Join IAGC for a Special Virtual Panel Presentation For Parents of Young Learners 

(teachers also welcome - 1 hour PD credit available)

Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM

Time for Elementary School: What Parents Need to Know about Early Entrance, Acceleration, and Advanced Learning

School/parent partnerships in elementary school are important for supporting your child's success.  And when it comes to advocating for your child's advanced learning needs, starting with an understanding of your child and the educational landscape is a solid first step.

What are signs that a child is ready for additional academic challenge during Kindergarten/primary school? What options are available for children with advanced learning needs in Illinois schools? When and how is it best to advocate for your child in elementary school? Should your child skip a grade or enter Kindergarten early? What is "acceleration"? What are the common strategies used to challenge and enrich learning in the classroom?

To explore these questions and others, join us for an engaging panel discussion in which three experts in the areas of gifted education, early childhood, and acceleration come together to share their insights and knowledge. The program includes a brief presentation followed by a Q&A discussion. Questions will be asked from the IAGC board, and attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions for discussion before and during the program.

                    Register Today!

                   Register Today!

About the panelists:

Nancy B. Hertzog, Ph. D., is a Professor of Learning Sciences and Human Development at the University of Washington. She received her masters’ degree in Gifted Education from the University of Connecticut under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph Renzulli, and her Ph.D. in Special Education under her advisor Dr. Merle B. Karnes. Her research examines curricular practices and policies in the field of gifted education. From 1995 to 2010 she was on the faculty in the Department of Special Education and directed University Primary School, an early childhood gifted program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Collaboratively with the head teachers, she won several curriculum awards from the Curriculum Division of the National Association for Gifted Children. She joined the University of Washington in 2010 as a professor in the area of Learning Sciences and Human Development, and the Director of the Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars (2010-2020). Currently her research focuses on equity and access to advanced learning opportunities in schools, and pedagogical strategies that help teachers challenge all students.

Randy Lange, Ph.D., is the Talent Development Coordinator for District 102 in La Grange Illinois. He developed the K-8 Talent Development Program in District 102, including curriculum for accelerated mathematics, language arts, and social-emotional learning; identification protocol; building parent support networks; and providing professional development and mentoring for teachers of high ability learners. Before joining District 102, he served as a catalyst in developing a more equitable identification protocol in his former district (Indian Prairie School District 204) based upon his dissertation findings. He also teaches courses through the Belin Blank Center to prepare educators to work with gifted and talented students. Randy holds a Doctorate from the University of Iowa, Curriculum & Instruction (Cognates: gifted education, educational measurement, and curriculum studies); a Masters from the University of Iowa in Educational Administration, and a Bachelors from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Elementary Education.

Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, Ph.D. is Administrator, Acceleration Institute and Research at the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center. She founded and directed the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students (C-MITES) at Carnegie Mellon University for 22 years. She co-authored Developing Math Talent: A Comprehensive Guide to Math Education for Gifted Students in Elementary and Middle School (2^nd ed.), Developing Academic Acceleration Policies: Whole Grade, Early Entrance, and Single Subject, and the Iowa Acceleration Scale, and co-edited the publication on academic acceleration, A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students. She is also co-developer of the new Integrated Acceleration System, an online tool that guides educators and families through the discussion and decision-making process about grade-skipping, early entrance to kindergarten, subject acceleration, and early entrance to college.