Studer Community Institute

Escambia PATS program headed in new direction

January 28, 2015
/ Mollye Barrows
/ education

The Escambia School District launched the Program for Academically Talented Students, or PATS Center, more than 30 years ago to provide services for gifted elementary and middle school students. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas says the district is now making some changes to the long standing program. "In the future, the PATS Center won't be about a single location," said Thomas. "This day and age we expect a lot out of middle school students. They can't afford to go somewhere for 20 percent of their instructional week." The PATS Center is located at Brown-Barge Middle. Gifted students from around the county are bussed there one day a week and work with teachers trained to help academically gifted students make the most of their abilities. Thomas says modern course loads make the travel and lost time in other classes impractical. "This was done to help kids who were struggling in some subjects," said Thomas, "because they were missing one day of class every week. That’s not what you want to see happen." Thomas says they slowly started making staffing changes to the program about five years ago, like transferring those PATS teachers who wanted to move. Many now teach the same courses at other schools. "I see it as an expansion, not as being dissolved or shutting down," says Thomas about the PATS Center changes. "It’s an upgrade so kids can get what they need, but not have the consequence of missing time in school. We're taking the PATS Center to middle schools." Those students who don't have access to PATS teachers will still be bussed for those services, but Thomas says the future is in offering gifted students more opportunities at their home school. This semester, some PATS teachers started working permanently at Cordova Park Elementary. "It’s the right thing to do for students," said Malcolm. "It (PATS Center) worked 35 years ago when students didn’t have other options." Brown-Barge Middle School students will eventually be moved to another campus because the current building is outdated. Thomas says he has no plans to close the program when that happens or deny gifted students the opportunity of PATS Center services. "I can see a future, where some of these student take dual enrollment courses for more complex and rigorous work," said Thomas. "We have enough capacity with teachers who know how to do PATS Center services. It makes less and less sense to transport them across the town." Click here for a reaction by Pensacola Today's Mike Ensley.

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Escambia PATS program headed in new direction

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