Highly Capable Program Referrals

The Montesano School District is offering the Highly Capable Program for students in grades K-12 for the 2021-22 school year. If you would like to refer a student for evaluation for this program please complete the Highly Capable Program Referral Form by October 22, 2021. Referrals turned in after the deadline will be considered for the following year.

WAC definition of Highly Capable:

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 productivities within a specific domain.  These students are present not only in the general populace, but are present 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 their chronological peers

3. Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts

4. Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength

5. Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus

Evaluation Pathway and Timeline for 2021-22 School Year:

Step 1: Permission to Evaluate Forms will be sent home to families and are due back by Friday October 29th.  The Highly Capable Committee will conduct a data review of multiple objective parameters for referred students that includes past and present state and district assessments and teacher ratings scales.  

Step 2: If a student is not selected to move forward to the next step, families will be notified by November 5th.  If they are selected to go to the next step, then the Highly Capable Program Coordinator will assemble a portfolio of evidence of high achievement or potential for high achievement (including but not limited to: work samples from extension/enrichment activities, classroom formal and informal assessments, district assessments, SBA interim tests,  family and teacher ratings scales, etc).  The Portfolio stage will occur during November.

Step 3: At the end of November, the Committee will meet to review the portfolios and determine whether or not additional data from cognitive testing is necessary to make an identification decision.  Students and families will be notified of a final decision by November 30.  

The Montesano School District is committed to meeting the needs of all learners.  If you feel that your student has demonstrated mastery of grade level content and needs opportunities for advanced learning, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher or the Highly Capable Program Coordinator.  Please contact Julie Aldrich at jaldrich@monteschools.org if you have further questions.