This spring, the QUEST program sent out nearly 400 letters to families of students who were recommended by the Central Screening Committee to participate in the QUEST Regional Programs. With those letters was a permission slip for parents to complete and return to confirm their interest in QUEST. Those forms were due on Monday, June 15th. State law requires that written parental permission must be received for a child to receive highly capable services. For each year that your child participates, an updated permission form is required.
At this time, 84 students who were in QUEST this year, or who tested this year and were recommended for participation by the Central Screening Committee, do not yet have signed permission forms. That’s about 20% of the eligible population who will not be able to benefit from the services QUEST provides. If you have not yet returned your permssion slip, please do so IMMEDIATELY. District staff are trying to make final plans for classroom assignments, and not knowing if a child will need space in a QUEST Regional classroom, or at their home school in a regular education classroom, is creating issues throughout the district.
The permission slip that you returned that allowed your child to be tested for QUEST is different from the one that is required once your student has been selected. Both testing and participation in the program require signed permission slips be on file for the District to comply with existing law and to receive funding from the state.
If you have questions about test scores or placement, or if you do not wish your child to participate in the QUEST Regional Program next year, please contact Nancy Velazquez, QUEST Coordinator at 841-8751.
June 19th, 2009 at 11:31 am
The number of permission slips outstanding on Friday morning, June 19th, was down to about 20. Thank you to everyone who acted quickly to resolve this problem. If you have not yet returned your form, please be sure to contact Nancy Velazquez as soon as possible.
Please do not reply to this posting, as ABC is only the messenger here, trying to make sure that this important news from the District is available for all to see.