Highly Capable Program in Enumclaw School District
(Approved by ESD School Board on August 17, 2015)
The Enumclaw School District offers a continuum of services for highly capable students K-12. (Policy 2190).
Highly capable students are defined as “students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students’ general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain. These students are present not only in the general populace, but are present within all protected classes.” (WAC 392-170-035)
“Students who are highly capable may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:
Instructional Program
“For highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.”
Identification
The identification of highly capable students is a multi-step process that takes in notification, referral, screening (optional), parent permissions, assessment, selection, and the procedures necessary to appeal a selection decision and exit a student.
Notification
The Enumclaw School District in compliance with the Washington State rules for Highly Capable Programs (WAC 392-170-047) has an appeals process. If there is a disagreement with selection decision, an Appeal form needs to be completed. It can be found on the district website under School Board Policies 2190F.
The appeal must be based on one of the following conditions:
1. A condition or circumstance believed to have caused a misinterpretation of the testing results (for example, an incorrect birthday or grade level).
2. An extraordinary circumstance occurred during the testing period that may negatively affect the test validity (such as death of a family member or physical ailment).
3. The suspicion of error in the administration of the assessment.
4. A misapplication or miscalculation of the score by the selection committee.
The deadline for submission of appeals is 4 PM, August 15 (or the day before or after if it falls on a weekend). Appeals submitted for reasons other than above will be denied without further consideration. No outside testing is considered. The decision of the appeal review team is final.
Exit Process
The exit process may be initiated for students who no longer demonstrate a need for HCP services.
Highly Capable Program Goals:
Highly capable students are defined as “students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students’ general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain. These students are present not only in the general populace, but are present within all protected classes.” (WAC 392-170-035)
“Students who are highly capable may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:
- Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned, and to transfer learning to new situations;
- Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their chronological peers;
- Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;
- Ability to learn quickly in their areas(s) of intellectual strength; and
- Capacity for intense concentration or focus.” (WAC 392-170-036)
Instructional Program
“For highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.”
- All identified students in grades K-12 will have the opportunity to receive highly capable services that individually target their strength areas.
- Identified students in grades K-2 and 6-12 will receive highly capable services within their general classroom setting through differentiated instruction.
- Identified students in grades 3-5 will receive services that include a pull-out program located at Southwood Elementary School.
- Identified students in grades 6-12 will have the opportunity to qualify for accelerated instruction, or advanced placement courses, in addition to elective options and extra-curricular options that target their strength areas.
- Classroom differentiation is designed to extend basic skills, enrich grade-level standards and supplement regular classroom work in their areas of strength. The opportunity to have differentiated instruction provides intellectual rigor, accelerated pacing and expectation of content mastery. Students are expected to be performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared to their peers.
Identification
The identification of highly capable students is a multi-step process that takes in notification, referral, screening (optional), parent permissions, assessment, selection, and the procedures necessary to appeal a selection decision and exit a student.
Notification
- Testing windows will be posted on the district website, the local newspaper, and in the main office area of each school.
- Referrals for grades K-12 are taken throughout the year to request highly capable testing for either the Fall or the Spring testing windows.
- Parents, teachers, students, and/or community members are eligible to nominate a student for Highly Capable Program consideration using the district’s nomination form. The form is located on the district website under Highly Capable Program (HCP).
- Written permission from a nominee’s parent or legal guardian is required before any evaluations are given or collected for inclusion in the student assessment profile.
- All 2nd Grade students will be screened in the Spring using the CogAt 7 screener to determine potential need for pull-out services as 3rd grade students.
- The use of multiple objective criteria from a variety of sources will be considered to identify each nominee’s unique needs and capabilities.
- The student assessment profile consists of multiple objective criteria, both qualitative and quantitative and formal and informal, such as, but not limited to, CogAT Testing, DRA, SBAC scores, report card, classroom work samples, Renzulli scales, and parent and teacher observation checklists.
- Referred students with CogAT scores of 96th percentile or higher and/or additional evidence that indicate the student is performing one or more grade levels above will be considered for services.
- As per (WAC 392-170-070), a multidisciplinary selection committee will review all data for each nominated student. The selection committee consists of a teacher, administrator, school psychologist and additional professionals who may provide content. The selection committee will evaluate the individual student assessment profile and make a decision on selections based on a preponderance of evidence that the student is among the most highly capable, a clear need for highly capable services, and student would benefit the most from inclusion in the district’s continuum of services.
- Parents will be notified regarding evaluation results through writing. Parents will receive an explanation of identification procedures, an explanation of the appeal process, and procedures for exiting the highly capable program.
- Before services begin, written parent permission for services to identified students must be obtained.
- The HC coordinating teacher will communicate with K-5 classroom teachers of the highly capable at least once each grading period, and 6-12 at least once a semester regarding progress in the regular classroom environment, as well as in the pull-out classroom, as necessary. Documentation of the meetings may be used during the annual review, or mid-year to guide or determine future placement needs for the student.
- An annual review will be conducted to review and determine each student’s educational plan for the following school year.
- Parents will receive written documentation of annual review determinations.
The Enumclaw School District in compliance with the Washington State rules for Highly Capable Programs (WAC 392-170-047) has an appeals process. If there is a disagreement with selection decision, an Appeal form needs to be completed. It can be found on the district website under School Board Policies 2190F.
The appeal must be based on one of the following conditions:
1. A condition or circumstance believed to have caused a misinterpretation of the testing results (for example, an incorrect birthday or grade level).
2. An extraordinary circumstance occurred during the testing period that may negatively affect the test validity (such as death of a family member or physical ailment).
3. The suspicion of error in the administration of the assessment.
4. A misapplication or miscalculation of the score by the selection committee.
The deadline for submission of appeals is 4 PM, August 15 (or the day before or after if it falls on a weekend). Appeals submitted for reasons other than above will be denied without further consideration. No outside testing is considered. The decision of the appeal review team is final.
Exit Process
The exit process may be initiated for students who no longer demonstrate a need for HCP services.
- A written request may be made by a teacher or program administration for placement discontinuation.
- The selection committee will convene a meeting to review the student’s profile to determine if the student qualifies for program services based on current assessment data and selection criteria.
- A request for additional evidence of student capabilities or willingness to participate in the program may be made.
- The parent will be notified in writing of the committee’s decision to either continue services, place the child on probationary status, or to exit the child from the highly capable program.
- A parent or guardian may request the student be withdrawn from the program at any time. A meeting to discuss the request with the HCP Coordinator will be scheduled. Afterwards, if the parent desires to withdraw the student from the program, the student will be exited immediately.
Highly Capable Program Goals:
- To enhance academic opportunities tied to the core curriculum through differentiated instruction and academic investigation.
- To assist teachers in differentiating instruction for highly capable and high ability students to be challenged within the core curriculum.
- To stimulate problem solving skills, enhance critical and creative thinking and higher order thinking skills.
- To track individual growth and achievement of identified highly capable students
- To improve student, parent, and teacher feedback of our highly capable program and the effectiveness of services