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 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. 

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. The highly capable learning plan will continue to be housed on a digital platform.  Using this platform, students will complete lessons that align to their learning profile in addition to participating in the classroom instruction at their current grade level.

Teachers will determine how to deliver these services to students.

* Please note Elementary Challenge is being phased out and is only open to highly capable identified students who were in Challenge classrooms in previous years. Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Elementary Challenge will be phased out entirely.

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. Please note, this is not a self-contained classroom.