Highly Capable and Racial Equity Services Advisory

HC-RESA members will be committed to supporting the implementation and continuous improvement of the Highly Capable Neighborhood School model. They will also ensure to center the voices of our families furthest from educational justice. Members will reflect the diversity of the SPS community.  

Family Representatives: Family Representatives may include parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts or uncles of enrolled SPS students.  Priority is given to family members residing in SPS enrollment areas. 

Student Representative: Student Representatives are entering grades 9-11 for the 2023-24 school year, enrolled in SPS. 

Staff Representatives: Staff representatives may include, but are not be limited to certificated teachers, building administrators, educational staff associates and central office staff/administrators. 

Community Organization Representatives: Community representatives may hold positions in educational, service government, or not-for-profit organizations/associations with an interest in and knowledge of Advanced Learning. A representative of the organization should be nominated by the executive director or senior manager of the organization. 

Applications and nominations will be reviewed by the review committee. 

Members of the review committee will be appointed by the assistant superintendent of student supports and is likely to include: 

Parent and Community Representative(s): 

• PTSA President or Designee 
• Community Based Organization Representative 
• School-based Race and Equity Team participant 

Central Office Staff: 

• Assistant Superintendent of Student Services 
• Executive Director of Schools 
• Program Specialist 
• Representative from Department of Racial Equity Advancement (DREA) 

• Representative from Strategy and Partnership division 

A list of committee recommended appointees and alternates will be shared with Superintendent Jones by Tuesday, August 15, 2023. 

Invited appointees will be notified by email by the end of August 2023. 

Invited appointees will accept or decline a seat on the HC Advisory by September 15, 2023. 

Remaining seats will be filled by alternates. 

Membership will posted on the district website. 

No one may serve on the advisory who has a financial interest in the outcome of the recommendations made by the HC-RESA. 

The district shall provide public notice to individuals and organizations that may reasonably be interested in serving on the HC-RESA. Notice shall include the following activities: 

• District website 

• Direct written notice to active community organizations which may have an interest in participation 
• Direct written notice to all Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSAs) at all school sites 

Members will be selected and appointed in accordance with School Board Policy 4110: Family and Community Advisory and Oversight Committees, and the accompanying Procedure 4110SP. 

The HC-RESA is established as a committee to run for three full years and may extend due to needs and progress of the work. 

Initial term of office is set at one calendar year (September to September) with an option to reapply each term. A schedule of staggered change in membership will be developed to support the on-going work of this committee. 

Responsibilities of HC-RESA members: 

• Attend all scheduled meetings 
• Adhere to the agreed upon norms 

• Prepare for meetings by reviewing materials prior to each meeting  
• Contribute to the group’s work 
• Communicate the work of the advisory to families in your region 

Meetings will occur five-eight times per year, beginning in October 2023. Meetings will take place no more than once per month from 4-6 p.m. Day of the week to be determined. All meetings—except for the initial meeting—will be held online. 

Vision

Every student — particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous students who have been traditionally furthest from educational justice — will have access to the learning services that meet their needs, so they can reach their full potential.

Teachers will have the resources and support they need to provide these services, and the school community will enthusiastically support the new service delivery model. Every student, from those who need support to work at grade level to those doing more advanced work, will receive instruction that meets their unique needs and develops their talents and strengths. 

Mission

We are changing the way we provide advanced learning services to support the brilliance of every student and consider the needs of the whole child at various levels of academic learning, particularly those furthest from educational justice.

In the Advanced Learning Department, we will:

• Eliminate racial disproportionality in all facets of advanced learning services, from eligibility to participation to outcomes.
• Design services and processes to reveal potential and remove barriers to accessing advanced learning offerings.
• Apply advanced learning opportunities equitably to establish consistent practices across all schools.
• Offer engaging and challenging curriculum delivered with high-quality, effective instruction.
• Provide a variety of accelerated and enhanced instructional models that serve learners with atypical needs.
• Support social-emotional needs of students.
• Deliver high-quality professional development for relevant staff to achieve these commitments.

The following Foundational Recommendations to SPS School Board Policy #2190 were approved unanimously by the ALTF on August 20, 2019.

1. To realize the vision, mission, commitments and recommendations of the Task Force, the District must commit to establishing procedures consistent with state guidelines as well as Policy #0030, and to the prioritization of equitable access to advanced learning services, including but not limited to:
   • Using multiple sources of data to identify student needs for advanced learning services (Align to Board Policy #2080 – Assessment)
   • Delivery of an array of equitable services framed within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) at every elementary, middle, and high school and alternative placements, as needed to meet the needs of students. (Align to Board Policy #2163 – Supports & Interventions)
   • Use of equitable assessment practices that are accessible to and evaluate the needs of all students (Align to Board Policy #2080 – Assessment and #0030 – Race/Equity)
2. We recommend prioritizing equitable identification of low-income students and students historically underserved (Fed 7, 2E, single domain, outliers) in Seattle’s approach to advanced learning services and eliminating racial disproportionality in all facets of advanced learning services.
3. We recommend procedures and practices designed to support and hold every school accountable for providing a consistent array of equitable advanced learning services.