District » ECSC High Ability Plan

ECSC High Ability Plan

High Ability Plan

*Philosophy

We believe that each individual has unique value. We are committed to providing an educational experience which provides opportunities and materials needed for every student who demonstrate the potential for superior talents in the academic genre. Additionally, we strive to help our student appreciate their own potential, overcome their personal weaknesses, and maximize their strengths to achieve satisfying lives and make positive contributions to the global community. (2007)
 

*Mission Statement

The mission of Edinburgh Community School corporation is to provide opportunity for all high ability students to reach their full potential through accelerated and enriched learning experiences. (2007)
 

*Definition of High Ability

Realizing that some students have academic needs that are different from their age peers, Edinburgh Community School corporation defines high ability students as those who require services and educational experiences not ordinarily offered in the regular school curriculum to develop demonstrated or potential aptitude, leadership and creativity. Intellectual and/or academically superior aptitude is evidenced by the student’s:
  • understanding facts, concepts, generalizations and their relationships
  • reasoning
  • developing and evaluating ideas  as they relate to specific disciplines (2019)
State Definition IC 21-10.1-5.1-2+
 
Sec. 2…’high ability student’ means a student who
  1. Performs at, or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one (1) domain when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment; and
  2. Is characterized by exceptional gifts, or talents…

*Goals/Objectives

Goal 1. High Ability students in grades K-12 will be identified and serviced according to academic abilities regardless of gender, race, age, or socio-economic background.
  • develop an identification checklist that includes academic scores, student participation, teacher recommendation, parent recommendation, and ability test results
  • start identification procedures to determine high ability students at kindergarten grade level
  • collect samples of student writing and creativity (KOI) to be a part of the identification process
  • evaluate and make changes as necessary to the identification protocol
Goal 2. All high ability teachers and staff will participate in professional development to best meet the needs of High Ability students. The professional development will focus on academics, social, and emotional student needs.
  • attend workshops to gain instructional strategies to best meet academic, social, and emotional student needs
  • explore a diversity of differentiated learning experiences in the classroom in all core subject areas
  • encourage teachers to continue High Ability education and gain High Ability license if needed
  • encourage teachers to observe colleagues to find additional strategies to meet High Ability students’ academic, social, and emotional needs
Goal 3. To incorporation differentiated, challenging, and current teaching strategies to best meet High Ability students’ academic, social and emotional needs.
  • provide time for collaborative team work for high Ability teachers
  • allow time to extend curriculum maps to accelerate and promote higher order thinking for High Ability students
  • continue to implement technology and research-based successful teaching strategies to best meet High Ability students’ needs
  • document evidence that all high ability students’ academic, social, and emotional needs have been met (2007)

*Grouping

Elementary

K-5; flexible cross-curricular groups; language arts with social studies and math with science; students grouped according to their abilities in those curricular  areas; each grade level with have a high ability group; an on-grade level group, and a low-performing group; the groups are flexible, and will be reassessed regularly, possibly at the end of each grading period, to allow for movement and growth
 

Middle School

High ability placement for students in grade 6 is determined by criteria sent from elementary placement; placement for grades 7 & 8 is determined by NWEA test scores, CoGAT (8th grade)
 

High School

--students are identified based on teacher recommendation, grades, counselor referral, ISTEP, NWEA, PSAT scores
 

*Roles of personnel clearly defined

  • All decisions regarding selection and placement for High Ability services will be made by teacher, coordinator, committee, principal

*Students are identified in all grade levels for services

-Elementary Level

  • Acuity ELA or Math Pass+
    • KOI score of 97%+ or a holistic score of 4
    • CoGAT score of 90+
  • Dibels score of 90%+ if percentages aren’t available  

*Formal identification for the following…

-Kindergarten through Second Grade

  • All students are given identification measures:
    • Dibels/STEEP-grades 1-2
    • KOI-Kingore
    • CoGAT

-Third Grade through Fifth Grade

  • KOI-Kingore
  • CoGAT

-Sixth Grade

  • High Ability placement determined by criteria sent from elementary placement
  • NWEA

-Seventh Grade & Eighth Grade

  • NWEA
  • teacher input
  • CoGAT for eighth grade

-Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

  • teacher recommendation
  • grades
  • counselor referral
  • NWEA
  • PSAT scores