When schools closed in March, the traditional end-of-year band concerts that showcase a year’s worth of practice and progress were effectively canceled. Rose Hill Middle School (RHMS) Band Instructor, Angela Laulainen got creative during the remote learning period and had her students record their parts at home.
Students at Rockwell Elementary spent time this spring writing notes of appreciation to share just how grateful they are to City of Redmond workers. Students thanked the workers for continuing to work during the global pandemic.
Redmond, Wash. – The Lake Washington School District Board of Directors named a new President, Vice President and Legislative Representative during their regular board meeting on Monday, June 22, 2020.
This year, two LWSD safety patrollers, Arthur Chen of Ben Franklin Elementary and Max Robert Miller of Clara Barton Elementary were honored as Outstanding AAA School Safety Patrollers.
On June 8, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced Tesla STEM student, Sophia Xu Ling as winner of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition for Washington’s first congressional district for her watercolor piece titled, “The Suffering of the Great.”
The application period for Highly Capable Programs ended on October 25, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.
Information for the 2020-21 school year will be available by September 1, 2020 including:
The quest@lwsd.org email address continues to be the most efficient method of communication with our department.
Lake Washington School District (LWSD) offers two different Quest programs for students in grades two through five. The Full-time program places students in a Quest classroom full-time, five days a week, while the enrichment Pull-out program enables students to attend a Quest pull-out classroom one day a week. LWSD also offers school-based Kindergarten - 5th Grade Highly Capable (K-5HC) services for students in those grades.
The Full-time Quest program provides our most highly capable students the opportunity to engage in rigorous, challenging, integrated, and enriched curriculum with their academic peers. The program is designed to meet the needs of students who have been identified as having exceptional cognitive and academic ability by accelerating and enriching the district curriculum. Students are enrolled in a self-contained classroom all day, five days a week. Full-time Quest classes are multi-aged with a 2nd/3rd grade or 4th/5th grade grouping of students. The learning pace is faster than in the regular education program; students are expected to perform work that exceeds grade level standards by at least one grade level. In addition to the accelerated district curriculum, the Full-time Quest program emphasizes advanced academic thinking skills and strategies, strong communication and collaboration skills, and an increased awareness of local and global citizenship.
2019-20 Full-time Quest programs are located at:
The district assigns a student to attend a Full-time Quest school based on his/her home address. School assignment is subject to change. For more information about Full-time Quest placement, view the 2019-20 Elementary Quest School Assignment Chart.
District transportation is available for elementary students from the neighborhood home school to and from the Quest school site. Parents/guardians are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the neighborhood home school. For more information, view the Full-time Quest bus schedules.
The Pull-out Quest program provides highly capable students the opportunity to engage in challenging, integrated, and enriched project-based learning with their academic peers. The program is designed to meet the needs of students who have been identified as having exceptional cognitive and academic ability by enriching their elementary curriculum. Students attend their home school four days a week and the Pull-out classroom one day a week.
The Pull-out program focuses on project-based learning with an emphasis on integrated social studies and science themes. Projects focus on literacy and math, using higher level thinking skills, in-depth learning, collaboration and cooperation, and presentation skills.
2019-20 Pull-out Quest programs are located at:
The district assigns a student to attend a Pull-out Quest school based on his/her home school. School assignment is subject to change. For more information on Quest school placement, view the 2019-20 Elementary Quest School Assignment Chart.
Transportation is available for Pull-out Quest students from the neighborhood home school to and from the Pull-out Quest school site. Parents/guardians are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the neighborhood home school. View the Pull-out Quest Bus Schedules.
For additional information on the Pull-out Quest program, visit
K-5HC Services provide highly capable students in kindergarten to fifth grade school based enrichment in reading and/or math. K-5HC Facilitator/Teachers meet with students in small groups for 30 minutes on a weekly basis in the student’s neighborhood school. K-5HC services focus on critical thinking and reasoning, creativity, interpersonal relationships and leadership skills. K-5HC Teacher/Facilitators also provide resources and strategies to the student’s classroom teacher to assist the teacher with accelerating and differentiating instruction.
Application process during 2019-20 for services beginning in September 2020. All dates are subject to change.
