K-8 Highly Capable Program Review

The K-8 Highly Capable Program Review Committee will provide findings and recommendations for current and future K-8 Highly Capable Program design in the areas of state compliance and district alignment. Specific areas of focus will include:  

• Program eligibility 
• Affective domain 
• Program effectiveness 
• Curriculum and instruction 
• Professional development 
• Resource and finance 
• Contract implications 

The K-8 Highly Capable Program Review Committee will analyze current practices, challenges and opportunities in LWSD’s K-8 Highly Capable program and identify potential systemic improvements that are research-based, effective practices and supported through rigorous dialogue with community stakeholders. Stakeholders will engage in the exploration of evidence-based best practices, gap analysis with existing programs and quantitative and qualitative data analysis, to develop a set of findings and recommendations for the program moving forward. The committee will build consensus recommendations and considerations for systemic changes to our current programs to improve program policies, practices, eligibility, and design and lead to more equitable and effective practices. The recommendations will be delivered in the form of a final report and presentation to the superintendent or designee.

2023-2024 data: 

• 2961 students in Highly Capable services.
• 10% of LWSD population.
• Legislature emphasizes accelerated learning as basic education for qualified students.

Over time changes in legal requirements to Highly Capable programs resulted in:   

• Three service programs in elementary: K5HC, Pull-out Quest (POQ), and Full-time Quest (FTQ).
• One service program at the middle school level: Middle School Quest (MSQ).
• 2022-23 Middle School Quest Program Review, approximately 20 members.
  • Integration of students receiving MSQ services into general education science courses with differentiation in the general ed classroom as the service model.

2023 legislation required: 

• Universal screening at two grade levels.
• Use of multiple points of data for eligibility.
• Districts prioritize the equitable identification of low-income students.

Enrollment issues:  

• Considerations, over time, have resulted in complex and often overlapping curricular scopes and sequences.
  • FTQ may alternate years of curriculum to address a class of split students (ex. 2/3 FTQ)  .
  • Adds to the complexity and sometimes inconsistency of services  .
• Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color (BIPOC) students and students in free and reduced programs significantly underrepresented in the program.