Evaluation and Accountability

Gifted Program Evaluation

Program evaluation is a systemic, comprehensive appraisal of the AU's gifted education program plan and drives future decision making for continuous improvement. 

It relies on using meaningful data, such as gifted identification demographics, Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) goal attainment, student performance on state and local assessments, financial expenditures, and responses from stakeholder surveys and/or focus groups.  

Components of a program evaluation include:

• Reviewing the AU's Comprehensive Program Plan to determine attainment status of improvement areas and elements of focus
• Monitoring and measuring gifted students' achievement and affective growth and development
• Analyzing annual gifted demographics to ensure equal and equitable access
• Soliciting periodic feedback from stakeholders (Stakeholders include:  administrators, teachers, parents, families, and students)

Accountability

Evaluation supports the AU’s efforts for state and local accountability requirements.  Components of accountability include:

• Submitting the AU's Extended Budget Report
• Submitting the Unified Improvement Plan for Gifted Education
• Participating in the Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM) process

Evaluation and Accountability Procedures 12.02(2)(i)

The comprehensive program plan shall describe the AU’s procedures for evaluation and accountability including, but not limited to:

12.02(2)(i)(i) Unified improvement plan addendum methods by which gifted student performance is monitored and measured for continual learning progress and how such methods align with the state accreditation process (e.g., annual UIP gifted education addendum, multi-district/BOCES summary, intervention progress monitoring data sources, ALP goals, and performance, district, and/or state assessment data). These methods include UIP elements such as annual gifted student performance target(s) and an action plan to meet the target(s) and a timeline to report on progress toward targets;

12.02(2)(i)(ii) Methods by which student affective growth is monitored and measured for continual development (e.g., rubrics for personal journals and anecdotal data, student surveys, demonstration of self-advocacy, and student career and/or college plans);

12.02(2)(i)(iii) Methods for ensuring that gifted student performance (achievement and growth) and reporting are consistent with state accreditation and accountability requirements (i.e., disaggregation of state assessment data for gifted students, identification of discrepancies in the data, goal setting and demonstration of achievement and growth); and

12.02(2)(i)(iv) Methods for self-evaluation of the gifted program including a schedule for periodic feedback and review (e.g., review of gifted policy, goals, identification process, programming components, personnel, budget and reporting practices, and the impact of gifted programming on student achievement and progress); and

12.02(2)(i)(v) Methods by which parents, educators, and other required persons are informed about the methods described in 12.02(2)(i)(i-iv) above.

Advanced Learning Plan 12.02(2)(f)(ii)
A working-document section of the ALP. This portion of the ALP records annual measurable, attainable achievement and affective goals and progress.

Budget 12.02(2)(k)(i)

The AU shall include in the annual plan a budget for gifted education which reflects the collaborative efforts of the AU and cost of implementing the program elements and the student goals stated in the annual comprehensive program plan.

 Identification Procedures12.02(2)(c)(i)

A method(s) to ensure equal and equitable access for all students. The program plan shall describe the efforts that the AU will make to identify gifted students from all populations, including preschool (if applicable) through twelfth grade students, minority students, economically diverse students, culturally diverse students, students with limited English proficiency and children with disabilities.

Conducting an AU Program Evaluation

• Program Evaluation

Gifted Education Monitoring

• Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM)

Other Resources

• Gifted Student Enrollment
• Unified Improvement Plan for Gifted Education
• Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs)
• Affective Development and ALP Goals