Applicants who have a documented illness or a documented family emergency on their regularly scheduled test date must notify the Accelerated Programs office in writing before the testing session begins to be eligible for a makeup exam. Students who miss their regularly scheduled assessment and the makeup date will be withdrawn from the application process for the current school year.
| Exam, Regular Test Date | Grade(s) | Make-up Date |
| CogAT Screening Form, November 16, 2019 | 2-4 | November 26, 2019 |
| CogAT Screening Form, November 16, 2019 | Private 1 | November 26, 2019 |
| IOWA, December 14, 2019 | 2-4 | January 7, 2020 |
| CogAT Full Exam, January 11, 2020 | 1-4 | January 24, 2020 |
| IOWA, January 18, 2020 | 1 | January 28, 2020 |
Visit Washington Administrative Code Chapter 392-170 and Revised Code of Washington Chapter 28A.185 for information on Washington state regulations for highly capable services.
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Students are nominated for Highly Capable services by parents, staff or community members by filling out the application form. To nominate your child, parents of students in grades two through four, and parents of first grade students who attend private school or who are home-schooled, must apply for their student to be considered for highly capable services for the following school year. To apply, fill out the online application form. Please contact the Accelerated Programs Office at 425-936-1238 if you need
Please note: Students must reside in the LWSD boundaries to apply for and participate in Highly Capable programs.
Parents of first grade students who attend Lake Washington School District schools do not need to apply for second grade Highly Capable programs in October. All LWSD first grade students take the CogAT Screening Form at their home school. Students who meet the screening criteria will be invited in December to complete the online application.
Scroll to the top of this page to find the Highly Capable Programs application form.
The district uses multiple objective criteria to identify students who are among the most highly capable. Private testing results are not accepted.
LWSD has revised the screening process beginning September 2018. All applicants will now participate in the CogAT Screening Form as part of the multiple objectives for screening. Report card grades will no longer be used to screen out a student from consideration.
Students are screened using the CogAT Screening Form. The typical score range to qualify for further assessment is Composite SAS 126-160 (95-99 Age Percentile Rank) on the CogAT Screening Form.
Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 95th to 98th APR on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled to take the FULL CogAT and the Iowa Assessments. Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 99th Age Percentile Rank on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled for the Iowa Assessments only; these students do not need to take the FULL CogAT.
Students are screened using DIBELS from the end of previous year and the CogAT Screening Form. The typical score range to qualify for further assessment is:
Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 95th to 98th APR on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled to take the FULL CogAT and the Iowa Assessments. Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 99th Age Percentile Rank on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled for the Iowa Assessments only; these students do not need to take the FULL CogAT.
Students are screened using the Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA) results from the previous year and the CogAT Screening Form. The typical score range to qualify for further assessment includes:
Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 95th to 98th APR on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled to take the FULL CogAT and the Iowa Assessments. Students who qualify for further assessment who scored at the 99th Age Percentile Rank on the CogAT Screening Form will be scheduled for the Iowa Assessments only; these students do not need to take the FULL CogAT.
Applicants who meet screening criteria will be assessed using multiple objective criteria.
Standard Age Score (SAS) is a normalized standard score, with a mean (average) of 100. Standard Age Scores of 89-111 are all within the average range. For example:
| Standard Age Score | Percentile Rank | Standard Age Score | Percentile Rank | Standard Age Score | Percentile Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 50 | 112 | 77 | 124 | 93 |
| 101 | 52 | 113 | 79 | 125 | 94 |
| 102 | 55 | 114 | 81 | 126 | 95 |
| 103 | 57 | 115 | 83 | 127 | 95 |
| 104 | 60 | 116 | 84 | 128 | 96 |
| 105 | 62 | 117 | 86 | 129 | 97 |
| 106 | 65 | 118 | 87 | 130 | 97 |
| 107 | 67 | 119 | 88 | 131 | 97 |
| 108 | 69 | 120 | 89 | 132 | 98 |
| 109 | 71 | 121 | 91 | 133-134 | 98 |
| 110 | 73 | 122 | 92 | 135-160 | 99 |
| 111 | 75 | 123 | 92 |
View information on CogAT and Iowa Assessment Forms and Levels.
The Iowa Assessments provide a measure of a student’s achievement across a continuum of rigorous learning standards. LWSD administers the Reading, Vocabulary and Math subtests.
