CULTIVATING POTENTIAL:

DPS Addresses Students’ Learning Needs Through Relationships and Rigor

s director of Advanced Academics, Laura Parrott’s goal is to make real the promise to every student that “we see you.” As a progressive, diverse, growing school district with 55 schools and 32,000 students who speak more than 100 languages– including its superintendent who speaks five languages himself–Durham Public Schools offers an academic program that serves the needs of all learners.

Advanced Academics oversees all K-12 advanced academic programming in the district, placing equity and inclusion at the forefront. Its work is aligned to the district’s strategic plan, the educational blueprint created by DPS, its stakeholders and community.

Every child is seen. Literally.

Most notably, every student in kindergarten through second grade receives advanced educational services by a licensed AIG (academically intellectually gifted) licensed teacher. These district experts get to know the younger DPS students and, during this time, they observe their potential and needs as learners, such as the quiet child who comes alive when the program is in operation.

All elementary schools have at least one full-time AIG specialist. The AIG specialists help classroom teachers recognize characteristics that are sometimes overlooked by the regular curriculum.

“We’re about nurturing our students districtwide, cultivating their potential beyond reading and math,” said Parrott. In third through fifth grade, DPS ensures that all students with advanced learning needs have intentional services from an AIG licensed specialist and/or teacher with weekly mandated services in reading and math. The services are based upon acceleration, enrichment, and core curriculum extensions.

Equity And Excellence

Parrott unapologetically works under the equity creed.

“Diversity has always been huge for me because what we know is that giftedness can always show up in any demographic group. In any group, there are students who are advanced. Remediation is important but if we don’t give [advanced students] what they need in the beginning, it’s going to be difficult,” said Parrott.

“We know that the benefit of education is learning to live in a global society. We provide the rigor and enriched experience,” said Jamel Anderson-Ruff, coordinator of Advanced Academics.

Advanced Academics offers 29 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including the arts, with a “phenomenal faculty who are up to the challenge,” said Parrott. Advanced Placement teachers have been recognized at the state level and have been tapped to lead support sessions in their content areas. “Their work beats the global and state average,” said Parrott. “It’s their passion. They want to make a difference for our students.”

In addition to the AP courses, e-learning and online offerings are available to middle and high school students through the district’s Ignite! virtual school, through NC Virtual, and under a partnership with the NC School of Science and Mathematics.

“Our students can accelerate through these opportunities,” said Parrott.

Students can earn Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) and test out of AP courses with a 90 percent passing score, even without seat time, and progress to the next class in the sequence, according to Parrott. This gives students the opportunity to take more courses or move on to the college level, she said.

CDM is a form of acceleration to maximize opportunities for high school students. It’s open to middle and high school students for high school level courses. It’s a little known fact that Durham is one of the leading school districts in the number of students who successfully go through this process.

High school also provides open access to advanced learning courses, not to mention Governor’s School. Partnerships among schools allows students to take courses that aren’t available at their base schools.

Then there’s SPARK Camp, a one week districtwide exploration into topics chosen by its own fourth through eighth grade participants. Connected to standards, SPARK uses creativity, higher order thinking skills, active participation, and different curriculum structures to maintain these advanced learners’ interest. With up to 300 slots, DPS uses a lottery system to fill them, and scholarships are offered.

Rising ninth and tenth graders participate in Explore Your Options sessions designed to inform families about the opportunities to enroll in Honors, AP, IB, Dual enrollment, as well as CDMs to give them information as they plan their four-year pathways. These events also include small group and one-on-one sessions for families.

“The key is to look for students and not wait for them,” said Parrott.

“The academic performance of our students speaks to the work. We make it a point to serve students who are not identified. It’s about serving an advanced learning need and not an identification label,” she said. The process includes portfolios to address students who don’t test well, and partnering with ESL (English as a Second Language) and EC (Exceptional Children) teachers.

Professional Development Provides Advanced Teaching Techniques

Advanced Academics offers a 30-hour professional development session focused on characteristics of advanced learners and how to recognize them. Called TAP — Teachers Advancing Potential — the course is open to all K-12 educators. The curriculum includes strategies on how to respond to students’ academic, intellectual, and social needs. Parrott said there are immediate results.

“Teachers were approaching their students with a more appropriate challenge,” she said.