The Washougal School District’s Highly Capable Program’s mission is to provide a support network for students and educators and to identify services that will enhance current curriculum and procedures.
The Highly Capable Program staff wishes to support and encourage parents as they endeavor to provide an environment in which their child/children can flourish and succeed. Mrs. Sloop, Highly Capable Program Coordinator, is located in the Excelsior building. Mrs. Sloop works Monday to Friday, but hours may vary. Please call for an appointment at (360) 954-3222 or [email protected].
Highly Capable Procedures
Definition
Highly capable students are 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 within a specific domain.
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 other peers;
- Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;
- Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength; and
- Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.
The following procedures will be employed to nominate, assess and select students to participate in the program: RCW 392-17-035
Nomination
Referrals are permitted and accepted based on data or evidence from teachers, other staff, parents, students and members of the community. Nominators will use the district’s nomination form to refer a student to be considered for admission to the program.
Online Nomination Form will be available the first day of school through October 31, any given year. The highly capable program coordinator will collect the information for the multiple disciplinary selection committee (MDSC). The committee will review all nominations in a blind (no name) selection process early spring any given year.
The Washougal School District will consider all nominations of students, grades K-12, enrolled within the school district. A submission of nomination will not entitle any one student the right to be identified or tested for district programs/services
Each year the district website will provide the most current information on testing dates and other important program dates.
The Washougal School District’s Multiple Disciplinary Selection Committee would like to encourage submission of a nomination prior to the deadline. However, the Washougal School District will accept ongoing nominations throughout the year to be reviewed the following year.
Screening
The district will screen each nominee to identify students who qualify for further assessment. Screening criteria may include the following:
- District benchmark assessments
- State outcome assessment
- Other district assessments (i.e., NNAT3, PSAT, SAT, ACT)
- Student portfolio
- Districtwide Kg (grade) N
Assessment
The district will obtain written parental permission prior to conducting assessments to determine eligibility for participation in its Highly Capable Program (HCP).
Nominees identified for further testing through the screening process will be assessed using multiple objective criteria. The assessment process shall be based on a review of each nominee’s capability as shown by multiple criteria, from a wide variety of sources and data, intended to reveal each nominee’s unique needs and capabilities. The assessment criterion consists of both qualitative and quantitative instruments and may include:
- Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 3 (NNAT3)
- CogAT Form 7
- Teachers Rating Scale
- Teachers Input Form
- Parents Rating Scales
- Student work samples
- Student portfolio
Test results will be recorded in the student’s cumulative file.
Selection
The multi-disciplinary selection committee is composed of; A special teacher (provided that if a special teacher is not available, a classroom teacher shall be appointed); a psychologist or other qualified practitioner with the training to interpret cognitive and achievement test results; a certified coordinator or administrator with the responsibility for the supervision of the district’s highly capable program; and additional professionals if any, that the district deems desirable.
The multi-disciplinary selection committee will evaluate individual student assessment profile data using a blind (no name) process and make the selection decision based on:
- A preponderance of evidence from the profile data demonstrating that a student is among the most highly capable;
- Evidence of clear need for highly capable services; and
- Determination of which students would benefit the most from inclusion in the district’s program.
A single assessment score or indicator will not prevent a student’s selection for the HCP; however, individual pieces of evidence, if strong enough, can indicate that the student would benefit from these services. If properly validated test is not available, the professional judgment of the qualified district personnel shall determine the eligibility of the student based upon evidence of cognitive and/or academic achievement.
The district will obtain parental permission in writing before:
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- Conducting assessment(s) to determine eligibility for participation in programs for highly capable students;
- Placement in the district’s highly capable program before any special services and programs are started for an identified highly capable student;
Parental permission notice shall include:
(a) A full explanation of the procedures for identification of a student for entrance into the highly capable program;
(b) An explanation of the appeal’s process;
(c) An explanation of the procedures to exit a student from the program; and
(d) Information on the district’s program and the options that will be available to identified students.
Process for Appeal
Parents/legal guardians have the right to appeal the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee’s decision. Individuals appealing the selection committee’s decision must submit a completed appeals form or letter requesting a review of selection/placement decision. The written request must include reasons for the appeal and, to support reconsideration, provide additional evidence of significantly advanced cognitive or academic levels and/or outstanding intellectual, academic, or creative abilities.
The appeal request and supporting evidence must be submitted to Kathlynn Sloop; Highly Capable Program Coordinator; 4855 Evergreen Way, Washougal, WA, 98671, within ten (10) school days of the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee’s decision notification.
