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Talent Development & Advanced Academics

MPS is committed to finding and nurturing Advanced Learners of all cultural and socioeconomic groups. 

When screening all second graders for Advanced Learning services, MPS uses two methods, one technical and the other adaptive, to ensure diversity in student identification:

  1. Screening assessments (FastBridge Reading, FastBridge Math and CogAT7 Cognitive Ability Assessment), using local or school norms so that students are compared with their true peers. 
  2. Teacher  Rating Scale and Parent Survey are used to look at the child as a whole, rather than as a test result.

Because of these combined efforts, our percentage of students of color within students identified for Advanced Learning has increased from 30% to 51% over the past 7 years. Schools across the state and country struggle with this same issue and have used the MPS model of identification to improve their own practices. 

MPS is working to cluster its Advanced Learning participants. Because research shows that all students – including students with average or below average academic achievement – benefit when students are clustered for Advanced Learning programming, we have chosen as a District to support this format. MPS data shows that schools who cluster show more gains on the MCA assessments and FastBridge assessments than those who do not cluster. All children do not learn in the same way and at the same pace. Our goal is that teachers differentiate instruction to meet all students where they are in ability, achievement and aptitude. 

Contact Us

Laura Shakespeare
Talent Development Content Lead
Laura.Shakespeare@mpls.k12.mn.us
612.668.5332

Ann Davidson
Talent Development and Advanced Learners
Ann.Davidson@mpls.k12.mn.us
612.668.5300

Jake Knaus
Talent Development and Advanced Learners
Jake.Knaus@mpls.k12.mn.us
612.668.5300

Additional Information

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Supporting Your Advanced Learner