Seattle Public Schools: Advanced Learning Policy Revisions Adopted

Press release from Seattle Public Schools:

05/10/2021

Advanced Learning Policy Revisions Adopted

On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, the Seattle School Board approved revisions and an amendment to Policy No. 2190, Highly Capable Services. The school board's approval is a historic and bold step toward ensuring educational excellence for every student in Seattle Public Schools.

Over the next six years, the district will phase in necessary changes in highly capable services so all students that demonstrate the potential to perform at or are currently performing above standard will have equitable access to academically challenging and appropriate services.

The revisions in this policy promote and authorize necessary changes to ensure that Seattle Public Schools stops upholding systemic and institutional racism, most specifically within the Advanced Learning (AL) Department. A summary of the policy changes are as follows:

We are confident that our intentional and carefully paced implementation plan will allow our staff, students, families, and community members time to adjust to these changes. We will continue to engage with families and schools as we fine tune procedures and build accountability structures. We remain committed to providing robust professional development to our educators, and direct support to buildings during this transition.

We want to acknowledge and thank the many community members, parents, experts, and staff that have dedicated years of work to bring us to this moment.

This press release was produced by Seattle Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.