The district’s appeals committee composed of Administrator from the district office and Multidisciplinary Selection Committee Members will review the student’s file, assessment profile data, and additional evidence provided in the request for appeal.
The decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee may include:
- Upholding the original decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee;
- Reversing the decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee;
A decision will be made within thirty(30) school days after receipt of written request for reconsideration. The parent/legal guardian will be notified of the decision in writing. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final.
Exit Process
The exit process may be initiated for students who no longer demonstrate a need for highly capable program services. A teacher, program administrator or others may make the request for placement discontinuation. The Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee will convene a meeting to review the student’s profile to determine if the student qualifies for program services based on assessment data and selection criteria. The multi-disciplinary selection committee may request additional evidence of student capabilities and/or willingness to participate in the program. If the committee determines that the student no longer qualifies for highly capable program services, it may be recommended that the student exited from the program. The parent will be notified in writing of the committee’s decision and of the appeal’s process.
A parent/legal guardian may request that the student be withdrawn from the program, or a student 18 years or older may request a withdrawal from the program. A meeting will be convened by the highly capable program coordinator/director to discuss the request. If the parent/legal guardian desires to withdrawal a student from the program, the student will be exited from the program on the date parents/guardian signed program exit form. If a student withdrawals from the program student must complete the nomination process again.
Program Design
The district will make a variety of appropriate program services to students who participate in the program. Once services are started, a continuum of services will be provided to identify students in grades K-12. The district will keep on file a description of the educational programs provided for identified students. The district reviews services at least annually for each student to ensure that the services are appropriate.
Reporting
Identified students will be assigned the appropriate CEDARS Gifted value(s) in the district’s student information system for the end-of-year reporting activities.
The superintendent or designee will provide an end-of-the-year report to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), which includes:
- Number of students served by grade level K-12
- Student demographic information
- Survey to parents to determine if students who are highly capable met the goals set and if the programs provided met the academic needs of these students;
- Number and content of professional development activities provided for special teachers and general education staff;
- Program evaluation data and, if needed, program changes that will be made based upon this information; and
- Final Fiscal report that reports on activities and staff funded by this program.
Legal References: RCW 28A.185.030 WAC 392-170
Programs — Authority of local school districts — Selection of students
Special service program — Highly capable students
WSD Policy No. 2190 & Procedure 2190P
Transferring Students:
Highly Capable (Gifted/Talented) Students Grades K-12 transferring into the district will need to provide official gifted placement records to the district for verification by the Washougal School District (WSD) highly capable program coordinator. Transferring records must meet WSD qualifying factors before a transferring student will be classified as a highly capable learner within the district.
Testing for transferring students: If the transferring school cannot provide official enrollment documentation or cognitive testing that shows exceptional/advanced abilities. The transferring student will need to go through the district’s open nomination process just as any other potential student would.
Required transferring records:
- Official enrollment documents for a gifted program provided by transferring school or
- A third party official assessment or documentation of exceptional/advanced cognitive abilities
Submission of optional records:
Student portfolio may also be presented along with official documentation to the WSD Highly Capable Program Coordinator: Kathlynn Sloop, 4855 Evergreen Way, Washougal, WA. 98671 or [email protected]
Disclosure non-return of records:
Submission of portfolio work cannot be returned.
Reference Chapter 28A.185.020 RCW: Access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction through the program for highly capable students does not constitute an individual entitlement for any particular student.
Legal References: RCW 28A.185.030 WAC 392-170
Programs — Authority of local school districts — Selection of students
Special service program — Highly capable students
Elementary (grades K-5) Resources
Elementary school teachers may use various modification tools and strategies to provide appropriate content challenge and instructional pacing.
Teachers differentiate curriculum to fit the readiness of their gifted learners.
For more information:
Kathlynn Sloop, Highly Capable Program Coordinator, District Office, (360) 954-3222.
Secondary (grades 6-12) Resources
All interested parents, community members and staff are invited to contact Mrs. Sloop to receive periodic informational emails regarding highly capable matters.
Advanced Placement Classes
To discover the value of AP, click this link — What about AP? (Advanced Placement)?
WHS is offering AP Government and Politics, AP Physics, AP World History, AP US History, AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP Studio Art, and AP Calculus.
To find out AP credit policy for colleges and universities, click here.
Once AP exams have been completed, students will receive their scores the third week in July. The AP Coordinator will be able to access the scores on-line as well.
