Elementary Highly Capable Services

The Kindergarten/1st grade Group Learning Plan is designed for students who have the potential for benefitting from highly capable services demonstrated through their high cognitive ability, specific academic achievement and/or exceptional creativity. 

Identification for the K/1 Group Learning Plan is based on teacher observation and classroom assessments. Students in kindergarten and 1st grade who are identified for highly capable services will receive these services in the student’s home classroom with teachers providing differentiated instruction targeting specific literacy and/or math goals.  

Identified students in kindergarten and 1st grade are eligible for the current school year only. The student will need to go through the identification process to be eligible for future services. 

Universal screening for highly capable services takes place each winter for students in 1st and 2nd grade to determine eligibility beyond the K/1 Group Learning Plan.

The Highly Capable Learning Plan (grades 2-5) provides students an option to receive services at their neighborhood school in a general education classroom from their teacher. 

Teachers look at student’s strengths, interests, and learning styles to support individual goal setting. These goals help students grow in areas they currently excel in as well as areas of need. Students will participate in the classroom instruction at their current grade level.

Teachers will determine how to deliver these services to students. Possible instructional strategies to support the learning plan are:

• Adjusted Content - Giving students more rigorous content and more challenging assignments
• Addition of Depth and/or Complexity - Student work that includes more information or problem-solving steps
• Tiered Assignments - A task that is similar to the whole class with different levels of instruction
• Independent Study - Students explore a topic of interest and formulate and answer questions
• Learning Menus - Offering students a menu of learning tasks that support their goals
• Learning/Interest Centers - Engage in self-directed and independent learning activities
• Cluster/Flexible Grouping - Grouping students for instruction based on strength/need

The Elementary Challenge classroom is a mixed ability classroom that supports the needs of highly capable learners. Teachers differentiate the instruction to deepen and extend learning when appropriate, and students work and learn as a part of a diverse peer group.  In the Elementary Challenge classroom, students approach learning from multiple perspectives and are given opportunities to grapple with a more complex understanding of grade level standards.  The curriculum is the same as the rest of the students at their grade level.