November 24, 2015 School Board Testimony - Angie Hinojos Yusuf

Hello, my name is Angie Hinojos Yusuf.  I’d like to talk about equity and the Challenge Program with respect to minority students.  It is clear that equity is important to the Northshore School District. I agree, and believe that Challenge classes, being self-select, are a model of equity.   I am a Mexican- American mother of three Mexican- and Pakistani-American boys in the Northshore School District.  My father was an educator and I was fortunate to have guidance through my academic experience, but I know that not all minorities have the same advantage. 

The ability grouping that Challenge classes provide has positive consequences for minority students.  In his article, Ellis Page explains that, "Schooling in a homogeneous group of students appears to have a positive effect on high-ability students' achievements, and even stronger effects on the achievements of high-ability minority youth.” (Page, E. & Keith, T. Intellectual Talent, Johns Hopkins University Press 1996)     

The NSD Performance Scorecard numbers for “8^th graders successfully completing Algebra” shows lower numbers of Black and Hispanic students completing Algebra in 8^th grade in comparison to their Asian and White peers.  Having lived in a town on the US/Mexico border, I have experienced firsthand how many bright kids who were Mexican or Mexican-American were passed over for academic opportunities, or did not have mentors to help them access those opportunities.  In an article titled   Addressing the Achievement Gap Between Minority and Nonminority Children by Increasing Access to Gifted Programs, the authors state, “The lack of identification of gifted minority children contributes to the overall minority achievement gap in the U.S. and is a significant waste of talent and ability (Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Seon-Young Lee,Mephie Ngoi, & Daphne Ngoi).” 

Identification procedures, retention practices, and relevant role models in the Challenge program are crucial steps to increasing representation of minority students.  With this in mind, many people in our community were dismayed to learn that the district has stopped testing 2^nd and 6^th graders during the school day, for entry into hi-cap programs.  The hi-cap screener test was one way that each student could have an opportunity to be identified for hi-cap, and for Challenge classes as well;   it has been estimated that 10% of hi-cap students do not pass the test for admittance into special programs but still desperately need the services that Challenge classes offer.  A high score would flag that student as needing a faster pace and more in-depth material.   To be equitable, the district would need to screen, through various means,   every child, during the school day, to find and encourage those who would benefit from Challenge classes.  The longer a student goes without being identified and supported, the farther they will fall behind from their level of potential over time.  This contributes to the minority achievement gap.

For many children, an appropriate and excellent education means a Challenge classroom, with intellectual peers.  We are allowing precious children, who happen to be minority students, to languish in classrooms that are not necessarily meeting their educational needs. Let’s not fault the Challenge program for lower comparative numbers of minority students.  Let’s instead continue to find ways to identify and empower this group of underrepresented kids.