Highly Capable Education

Peninsula School District seeks to optimize learning for each student

through rigorous, engaging, and varied opportunities

Philosophy:

PSD recognizes that the needs of students identified as Highly Capable are not met through the

general K-12 program. Highly Capable students need specific instruction and services to meet

their academic, intellectual, and social needs. They thrive in settings that offer accelerated

academic achievement, divergent and creative thinking, and varied opportunities to challenge

themselves and each other intellectually.

The Highly Capable Program in PSD provides a continuum of services for identified highly

capable students to meet their individual and collective needs.

Continuum of Services,

Referral Form, & Parent Permission

2015-2016 School Year

John Hellwich Joy Giovanini Assistant Superintendent Highly Capable Program Coordinator

Learning and Teaching 253-530-1063

253-530-1007

Rita Reandeau Jennifer Dempewolf

Director Director

Student Services Assessment & Accountability

253-530-1081 253.530.1069

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10/28/2015

Continuum of Highly Capable Services2016-2017

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2

nd Grade 3

rd Grade 4

th Grade 5

th Grade

6th

Grade 7th

Grade 8th

Grade 9th

-10th

Grade 11th

-12th

Grade

Differentiated

instruction

provided at

neighborhood

school and

administration

of fall

Cognitive

Abilities

screening plus

gathering of

academic

measures.

P.A.C.E. (Full time program) Grades 2/3 and Grades 4/5 classroom:

This self-contained program is a full-day, full-week setting for highly

capable students who are identified by the Multi-disciplinary team using

multiple data points. The program is housed at Minter Creek Elementary

and Voyager Elementary and provides acceleration, enrichment and depth

of content. District transportation is provided.

Language Arts

and Social

Studies:

Advanced / accelerated

course offerings

Mathematics

and Science:

Advanced /

accelerated

course offerings

Language Arts

and Social

Studies:

AP Lang.

AP Lit.

Running Start,

College in the

High School

Mathematics and

Science:

Advanced

Courses

AP Courses

Running Start,

College in the

High School

Cluster:

Students

identified in

kindergarten as

top 10% on

CogAT

Screener will be

clustered with a

Highly Capable

trained teacher

at their

neighborhood

school with a

focus on

enrichment.

A.I.R. and A.I.M.: Highly capable students scoring high 96+PR in either

verbal (reading – AIR) or quantitative (math - AIM) are clustered with a

Highly Capable trained teacher at their neighborhood school. The teachers

utilize pre-assessment, curriculum compacting, a balance of going deeper

and faster when needed, and enrichment for their identified area while

receiving grade level instruction for other areas.

Self-Contained (Humanities

Block): Qualified students in

PACE or AIR are eligible for the

middle school self-contained

humanities block (Social Studies

and Language Arts). The self-

contained programs are housed

at Kopachuck and Key Peninsula

Middle School.

Humanities Cluster: Identified

PACE or AIR are clustered for a

humanities block at their

neighborhood school with a

Highly Capable trained teacher

at Goodman and Harbor Ridge

Middle School.

Advanced (compacted) math: Students are placed in

advanced math tracks according to their readiness for

acceleration based on district math placement test and

teacher input. This option is offered at all middle schools.

Humanities

Cluster:

Identified PACE

or AIR are

clustered for a

humanities block

at their

neighborhood

school with a

Highly Capable

trained teacher.

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Referral Process

Who may refer students for highly capable testing?

Anyone may refer a student once annually to participate in highly capable testing (Cognitive Abilities full battery

and ITBS math and reading) in grades 1-8. Referrals may come from parents, teachers, school specialists,

friends, family, community members, or even the student him/herself. These forms are attached to this

document and are available on our website and at your child’s school. Selection of students for our Highly

Capable programs occurs once annually for placement the following school year.

Referral Timeline

The referral forms (included in this packet) for the 2016-2017 school year placements are available online or in the

school office starting September 2, 2015.

Teacher and Parent referral forms are due to the student’s school’s main office or to the district’s Assessment

office by January 8, 2016.

