GCABC Official Response to “Vancouver School Board phases out honours programs in high schools.” Globe and Mail, June 16, 2021
In the article, journalist Xiao Xu described the unfortunate decision by Hamber Secondary in Vancouver to cancel their honours classes in Math and Science, after already cancelling the English honours classes.
Dr. Owen Lo, a UBC expert on giftedness education, called the move “radical, oversimplified and irresponsible.”
Dr. Jennifer Katz, a UBC Associate Professor in Special Education, dismissed the concerns of parents whose gifted children have struggled to socially and cognitively fit in to regular classes, saying it’s “...a stereotype…part of racism and systemic racism. It’s a part of ‘I don’t want my kids in class with those kids.’ And that’s nonsense.”
The reactions from parents and experts have been strong and created a debate where we feel the need to weigh in.
As an organization that supports gifted students and their parents, we completely reject the statement by Dr. Katz as it is a very damaging statement for these special needs learners and their families. If this statement was taken out of context, as Dr. Katz later mentioned to GCABC and in a response on her Twitter account, then we invite her to clarify in what context she believes her above quote in the June 16, 2021, Globe and Mail article would apply.
Gifted children come from all races, ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic groups and seldom need tutoring to excel. They often struggle for years in the public school system before their parents find an educational model that works for their child. Honours and Advanced Placement classes (AP classes) are not created especially for gifted students but are often the only high school alternative for meeting the social and cognitive needs of Gifted students. They are inclusive in that anyone can apply for them, and no designation is needed.
Educating and bringing up a child is a multifaceted process, and even more complex when you have a child with special educational needs. Gifted students have special educational needs, as is specifically confirmed in the BC Special Education Policy Manual (see section E.4 “Gifted”). Students with a gifted designation need opportunities that go beyond the full inclusive model. They have an essential need to be challenged, to let their minds soar in areas they feel passionate about, and to share thoughts and ideas with like-minded peers. Without that, they often suffer and find school – and sometimes even life – meaningless. The BC Special Education Policy Manual confirms the following (at page 53):
The BC Ministry of Education itself, in The BC Special Education Policy Manual, confirms that School Districts are required to provide differentiated learning programs for gifted students. Here is a direct quote from page 54 of this Manual:
We call on the Vancouver School Board to explain why it is making decisions about programming that are in direct contradiction to the BC Special Education Policy Manual.
Equity should be the foundation for schools but cannot be translated into a simplified one-model-fits-all approach. Beyond achievement, the BC Curriculum Guide calls for “its education system to (become) one that better engages students in their own learning and fosters the skills and competencies students will need to succeed”. Gifted students deserve equitable access to an education that is engaging for them, one that fosters their skills and competencies and invites them to continue learning. If equity is a problem in that gifted programs are not currently offered in every school or every school district, which is contrary to what the BC Special Education Policy Manual states is required, then we ask the Ministry of Education and the School Boards in the Province to work together to make these classes available province wide, giving all students in need of a more challenging education the opportunity to apply for them.
We urge VSB, Hamber Secondary, and other public schools in BC to engage in proper consultation with families and special needs experts, as is required by the ‘Special Needs Students Order M150/89’, before any action is taken to alter honours, AP, and enrichment programs. The ‘Special Needs Students Order M150/89’ sets out the obligation on all School Boards to consult with parents in the placement of special needs students. As we have confirmed above, gifted students are special needs students. To not tailor programming to their needs is, in fact, discrimination against them as well as being in contradiction with the specific requirements of the BC Special Education Policy Manual.
In addition, cancelling programs is likely to widen the gap between low-income families and those who have the means for enrichment activities. Instead of creating equal opportunity, it limits low-income parents’ options to advance their kids’ learning. It also negatively impacts the students in those higher income families who choose to stay with schools for community and friendships.
We know from extensive previous experience that gifted children frequently do not get their educational needs met in the regular classroom. The new curriculum can theoretically be used to accommodate all students with designations, but without preparing and supporting teachers in this endeavour, it is hard for us to see how they can succeed with this daunting expectation. Support needs to come in the form of specific training in the special needs of gifted students, manageable class sizes, and more educational assistants trained in supporting gifted students. We therefore highlight the need for a clearly defined and robust training model for classroom teachers in how to deliver accommodations for ALL special needs students, as well as for all school boards to meet the standard set in the BC Special Education Policy Manual to offer programming specifically tailored to the special needs of gifted learners.
The GCABC mission is to extend support in navigating the unique developmental journey of gifted children through advocacy, education and collaboration. Our official position is that we need more, not less, high ability programs in public schools throughout BC. We live in a digital time, and education can be delivered online anywhere, anytime. It is time to embrace this concept and use it for disadvantaged children who cannot access more challenging education because of the location of their community and public school.
The current debate relates to the east and west side of Vancouver, but what if you are gifted and live elsewhere in this province? The lack of services for gifted go beyond Vancouver as there are very few districts that offer gifted programming in BC.
A clear and public plan of how to embrace inclusive education for all special needs students would ensure that teachers are well-supported to meet every child’s needs without pitting the needs of certain groups of learners against others.
Our children deserve that from us.
Related articles and news segments
- VSB takes heat for cancelling math & science honours programs (globalnews.ca)
- Rex Murphy: Cutting honours programs and keeping smart kids down proves the silliness of ‘inclusivity’
- The Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted | Facebook
- The BC Curriculum
- BC Special Education Policy Manual
- Special Needs Students Order M150/89
- How Does Full Inclusion Affect Gifted Students? | Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT (wordpress.com)
- Partial Inclusion In Special Education – 1543 Words | Bartleby