View information on CogAT and Iowa Assessment Forms and Levels.
Evidence of need for highly capable services is determined by a Multidisciplinary Selection Committee. Members of the committee include, at a minimum, a school psychologist, a teacher and the Director of Accelerated Programs. All decisions are based on the body of evidence to provide a clear picture of each student’s ability and to determine whether the data indicate a need for services beyond the scope of the general education classroom. No weights are assigned to data points. Private testing results are not accepted.
Students who are identified for highly capable services will be offered placement in one of the following services:
Highly Capable assessment criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals for reconsideration of students who have not met the assessment criteria are reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee after notification of screening results and after notification of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee placement decision. Appeals must be submitted to the Accelerated Programs Office in writing within 10 calendar days of notification of results using the online LWSD Highly Capable Program Appeal Form. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office at 425-936-1238 or email quest@lwsd.org. Appeals must be based upon a specific criteria related to the screening/testing conditions, or to a misapplication or miscalculation of the scores. The decision of the appeal review team is final.
Lake Washington School District provides a continuum of services to meet the learning needs of highly capable students residing in our district. Quest offers two elementary program options for highly capable students in second through fifth grade: a one day per week program, which provides additional enrichment through pull-out services, and a self-contained, full-time program, which provides an accelerated curriculum in literacy and math. Quest offers a Middle School option for highly capable students in sixth through eighth grade, which offers accelerated classes in Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math. Quest programs serve students who:
Kindergarten-5th Grade Highly Capable (K-5HC) Services support the most highly capable students in kindergarten through fifth grade. This program provides students enrichment in reading and/or math via 30 minute weekly small group sessions. General education teachers also receive support to enhance in-class differentiation for highly capable and high ability students.
During the first half of the 2019-20 school year, highly capable kindergarten-5th grade students will be identified in reading and/or math. Services for identified kindergarten students will begin sometime during the second half of the year. Services for identified 1st-5th grade students begin the following school year.
Services will take place in the student’s neighborhood school during the regular school day. The K-5HC Facilitator/Teachers will provide resources and strategies to the student's classroom teacher to assist the teacher with accelerating instruction. K-5HC Facilitator/Teachers will provide math and/or reading enrichment services.
A student who participates in the K-5HC program in kindergarten will continue services through fifth grade unless the student qualifies for another highly capable program, such as Pull-out Quest or Full-time Quest.
The Quest program serves some of the most highly capable students in the district. One way to explore if this program would be a good fit for your student is to discuss your student’s academic abilities and performance with his or her teacher(s). Aside from high academic performance, here are some typical intellectual characteristics of highly capable children:
For more information on traits of highly capable students, see Traits of Giftedness.
The Quest application is submitted online. If you do not have access to the internet, or need an application in a language other than English, please contact the Accelerated Programs office for an application form. If you need assistance uploading required documents, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office.
The Gifted Education Advisory Council (GEAC) is a good source of information about the Quest program, especially from the perspective of parents. GEAC holds monthly general meetings, provides parent information and support and maintains a GEAC Facebook page.
A goal of the Highly Capable Services Continuum is to provide maximum choice at the high school level to enable students to tailor their program of advanced studies as much as possible based on their post-secondary goals. To that end we offer a variety of rigorous options at the high school level that our highly capable students can participate in including Advanced Placement (AP) course options, Honors Courses, Choice Schools and programs, Running Start and Early College in the High School. Each of our high schools provide accelerated course enrollment options. This approach ensures that students are not required to attend school at a specific location to participate in accelerated learning options.
Yes. Screening requirements vary by grade level, so read the application materials very carefully. All applicants must meet the screening requirements to be assessed for the Quest program. Visit Washington Administrative Code Chapter 392-170 and Revised Code of Washington Chapter28A.185 for information on Washington state regulations for highly capable services.
For students in Kindergarten and Grade 1, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
For students in Grades 2 to 3, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
For students in Grades 4 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
NOTES:
For students in Kindergarten and Grade 1, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
For students in Grades 2 to 3, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
For students in Grades 4 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
NOTES:
For students in kindergarten, no additional documentation is needed.