Parent Referral Forms and Permissions

All parents/guardians (whether or not the originator of the referral form) must give permission for the student to be

tested for highly capable services. The form is attached to this handout and available online.

Highly Capable Identification Timeline 2015-16

September-January

High Capable Testing Referral Window, grades 1-8: September 2, 2015- January 8, 2016

Parent Referral & Permission Form is found on the last two pages of this packet.

Second week of December: District-wide screener of kindergarteners for potential enrichment and

differentiation in kindergarten and clustering in 1st grade classes. Note- Kindergarten screener serves as an

initial source of data but does not provide highly capable identification beyond the 1st grade Cluster.

January/February

Highly Capable Testing for referred students in grades 1-8:

Saturday January 30th, 2016

OR

Saturday February 6th, 2016.

Please note: kindergarteners do not participate in the January/February highly capable testing

March

Highly Capable Multi-disciplinary Team meets to review test results and identify qualified students

April

Parents notified of test results and qualification

Open House to visit PACE programs and learn more about AIR/AIM for parents

Acceptance of program options due back to school district

August

Testing for students new to the area and/or new to public school after January:

Wednesday August 3, 2016

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Selection Process

Highly Capable students are those who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced

academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments – typically 2-3% of the

population. A multi-disciplinary team comprised of teachers, principals, school psychologist, and district

administrators meet to make placement decisions in the spring for the following school year.

Assessments used for identification for the Highly Capable Program include the Cognitive Abilities Test full

battery and Iowa Test of Basic Skills in reading and math. Additional measures may be administered and/or

reviewed at the recommendation of the district’s multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

WAC 392-170-075

Each school district’s board of directors shall adopt policies and procedures for the selection of the most highly

capable students by the multidisciplinary selection committee.

Notification

Test results from the Cognitive Abilities test (CogAT) will be sent home after the MDT meets in March.

Appeals

Students who do not qualify for the Highly Capable program may have their results appealed. An appeal may be

initiated by the parent/guardian, staff member, or by the student. An appeals form (available on our website)

should be filed within two weeks of receipt of your child’s results. Appeals are reviewed by the district’s multi-

disciplinary team and parents notified once a decision has been reached.

WAC 392-170-076

Each district shall adopt a procedure for appealing the multidisciplinary selection committee’s decision and

disseminate this procedure to the public.

Retesting

Re-testing: Students may re-test annually through the referral process given the following conditions:

1. It has been over 9 months since the student last tested and

2. The student is enrolled in at least one grade level higher than when they last tested.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer to PSD from out-of-district schools and have qualified in a previous highly capable program

are not automatically enrolled in our program. Test scores and placement letters from the other district may be

used but students must meet our placement criteria.

A summer (August) testing opportunity will be available for students who are new to the area and/or new to public

school and do not have qualified test scores from previous schools.

To send test scores and placement letters: email/fax directly to Wealeh@psd401.net /fax: 253-530-1010

Attn: Hoa Weale

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Exiting the Program

The Peninsula School District, in compliance with the Washington State rules for Highly Capable Programs (WAC

392-170-047), has a procedure to allow students to exit the Highly Capable Program.

The Highly Capable Program consists of a variety of services and therefore is dynamic and fluid. Students may be

exited from the program for one of the following reasons:

1. Parents/ guardians request that the student no longer take part in the services. Whether the student has

previously participated in the program or is a newly qualified student, parents receive annual program

choice in which they indicate preference of participation.

2. On a case by case basis with input from the teacher, student’s parents, principal, and student services

staff, it may be determined that the highly capable services are not the best fit for the individual

student’s needs.

3. Students who are identified for acceleration services through a screening process in kindergarten are not

guaranteed continuation of services past first grade. The continuation of services in second grade and

beyond is contingent upon qualifying for services based on the full highly capable testing process

beginning in first grade.

