOTHER REVIEW OF THE DATA AT THE END OF THIS WEEK. FOR HOW MANY MONITORS WE NEED AND ALSO JUST AS FAR AS SPACE IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE SIX FEET. SOCIAL DISTANCING. THAT'S STILL ONE OF THINGS IF WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH STAFF RETURNING AND THEN HOW MANY MONITORS WE WILL NEED. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CALLING THEM. CLASSROOM MONITORS. THANK YOU. DR. MANN. AND FOR ALL THE HARD WORK I CAN ONLY IMAGINE YOU'RE DOING TO GET FOLKS BACK IN THE CLASSROOMS. I'M SURE YOUR HEAD JUST WANTS TO SPIN RIGHT OFF. BUT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AND ROOTING FOR YOU GUYS. SO THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. IT'S, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE TRYING TO ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS. ONE UPDATE I FORGOT TO MENTION TODAY. THE SCHOOLS DID LISTENING SESSIONS IN COLLECTED QUESTIONS FROM STAFF. AND WHEN I TALK TO DR. NAZINGO BEFORE THIS MEETING, 8 SCHOOLS HAD FORWARDED THEIR QUESTIONS AND WE HAD OVER 800 QUESTIONS FROM SCHOOLS. SO AS WE GO THROUGH WITH PRINCIPAL CENTRAL OFFICE AND STAFF TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, TO HELP OUR STAFF BECOME COMFORTABLE, MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE [01:20:01] IDEA OF RETURNING OF WORKING THROUGH THE FINER AREAS OF THE SCHOOL AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. ABOUT 800 QUESTIONS AND THAT WAS ONLY 8 SCHOOLS. SO, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO ON AS WE TRY TO MAKE THIS RETURN SUCCESSFUL. WE HAVE A LOT OF PLANS ALREADY BUT THEN AS WE HEAR FROM OUR STAFF, WHAT OTHER CONCERNS WE CAN ANSWER THOSE FOR YOU. THAT'S OUR NEXT STEP BEGINNING ON WEDNESDAY. >> THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO LET US WRAP. THANK YOU COMMITTEE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I WILL SEND THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET TO YOU GUYS SO YOU HAVE IT. AND I WILL ALSO KEEP YOU POSTED ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO HANDLE THE BREAK OUTS. SO. AT ANY RATE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. SEE YOU LATER. HEY LAURA. MARK AND I TALKED. HE IS GOING TO TAKE SPEAKERS AND I WILL TAKE TESTING. >> OKAY. AWESOME. >> THANK YOU. SURE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.