1. Highly Capable Education
A national to local view

2. National Overview
Standards provide a foundation for developing programs for students and frameworks for teachers.
Through collaboration with various stakeholders, six Gifted Programming Standards for Pre-K – Grade 12 have been developed.

3. Learning and Development Assessment
Assessments provide information about identification, learning progress and outcomes, and evaluation of programming for students with gifts and talents in all domains.
Educators, recognizing the learning and developmental differences of students with gifts and talents, promote ongoing self-understanding, awareness of their needs, and cognitive and affective growth of these students in school, home and community settings to ensure specific student outcomes.

4. Curriculum Planning and Instruction Learning Environments
Learning environments foster personal and social responsibility, multicultural competence, and interpersonal and technical communication skills for leadership in the 21st century to ensure specific student outcomes.
Educators apply the theory and research-based models of curriculum and instruction related to students with gifts and talents and respond to their needs by planning, selecting, adapting and creating culturally relevant curriculum and by using a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to ensure specific student outcomes.

5. Professional Development
Programming
Professional Development
Educators are aware of empirical evidence regarding:
The cognitive, creative and affective development of learners with gifts and talents.
Programming that meets their concomitant needs. Educators use this expertise systematically and collaboratively to develop, implement, and effectively manage comprehensive services for students with a variety of gifts and talents to ensure specific student outcomes.
All educators build their knowledge and skills using the NAGC-CEC Teacher Standards for Gifted and Talented Education and the National Staff Development Standards. They formally assess processional development needs, related to the standards, develop and monitor plans, systematically engage in training to meet the identified needs and demonstrate mastery of standard. They access resources to provide for release time, funding for continuing education, and substitute support. These practices are judged through the assessment of relevant student outcomes

6. State Overview
Beginning in the Fall of 2011, Highly Capable Programs will be included in the definition of “Basic Education.”
“The instructional program of basic education provided by each school district shall include…programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A through 28A ”

7. Our legislature finds that for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education. (RCW 28A (1))
Our legislature cites research literature to determine that it does not intend to prescribe a single method of identification and will let school districts identify students through multiple, objective criteria.
Funding will be allocated based on percent of each districts population.
Access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction through the program for highly capable students does not constitute an individual entitlement for any particular student.

8. Legislative Findings:
Access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.
Multiple definitions of highly capable, from intellectual to academic to artistic.
Legislature does not prescribe a single method of identifying students.
Programs funded by the state grant system, must operate in accordance of rules adopted by the OSPI.

9. State Implementation
Districts may apply for grants through the igrant system to fund programs.
Funds will be allocated at percent of the district’s FTE.
Recent formula changes change the (approximate) $400 per student calculation to hours of additional instruction in a class of 15 students per teacher.

10. District Overview
Program for Academically Talented Students

11. Policies and Procedures
Nomination
Parents
Teachers
Other Staff
Members of the Community
Screening & Assessment
Parent Permission needed to administer:
Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)
Cognitive Aptitude Test (CogAT)
Students must score in the top 10% in cognitive ability and the top 5% in academic achievement to be considered for PATS.

12. Selection Process A multi-disciplinary team composed of
district administrator
psychologist or other individual who can interpret cognitive and achievement test results
teacher
will review data that has been collected for each of the students.
The district will:
Notify parents of students who have been nominated and explain the process and procedures
Obtain parental permission to provide services and programs
Schedule meeting of all parents
Conduct annual meeting to review each student’s plan
Conduct cognitive testing

13. P.A.T.S. Program for Academically Talented Students
PATS serves students in 2nd – 5th Grade
Class size at any grade level will be 18 students with an overage allowance for students who enter mid-year with composite scores above those students on the waitlist
Students spend 1 full day session each week working on activities and projects designed to challenge them.

14. P.A.T.S. Program for Academically Talented Students
Funding for the program comes from 2 sources
Approximately 80% comes from the State iGrant program
Remainder from the Olympia School District Budget
A end-of-year report will be made available to the OSPI

15. Resources & Citations Legal References:
RCW 28A Programs – Authority of local school districts – Selection of Students
WAC Special service program – Highly Capable Students
National Association for Gifted Children