Pasco County Schools has seen an increase in the number of students identified as academically gifted since the district began using a screening tool with all district second-graders, according to Vanessa Hilton, the district’s chief academic officer.
“Since that time, we have increased our number of gifted-identified students by 20%, especially in some of the more disproportionate areas,” Hilton said.
She said the district also has launched more professional development opportunities to help increase the number of educators to help serve the district’s gifted learners.
“In June of 2022, we started to offer all five endorsement courses over the summer, so teachers didn’t have to come out of their classrooms, they could do that when they weren’t doing other things, or as they did things for summer.
“We prioritized the teachers who were already teaching gifted learners, and, as a result, in that first year, we had over 250 classes completed,” Hilton told the Pasco County School Board, during its Dec. 5 meeting.
“And then, since we started, we’ve had a total of almost 650 classes completed, and we’ve increased the number of our gifted endorsed teachers by 33%,” she added.
“So, we have done support for students and support for teachers,” Hilton said.
She expressed her gratitude to district departments that help to pull off opportunities for students and staff in this area, including the Office for Leading and Learning, the Office for Student Support Programs and Services, and Accountability Research and Measurement.
School board chairwoman Megan Harding said she has heard positive feedback from a couple of her friends who have been able to take the classes.
“It’s just a great opportunity,” Harding said.
Published December 13, 2023