For LWSD students in Grade 1, no additional documentation is needed. Your child will take the District-wide First Grade CogAT Screening Form at his or her school. If your child meets the screening criteria, you will be invited to complete an online application in December.
For students in Grades 2 to 3, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
For students in Grades 4 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
NOTES:
Appeals will not be considered for illness. Please email quest@lwsd.org before the test begins if your child is going to miss a scheduled test due to a documented illness. Students who are not feeling well on the date of the original test are given one opportunity to test on the makeup date. Only one makeup date will be scheduled for each test. The district sets the date for that makeup test. Applications for students who miss a regularly scheduled test and the makeup test will be closed.
Please email quest@lwsd.org before the test begins if your child is going to miss a scheduled test due to a documented family emergency. Your child will be given one opportunity to test on the makeup date. One makeup date only will be scheduled for each Quest test. The district sets the date for the makeup test. Applications for students who miss a regularly scheduled test and the makeup test will be closed.
Highly Capable assessment criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals for reconsideration of students who have not met the assessment criteria are reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee after notification of screening results and after notification of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee placement decision. Appeals must be submitted to the Accelerated Programs Office in writing within 10 calendar days of notification of results using the online LWSD Highly Capable Program Appeal Form. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office at 425-936-1238 or email quest@lwsd.org. Appeals must be based upon a specific criteria related to the screening/testing conditions, or to a misapplication or miscalculation of the scores. The decision of the appeal review team is final.
Students who were enrolled in a highly capable or gifted program in their previous school may apply to Quest when they transfer into LWSD. Transfer students are not automatically enrolled in the Highly Capable programs. Highly capable services are not an entitlement in Washington, as they are in some states.
Notes:
The Accelerated Programs Office will notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the student’s eligibility status after reviewing the applicant’s file. If the student is not eligible, he/she can apply and go through the district identification process in the fall.
LWSD Highly Capable Programs Change of Service Request
Parents of students participating in LWSD highly capable services may opt to withdraw from highly capable services at any time by submitting the Change of Service Request to the Accelerated Programs Office. Students will remain identified as highly capable. Students attending a LWSD school may receive differentiated instruction in their LWSD classroom. Students opting out of Full-time Quest may request participation in either Pull-out Quest or K-5HC services. Students opting out of Pull-out Quest may request participation in K-5HC services.
If parents wish to have their student return to highly capable services, they may submit a Change of Service Request. Students who have been away from highly capable services for less than 12 calendar months may resume the same level of highly capable services. For an absence of longer than 12 calendar months, parents may submit a written request to resume highly capable services and attach report card grades and evidence that the student has participated in accelerated learning; the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee will consider the request.
Parents of newly identified highly capable students may opt to decline services. Students will remain identified as highly capable. Students attending a LWSD school may receive differentiated instruction in their LWSD classroom. After declining highly capable services, parents who wish to begin previously offered services may complete a Change of Service Request. Students wishing to begin services within 12 calendar months of the original start date will be scheduled for the same level of service. Requests for highly capable services starting more than 12 calendar months after the original start date must be reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee; submit a Change of Service Request along with report card data and documentation showing accelerated learning for review.
NOTES:
Please contact the Accelerated Programs Office by email at quest@lwsd.org or by phone at 425-936-1238 for more information.
Phone: 425-936-1238
Fax: 425-936-1325
Department email: quest@lwsd.org
K5-HC program email: K5HighlyCapable@lwsd.org
Website: lwsd.org/HCP
Accelerated Programs Staff
Becky Kadrmas, Director
Janette Cimburek, Supervisor
Suzanne Hurd, Administrative Professional
Jennifer Rusch, Administrative Professional
Britt Galen, Accelerated Programs Psychologist
Crystal Batlle, Instructional Specialist
Mailing address:
Lake Washington School District
Accelerated Programs Office
P.O. Box 97039
Redmond, WA 98073
Location:
Lake Washington School District Resource Center
16250 N.E. 74th Street
Redmond, WA 98052
For a complete list of Accelerated Programs staff, please visit the Highly Capable Programs Staff Directory.
Gifted Education Advisory Council (GEAC)
Gifted Education Advisory Council is a parent-led committee that supports the gifted education program in Lake Washington School District.
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