AP information can be found on the College Board web site: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
Seniors
It is time to be finalizing your after high school plans. If you are going on to a community college or university, find out the admissions requirements, think about your recommendations and the personal statement you may have write for the application – complete as many things as you can ahead of the deadline.
If you have decided on a school, see if they have an early action or early decision option – it will be to your benefit if you do that. Have fun taking the virtual campus tour on the sites and discover facts about the community the school is in! Consider applying to the Honors Program of the school – usually the class size is smaller, there is more contact with the professors, specific advising and more.
Request information from schools and set up visits to the campuses – you can to this through the web site of the school or by phoning the school and asking for “prospective student services”.
Below are many helpful sites for your planning.
There are several colleges that send representatives to our campus here at WHS in the fall. Please listen to or read the bulletin for those times!
Click here for an action plan for seniors going to college.
Juniors
There are several colleges that send representatives to our campus here at WHS in the fall to talk to students. Please listen to or read the bulletin for those times!
Click here for an action plan for juniors planning to go to college.
Sophomores
Click here for an action plan for sophomores planning to go to college.
College QuckStart is a resource for students that took the PSAT. There is an informational power point presentation posted on the Counseling web site to give aid in deciphering the score report as well as explaining the vast resources available to students. The web site is www.collegeboard.org/quickstart. The students will be prompted to create an account (free) before they are directed to the QuickStart site. Note: The students no longer need to enter “the online access code”.
Please address questions to Mrs. Sloop or your student’s counselor.
Freshman
Once you are familiar with our wonderful school, enjoy all we have to offer – clubs, challenging classes, sporting events, the performing arts productions and interactions with your fellow students and the WHS staff!
Click here for an action plan for freshman planning to go to college.
SAT/ACT
We suggest students take one or both of these tests near the end of their junior year. Statistics show that students in our area of the country tend to score higher on the ACT!
For information and registration for the ACT go to http://www.actstudent.org/
For information and registration for the SAT (and for sample test questions) go tohttp://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/reg.html
SAT question of the day, click here.
Online registration is recommended, our school code is: 481515.
Test dates for the SAT test dates, click here.
Typically, the students will be taking the SAT Reasoning Test. The test is given in Vancouver and Camas, the testing center will be chosen when the student registers on line. The student will want to send a score report to the colleges he/she plans to apply to. The first six score reports are free, additional reports require a fee.
For more information, please ask in the Counseling Center.
COLLEGE SEARCH SITES
This site gives specific and detailed data of numerous colleges and universities.
Additional general but helpful site:
http://cnsearch.collegenet.com/cgi-bin/CN/ZDispatch?pageName=.cnsearch.custom.index_html
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH SITES
Both of these sites are large and begin with the student filling out a profile.
The Pacific NW Scholarship Guide Online:
College Planning Network is a very good site for scholarships for seniors in Washington and Oregon:http://www.collegeplan.org/cpnow/pnwguide/instruct.htm
The Fast Web – This site offers coaching for scholarship applicants as well as scholarship lists. The student must register to receive personalized list of scholarships. Keep the individual’s password secure. http://www.fastweb.com
TheWashBoard.org is a free, web-based non-profit scholarship clearinghouse for Washington students seeking college scholarships.
TheWashBoard.org makes scholarship searching easy!
In addition, you will find other financial aid resources and information on theWashBoard.org
Additional scholarship and financial aid information: http://www.finaid.org/
FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) worksheets are available in the Counseling Center. (This will make the online application easier.) Do this as soon after January 1 as possible! Everyone going on to a 2-year or 4-year school after high school should submit an application; each school will have a deadline for the FAFSA to be submitted. The FAFSA is used to determine financial aid awarded by the school and in some cases, scholarships.
Apply at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
YOU NEED TO HAVE ALL YOUR TAX RETURN INFORMATION FOR 2011 TO APPLY – But you CAN estimate now if you don’t have the W2’s yet.
For general questions about filling out the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at:
800-4-FED-AID (800-433-3243)
Hours of operation are:
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 12 a.m. (midnight EST);
Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (EST).
For FAFSA on the Web questions, call 800-801-0576
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 12 a.m. (midnight EST);
Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (EST).
To check existing application — go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ and select the “CHECK MY SUBMITTED FAFSA” tab.
For Federal Student Aid options, click here.
For helpful Federal Student Aid publications, click here.
HOMEWORK HELP
This site has vast resources of information for every subject area!
http://HighSchoolAce.com/ace/ace.cfm
This site will help build vocabulary in a fun way.
http://vocabulary.com/
Highly Capable Handbook, Parent Resources
Highly Capable Program Resource Booklet