Typical Learning Characteristics of Gifted Children

Unusually large vocabulary for their age

Ability to read earlier than most children, often before entering school

Greater comprehension of the subtleties of language

Longer attention span, persistence and intense concentration

Ability to learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice

Wide range of interests

Highly developed curiosity and a limitless supply of questions

Interest in experimenting and doing things differently

Tendency to put ideas or things together in ways that are unusual and not obvious

(divergent thinking)

Unusual sense of humor

Webb, Meckstroch, and Tolan, Guiding the Gifted Child

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High Achiever or Gifted?

High Achievers Gifted Students

Know the answers Ask the questions

Are interested Are curious

Have good ideas May have wild or unexpected ideas

Understand ideas Construct abstracts

Complete assignments Initiate projects

Enjoy School Enjoy learning

Are technicians Are inventors

Grasp meaning Draw inferences

Enjoy peers Prefer adults

Learn with ease Already know

Listen with interest Demonstrate strong feelings and opinions

Absorb information Manipulate information

Copy accurately Create new designs

Are receptive Are critical

WAC 392-170-036 – Definition- Learning characteristics

As used in this chapter, the term learning characteristics means that students who are highly capable may possess,

but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:

1) Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned, and to transfer

learning to new situations;

2) Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their

chronological peers;

3) Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;

4) Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength; and

5) Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.

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Highly Capable Program

PARENT REFERRAL & PERMISSION

DIRECTIONS: Please complete both pages of this form, detach it from the rest of the packet, and return to either

to your child’s school or email/fax directly to wealeh@psd401.net / fax: 253-530-1010 Attn: Hoa Weale by

January 8, 2016.

Please print clearly or type.

Student’s First Name

Last Name

Current School

Current Grade Level

Neighborhood School (if different than current school)

Date of Birth M/D/Y

Current Teacher (English teacher if in middle school)

Student resides in district?

☐Yes ☐ No

Name of person submitting this referral

Relation to student

☐ parent ☐ Other:

I give consent for my child to be tested for the Highly Capable Program Services in order to determine

eligibility.

Parent/Guardian signature: ________________________________________________Date_______________

I give consent for my child to be served in the Highly Capable Program.

(Actual service options will be determined with parent input.)

Parent/Guardian signature: ________________________________________________Date_______________

Parents of students with health conditions that may require emergency medication will need to be immediately

available during testing sessions scheduled outside of regular school hours.

Please choose one of the two highly capable testing dates.

☐ Saturday, January 30, 2016 ☐ Saturday, February 6, 2016

Parent/Guardian Name (Please print)

Street Address

City Zip Code

Phone 1: ☐ cell ☐ home ☐ work

Phone 2: ☐ cell ☐ home ☐ work

Email Address

Mailing address (if different from above)

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Does your child need special testing accommodations as specified in a 504 or IEP? ☐ Y ☐ N

Has your child been tested for highly capable services in the past year? ☐ Y ☐ N

(other than Kindergarten Screener)

Please respond to the statements below by marking the number that best represents the student. Add any examples

or comments in the third column. Additional information regarding a student’s exceptional ability, achievement

and/or creativity may be submitted with this application.

Low High Comments

Constantly asks questions

1

2

3

4

5

Offers unusual responses

1

2

3

4

5

Likes to try new things

1

2

3

4

5

Has a keen sense of humor

1

2

3

4

5

Creates original ideas and

products

1

2

3

4

5

Has many interests, hobbies

and collections

1

2

3

4

5

Is bored with routine tasks

1

2

3

4

5

Learns quickly and easily

1

2

3

4

5

Uses advanced vocabulary

1

2

3

4

5

Enjoys complex tasks

1

2

3

4

5

Intense; gets totally into tasks

or thoughts

1

2

3

4

5

Relates easily to adults and

older peers

1

2

3

4

5

Sense of fairness

1

2

3

4

5

Explain why you are referring this student for highly capable testing. Give specific examples where possible.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please return completed form to either to your child’s school or email/fax directly to wealeh@psd401.net / fax:

253-530-1010 Attn: Hoa Weale by January 8, 2016