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Parent document: Regular Board Meeting, 5_00 pm-03-07-2024.pdf

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Procedure - Highly Capable Programs

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. Highly capable students exhibit outstanding abilities within their general
intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific
domain. These students are present both in the general populace and within all protected classes.

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 other 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.

The District will employ the following procedures to refer, assess, and select students to
participate in the program:

Referral

Referrals must be available for all grade levels not being universally screened, and may be
submitted by from teachers, other staff, parents, students, and members of the community.
Persons referring a student for consideration for admission into the program will use the
District’s referral form. The district will conduct universal screenings at two elementary grade
levels to find students who may qualify for potential highly capable program placement

Screening

The District will screen all 2" grade students using the CogAT Screening Form and again in 5™
grade using current grade-level measures and data. The purpose of universal screening is to
include students who traditionally are not referred for highly capable programs and services.
Students discovered during universal screening may need further assessment to determine
whether the student is eligible for placement in a program for highly capable students. The
District will consider at least two student data points during universal screening, which may
include previously administered objective standardized, classroom-based performance, cognitive,


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or achievement assessments, or research-based behavior ratings scales.

Assessment
The District will obtain written or electronic parental permission prior to conducting assessments
to determine eligibility for participation in its Highly Capable Program (HCP).

District practices for identifying the most highly capable students must prioritize equitable
identification of low-income students.

The District will assess students identified for further consideration through the universal
screening process using multiple objective criteria. The District mustbase the assessment process
upon a review of each referred student's capability as shown by multiple criteria, from a wide
variety of sources and data, intended to reveal each referred student's unique needs and
capabilities. The assessment criterion consists of both qualitative and quantitative instruments
and may include:

Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th Edition (WISC IV)

Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV)

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

i-Ready/Smarter Balanced

District/Parent/Teacher Checklist of Creative and Cognitive Characteristics

The District must have identification procedures for their highly capable programs that are
clearly stated and implemented by the district using the following criteria:

a) Districts must use multiple objective criteria to identify students who are among the
most highly capable. Multiple pathways for qualifications must be available and no single
criterion may disqualify a student from identification;

(b) The district must base highly capable selection decisions on consideration of criteria
benchmarked on local norms, but the district will not use local norms as a more
restrictive criterion than national norms at the same percentile.

(c) The district will not use subjective measures, such as teacher recommendations or
report card grades to screen out a student from assessment or to disqualify a student from
identification. However, the district may use these data points alongside other criteria
during selection to support identification; and

(d) To the extent practicable, the district must give screening and assessments in the
native language of the student. If native language screening and assessments are not
available, the district must use a nonverbal screening and assessment.

The District will record test results in the student’s cumulative file.

Any screenings or additional assessments will be conducted within the school day and at the
school the student attends. On a case-by-case basis and with the consent of the parent or


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guardian, the district may offer student screening or additional assessment opportunities during
the summer, outside of school hours, or at an alternative site.

Selection

A Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee composed of a district administrator, psychologist, or
other individual who can interpret cognitive and achievement test results, and a teacher will
review data that has been collected for each of the referred students. The Multi-Disciplinary
Selection committee is composed of: a special teacher (however, 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 the results of the universal screening,
any further individual student assessment and any available district data, and make the selection
decision based on:

1. A preponderance of evidence from the profile data demonstrating that a student requires
accelerated learning and enhanced instruction;

2. Evidence of clear need for highly capable services.

A single assessment score or indicator will not prevent a student's selection for the Highly
Capable Program; however, individual pieces of evidence, if strong enough, can indicate that the
student would benefit from these services. If properly validated tests are not available, the
professional judgment of the qualified district personnel shall determine eligibility of the student
based upon evidence of cognitive and/or academic achievement.

The District will:

A. Notify parents of the students selected. Parents will receive a full explanation of the
procedures for identification, an explanation of the process to exit a student from the
program, the information on the District's program, and the options that are available to
identified students.

B. Obtain parental permission to place identified students in the program before any special
services and programs are provided to the student.

Process for Appeal
Parents/legal guardians have the right to appeal the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee's
decision. Parents are encouraged to discuss the results with their school principalbefore starting


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the appeal process. Individuals appealing the selection committee's decision must submit the
request in writing requesting a review of their 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.

Parents/ legal guardians must submit the written request and supporting evidence to the
Superintendent at 134 Marion Avenue N, Bremerton, WA within 10 school days of the Multi-
Disciplinary Selection Committee’s decision notification.

The Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee will review the student’s file, assessment
profile data, and additional evidence provided in the request for appeal. The decision of the
Superintendent or designee may include:

e Upholding the original decision of the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee;
e Reversing the decision of the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee

A decision will be made by the Superintendent or designee within ten (10) school days after
receipt of written request for reconsideration and will notify the parent/legal guardian in writing.
The Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee’s decision is final.

Exit Process

Upon the request of a teacher or a highly capable program administrator, the District may initiate
the exit process for students who no longer demonstrate a need for highly capable program
services. The Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee will convene a meeting and invite the
parent/guardian 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. If the committee determines
that the student no longer qualifies for highly capable program services, it may recommend that
the student be exited from the program. The District will notify the parent in writing of the
committee’s decision and of the appeal’s process.

A parent/legal guardian may request to withdraw the student from the program. A meeting will
be convened by the Highly Capable Program Coordinator with the parent/guardian to discuss the
request. If the parent/legal guardian desires to withdraw the student from the program, the
District will exit the student from the program. The Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee will
determine if identification procedures are necessary for students wishing to reenter the program
in the future.

Program Design

The district will make a variety of appropriate program services to students who participate in
the program. Once services are started, the District will provide a continuum of services to
identified 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 annually for each student
to ensure that the services are appropriate.


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The District will offer highly capable students the following programs: self-contained programs;
accelerated learning opportunities; academic grouping arrangements that provide intellectual and
interest peer group interactions; clustered Connections Class/Homeroom; student goal setting;
cooperative agreements between K-12 and institutions of higher education and programs
designed to share resources and facilities to maximize student learning and mentorships and
career exploration if 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) that includes:

e Number of students served by grade level K-12;
e Student demographic information;

e Data to determine if students who are highly capable met the goals set and if the
programs provided met the academic needs of these students;

e Number and content of professional development activities provided for special teachers
and general education staff; and

e Program evaluation data and, if needed, program changes that will be made based upon
this information.


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Bremerton School District
March 2024