Meeting the needs of highly capable students

1. Meeting the needs of highly capable students April 28, 2014

2. Tonight’s Outcomes • Increase understanding of the new WA state laws about highly capable education • Outline the continuum of services in NSD • Describe the characteristics of a highly capable student • Learn about instructional strategies that are effective in meeting the needs of highly capable learners

3. Highly Capable State Law Revised • Highly Capable programs are now a part of Basic Education • Districts must serve students identified as “most highly capable” in grades K-12 • 2013-2014 is a Transition Year

4. Defining Most Highly Capable 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. (WAC 392-170-035)

5. Defining Most Highly Capable Identify students across content areas or in a single content area • Outstanding abilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain. (WAC 392-170-035)

6. Defining Most Highly Capable Identification process must be equitable • These students are present not only in the general populace, but are present within all protected classes. (RCW 28A.640 and 28A.642)

7. Statistical Definition of Highly Capable “Highly Capable” is generally recognized as two standard deviations from the norm, or the 97.7th (98th) percentile.

8. Identification “…authorizes school districts to identify through the use of multiple, objective criteria those students most highly capable and eligible to receive accelerated learning and enhanced instruction in the program offered by the district.” (Chapter 28A.185.020 RCW)

9. Identification Process • Nomination • Any adult who knows the child may nominate him/her • Screening • Assessment data used to determine if further testing is appropriate • Assess for Eligibility • Multiple measures of aptitude and achievement • Appeals Process • Parents may appeal placement decisions • Exit Plan • Parents or the district may initiate exit from the program

10. Transition year: Nomination reopensMay 5-June 10 Students who have not previously tested in 2013-14: • Current kindergarten students • Will be assessed at the beginning of their 1st grade year • K-1 students receive services in the regular classroom only • Current 1st-7th grade students • Will be tested June 19, ITBS and August 13, CogAT • Services in the neighborhood school only *Nomination form available online starting May 5.

11. Kindergarten Identification2014-2015 Incoming Kindergarten ID • Nominations accepted in early fall • Portfolio Screen- teachers collect assessments • Students identified through Portfolio Screen will be given an aptitude assessment in late fall • Services begin in the kindergarten year for eligible students

12. How will Hi Cap program services be Affected? • 2014-2015: Implementation Year • Provide a continuum of services for students identified as “most highly capable” K-12 • Services may be delivered in the neighborhood school in the regular classroom or in EAP and AAP programs

13. Continuum of Services • Once identified, continuum of service provided (K-12) • Menu of options to meet HiCap students’ needs • Service delivery may vary by grade level, grade span, school level, etc.

14. Services at Elementary • If identified in both reading and math… • May be served in the EAP program (no waiting list) • OR receive services in the regular classroom at their neighborhood school • If identified in a single content area, math or reading… • May be served in the regular classroom at their neighborhood school

15. Services in the neighborhood Elementary School School Guidance Teams: • Receive a list of students who have been identified through district assessments as most highly capable • Develop service plan in collaboration with the classroom teacher • Monitor effectiveness of service plan

16. Services in the neighborhood Elementary School K - 1st • Holistic services to foster potential across content areas • Services provided in the regular classroom only (not EAP) 2nd – 6th • Identified in specific content areas (reading and/or math) • Services provided in regular classroom in single or both content areas

17. Services at Junior High • If identified in both reading and math… • May be served in the AAP program • OR receive services in the JH Challenge classes at their neighborhood junior high • If identified in a single content area, math or reading… • May be served in the JH Challenge classes at their neighborhood junior high

18. AAP Program • Grade 7 only for 2014-15 • Current EAP students and newly identified students • AAP classes: • English, Social Studies, and Science • Math as determined by student trajectory • Elective classes and Health/Fitness: • Within general school offerings • Location at two sites: • Leota and Northshore Junior Highs • Program will expand to Grade 8 in 2015-16

19. Services at High School • Pre-AP 10 English • Pre-IB 10 English, Bio-Chem, World History • AP, IB, College in the High School courses • Accelerated Math trajectory • Advanced Science courses • Counseling components (to be determined): Course monitoring, career guidance, internships

20. Characteristics of Highly Capable Students .

21. Fact or fiction? • All highly capable students earn straight A’s. • Highly capable students are motivated by their interests and curiosities. • A highly capable student’s intellectual development always aligns with his/her social and emotional development.

22. Learning characteristics of highly capable students Students who are highly capable may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics (WAC 392-170-036): • 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 area(s) of intellectual strength; and • Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.

23. Social & Emotional characteristics of highly capable students http://vimeo.com/41707896

24. Motivate and Challenge Learners “The surest path to high self esteem is to succeed at something you perceived would be difficult. Each time we steal our students’ struggle by insisting they do work that is too easy for them, we steal their opportunity to have an esteem-building experience. Unless kids are consistently engaged in challenging work, they will lose their motivation to work hard.” –Sylvia Rimm Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Winebrenner, pg. 2

25. Services in the neighborhood Elementary School Services in the regular classroom may include: • Cluster grouping • Compacting curriculum • Enrichment and extension of content • Differentiation • Project-based and/or online resources • Acceleration • Additional testing required for grade skipping or single content acceleration

26. Service options Cluster Grouping Differentiation Acceleration Enrichment

27. Cluster Grouping • A small group of highly capable learners with similar abilities and needs within a mixed-ability classroom • Highly capable students perform best when learning within a peer group • The teacher delivers instruction to meet the needs of these learners through rigor, pacing, differentiation, and enrichment

28. Differentiation “Differentiation can be accurately described as classroom practice with a balanced emphasis on individual students and course content.” • Carol Ann Tomlinson (2013) Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom , pg. 14 • Some Instructional Strategies May Include: • Tiered Assignments • Menus • Independent Projects • Learning Contracts • Small-Group Instruction

29. Enrichment Classroom Enrichment • Problem-based learning • Project-based learning • Extended learning opportunities School-based Enrichment • Academic competitions • Interest-based workshops • Extracurricular clubs • Science fairs

30. Acceleration • Students working above-grade level in a single content area or across content areas • Research suggests that acceleration, when appropriate, can be an effective model • To ensure that there are no gaps in student learning, decisions to accelerate will follow a district-supported process • Review of student data required and additional assessments may be conducted

31. How do we get there? There is a lot which may be new for teachers… • Assessments • Service models • Collaborative program planning for highly capable students • Documentation • Instructional strategies • Curriculum resources

32. Professional Development All teachers and principals • Overview of changes to Highly Capable Law and implications for services Teachers of Highly Capable Students • In-depth training at Summer Institutes • Ongoing opportunities through the school year Student Guidance Teams • Training on Highly Capable programing • Ongoing support through the school year

33. Food for thought… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6eVy1AkXmc

34. Parents as partners There is a lot which may be new to parents… • Identification processes • Continuum of services K-12 • Junior High AAP • Neighborhood school options • Collaboration/communication about highly capable plan

35. Parents as partners Highly Capable Website • Updated information • FAQ’s • Links to resources • Forms and timelines • E-mail contact form Highly Capable Advisory- now serving elementary and junior high

36. Meeting the needs of Highly Capable Students Learning and working together!