SPS To Pause Sunsetting of HCC Program for Three Years
It appears senior staff were feeling the pressure of a decision and, instead of waiting until tomorrow night's Board meeting, announced they were hitting the pause button.
I also think this is because some schools were simply not ready - not even in their written CSIPs - for this change that was coming.
This came via an email to parents:
Dear SPS Families and Staff,
We are writing to provide you with an update on the Highly Capable (HC) program in Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Starting with the 2025-26 school year, we will continue to offer the HC hybrid model for the next three years.
This approach will allow eligible students’ families to choose between receiving HC services through the existing HC cohort pathway or at their neighborhood school, providing flexibility to meet the diverse learning needs of our students.
Continuing the Hybrid Model
We are proud of our progress in recent years in identifying more students who qualify for HC services, particularly students of color who have historically been underrepresented in the program.
Students in grades 1-8 will continue to be identified for the HC program through the universal screening process based on a holistic evaluation of students’ existing and available data and information.
Learn more about the eligibility process.
If identified for services, families of eligible students in grades 2-5 can choose between the cohort model or neighborhood school services. Every school has a plan to support HC students through their Continuous School Improvement Plans, which are available on the SPS website.
For 2025-26, eligible students in grades 2 – 5 who wish to attend their HC cohort pathway may still do so by completing a school choice application before the May 31, 2025, deadline. Families can access the form through either The Source or from our enrollment website.
For more information about our school choice process or further assistance, please contact the Admissions office at (206) 252-0760 or by email at admissions@seattleschools.org.
Looking Ahead
- Over the next three years, we will review the hybrid model based on data, student needs, and feedback from community members, families, and educators.
- We will continue universal screening to find and support students who qualify for HC services.
- We will provide training for all educators to meet the needs of all students, including those qualified for HC services. Our goal is for all staff to be versed in Universal Design for Learning, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and Restorative Practices.
- Additionally, educators will evaluate data to ensure all HC qualified students get appropriately challenging learning experiences.
Collaboration and Community Engagement
We value the input and experience of families, students, and educators in shaping the future of HC programming. This spring, we will release a schedule of upcoming listening sessions to better understand what you value most.
We will present an update regarding the HC program at the March 12 school board meeting. Please share your questions through our Let's Talk portal. An FAQ will be updated and posted on our website.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership on behalf of our students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ricardo Torres-Morales
Associate Superintendent of Student Supports
Comments
-Need Advanced Learning
HCC parents, in my opinion, should be focusing their advocacy efforts to improving the middle school experience for their kids.
-older mom
"Starting in 2025-2026, our plan is to phase out the HCC program. There will be no HCC programs offered in middle on high school. There will also be no HCC offered for first graders."
"We revised our process of identifying HC students and we're proud of our progress in identifying our students of color who have historically been underrepresented in the program. However, we will not be providing any services to these students in middle or high schools. They are welcome to join the existing HC cohort, but since there are more students identified, there won't be room for you at the existing cohort. There will be HC services provided at the neighborhood school, but no funding will be allocated. We will, however, provide trainings for all educators to meet the needs of ALL students, increase class size, reduce teacher pays, and expect the teachers to meet the needs of ALL students, not just the HC students."
"We value the input and experience of families, ..... in shaping the future of HC programming. We will provide listening sessions to better understand what you value most, and we ignore all those concerns and abolish the HC programs."
"Thank you for your support and voting for the levy"
Parent of HCC student
Actions speak louder than words. Amid the cheap talk from the district about HC services, they showed their true intent by removing the one significant piece of advanced learning that existed. If walk-to math is banned, one assumes they will also not allow individualized, computer-based work above grade level in math. Other commenters scratch their heads and point out how easy this would be, because it's hard to grasp the truth: SPS refuses to allow it on ideological grounds.
Your rewrite is spot on with the exception that the teachers pay will never EVER be reduced. SEA runs the show. Sure, the district couldn't afford the last contract but everyone knew it at the time and they still went ahead and made the agreement. And because 2025 is a contract (strike?) year, that line about teachers being underpaid is going to come up a LOT from SEA. But go look at the OSPI personnel by district. You'll find if you mash the numbers that the median teacher at SPS made nearly $105,000 in salary for the school year 2023-24. That number does NOT including medical benefits or retirement contribution matches. That's just straight pay. The reality is on the whole, teachers in Seattle get paid quite well.
-Seeing Red
Yet again, their anti-asian racism is showing.