ACTION ITEMS

Review and Approval of Hi-C Program

To: Michael Green

From: Jake Hall

Date: 9.17.21

Re: Request for Board Review and Approval of WSD Highly Capable Program per Policy 2190

Each school year the Woodland School District Board of Directors reviews and approves our Highly Capable (Hi-C) Program. Last year our Hi-C program was reviewed and approved on 9.23.20.  

Considering the impact of the pandemic on overall learning experiences for students, we have decided to continue in our current Highly Capable Program goals. Gifted learners need a faster pace and an opportunity to explore concepts at a deeper level than is offered through the standard curriculum. They also need interaction with their intellectual peers. With this in mind, the learner-focused goals of the Woodland School District Highly Capable Program are:

• Equitably identify students who have high intellectual, academic, and creative thinking potential based on district criteria;
• Provide differentiated instruction appropriate to the needs of gifted learners;
• Place students among their intellectual peer group;
• Provide a research-based, best practices program for eligible students at each school;
• Develop in students a sense of self, lifelong learning, quality production, critical/creative thinking abilities; and
• Provide the skills to enhance life readiness.

Additional goals to support our Highly Capable Program are:

• Engage in ongoing evaluation of students’ progress and placement;
• Provide professional learning opportunities in order to maximize teaching effectiveness in differentiating for the academic and social/emotional needs of gifted learners;
• Engage in ongoing collaboration and program evaluation and revision with students, family and community members; and
• Celebrate and showcase student learning.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in person learning in the spring of 2020, we had to be creative on how we would meet as a Multi-District Selection Team (MDST) and coordinate notifying families. Also, because of the shut down of buildings, we were not able to conduct our full “CogAt” assessment of all current 4th grade students identified as Highly Capable in the spring of 2020 to help determine educational placement for 5th grade. As a result we were able to hold the MDST meetings remotely, notify families via phone and email, and continue all students designated as Highly Capable in 4th grade into a 5th grade Highly Capable designation for the 2020-21 school year. 

We were able to conduct the full “CoGat” assessment this past spring 2021 for all 4th and 5th grade students who had been identified as Highly Capable in a previous school year. We also gave the CoGat screener to all kindergarteners, all new to Woodland 1-4 graders, and all referred students. We then met as a MDST virtually and went through each student’s educational portfolio, looking at their previous state assessments, Acadience, iReady, Classroom Based Assessments, full or screener CoGat scores, and teacher, parent, and student input. 

Last year we had a team of 10 teachers and two administrators attend the “virtual” Washington Educators of Talented and Gifted Conference. This year we have a smaller group attending the virtual conference where we are going to obtain more guidance from the state and our colleagues about identification of students who are Highly Capable. 

As instructed by OSPI, here is a copy of Woodland’s 2021-22 Highly Capable Plan (iGrant 217) for the Board of Directors to review.  

We recommend your approval of the Highly Capable Program in Woodland School District for the 2021-22 school year.