GOSNELL -- The Gosnell School District is preparing for an upcoming standards and assurances visit, according to a report given by Assistant Superintendent Kevin Evans to the district's board Monday night.
During the visit, basically all areas of service provided by the school will be checked, including professional development hours and records, the district website, class sizes and student to teacher ratio, whether or not the proper balance of credits are being offered, scheduling and many other factors. Evans said district leadership still has a few things to do, but should be prepared for the visit, which occurs every five years and will take place this year on Dec. 5.
Also being monitored this year is the district's gifted and talented education (GATE) program. Special Services Director Wendy Evans said some changes have been made in the GATE handbook, mostly in the process used to identify students for the program.
"GATE has changed personnel at the state department," she said. "And we can no longer use a single criterion to dismiss or place a child in GATE. We have at least five people who look at each child and their individual needs. We look at intelligence, achievement, creativity and task commitment. The criterion are set for Gosnell but they are not necessarily the same as any other district; they are fitted to meet the needs of our students. We serve 3-5 percent of our student body in GATE, so if a student qualifies for the program in another district, they may not qualify for it here."
In other district news, high school Principal Lynn Whitehead reported that his school recently hosted a successful tailgating event for faculty and alumni.
The board also rescheduled their meetings for November and December to accomodate the holiday school schedule. The meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 and 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com