ELP program remains unchanged for now

MAT-SU -- Surveys conducted by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District on the status of the Extended Learning Program, the district's gifted program, show room for change, but not a total revamping or dismissing of the program.

"We're falling in the medium to favorable results of the program, based on this survey," said Connie Lutz, executive director of curriculum and assessment, about the parent survey conducted. Surveys were also sent out to ELP teachers, counselors, department chairs and principals.

Discussion about changing the program to focus more on the highly gifted -- those with IQ's of 145 or more -- resulted earlier this year after criticism of the program at district-wide town meetings held last December and due to budget constraints. Lutz said the new feedback collected points things in a slightly different direction, and the budget constraints have changed. Based on the information collected, school board has decided to keep ELP at status quo for the upcoming school year, while looking further into the program to iron out problems brought forward in the surveys.

"There needs to be work done for the consistency for a district-wide program," said Lutz. "It's quite evident when you look at specific schools there's a lot of positive feedback coming from some schools and negative feedback coming from others. We need to get in a little deeper to find out what the successes are and what the challenges are."

An ad hoc committee of teachers, parents, students and principals charged with reviewing the program in more depth will be chosen soon.

The district administration will recommend committee nominees to the board members, who will make the final decision on the committee makeup. The committee will have until December to come up with a five-year plan to improve ELP, with the possibility of adding -- not replacing ELP with -- a highly gifted program in the district.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com