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Kindergarten Highly Capable Services

The application for highly capable services is now closed.
The highly capable in-person testing window closes on December 17. Online students who met the screening criteria will receive an email the first week of January with assessment information for January exams.
All of the data will be reviewed by the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee and families will be notified of eligibility via email in mid-February.
Video: LWSD Accelerated Programs
Overview
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 2021-22 school year, highly capable kindergarten students will be identified in reading and/or math. Services will begin sometime during the second half of the year. Services will take place in the student’s neighborhood school during the regular school day.
A student who participates in the K5HC 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.
Referral Process
Important dates
Cognitive and academic assessments will take place between October 4, 2021 through December 17, 2021 for LWSD students attending in-person school. Assessments will occur during the school day at your child's assigned school. Private/home school students will follow the same timeline, and assessments will take place either at the assigned LWSD school or LWSD Resource Center.
- Information on assessment timelines and for students attending Online School will be updated when available.
- Updates for all applicants will be sent via email.
Students who meet the screening criteria will receive communication from the Accelerated Programs Department about next steps in the eligibility process.
Timeline for 2021-22
- September – October: Screening
Screening emails sent out to all applicants, first graders and outreach families - October – December: Cognitive and academic testing
- February: Notification of eligibility to families via email
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.
Referral process
Students are referred for Highly Capable services by parents, staff or community members by filling out an application form. To nominate your child, parents must apply for their student to be considered for highly capable services. Please contact the Accelerated Programs office at 425-936-1238 or quest@lwsd.org if you need a paper copy of the application or if you need an application in a language other than English.
Please note: Students must reside in the LWSD boundaries to apply for and participate in Highly Capable programs.
Scroll to the top of this page to find the Highly Capable Programs application form during the application window.
Screening process
The district uses multiple objective criteria (K5HC Kindergarten | K5HC Math and/or K5HC Reading | Pull-out Quest | Full-time Quest | Middle School Quest grades 6-8) to identify students who are among the most highly capable. Private testing results are not accepted.
Cognitive assessments
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
- The CogAT provides a measure of a student’s learned reasoning abilities. Subtests are Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal
- It is a norm-referenced test and the national average is the 50th percentile
- Typical threshold of those students identified for services: CogAT Composite SAS between 132-160 (98-99 Age Percentile Rank)
For more information about the CogAT visit: https://www.riversideinsights.com/solutions/cogat?tab=0
Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test (NNAT)
The NNAT3 is a nonverbal measure of general ability. The Highly Capable Department uses the NNAT3 to predict student’s cognitive potential, irrespective of their verbal ability, primary language, or time spent in school. The NNAT3 is a 30-minute online test that will be administered during the school day. When used as a screening instrument, it can be administered to entire classrooms, in the classroom, and proctored by the classroom teacher. When used during the assessment process, trained proctors will administer the NNAT3 at a predetermined location and time of day, within the student’s school.
The score obtained from the NNAT3 is called the Naglieri Ability Index, which ranges from 40 to 160 with an average of 100.
Typical threshold of those students identified for services: Age Percentile Rank (APR) of 98th to 99th percentile.
Academic assessments
- Iowa Assessments
- FastBridge (Beginning of school year)
- WaKIDS (Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills)
Iowa Assessments
- 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.
- They are norm-refernced nationally standardized tests to allow comparison of each student's performance to that of students across the nation. The national average is the 50th percentile.
- Typical threshold of those students identified for services: Total Reading score at or above 98 percentile and Math score at or above 95 percentile OR Math score at or above 98 percentile and Total Reading score at or above 95 percentile.
For more information about the Iowa tests visit: https://www.riversideinsights.com/
FastBridge (Beginning of school year)
WaKIDS (Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills)
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.
Placement
Kindergarten students who meet the eligibility criteria will be offered K5HC services.
- Parents must complete and return the K5HC Permission for Placement form before services may begin.
- The anticipated start date for services is February 2022.
- A student who participates in the K5HC program in kindergarten will continue services through fifth grade unless the student qualifies for and accepts placement in another highly capable program such as Pull-out Quest or Full-time Quest.
- Services are provided in the student’s LWSD home school.
Appeals process
Highly Capable assessment criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals for reconsideration of students who have not met the eligibility 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 based upon a specific criteria related to the screening/testing conditions, or to a misapplication or miscalculation of the scores. Appeals outside of this criteria will not be processed.
- 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.
- The decision of the appeal Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee (MSC) is final.
- If you do not have access to a computer, please contact the Accelerated Programs office at 425-936-1238 or email quest@lwsd.org.
FAQ
FAQs
- 1. How do I know if my student is a good candidate for highly capable services?
- 2. Who may apply for highly capable services?
- 3. When is the application period?
- 4. How do I get an application?
- 5. Can out-of-district students apply?
- 6. We don’t live in Lake Washington School District but we are thinking of moving. Can we apply?
- 7. Can we observe K5HC services?
- 8. How can I talk with parents of students in the program?
- 9. My child is in a private school. What should we do?
- 10. When do the screening and assessments take place for highly capable services?
- 11. How and when will I know if my child is scheduled for assessment?
- 12. What if my child is sick and cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
- 13. What if we have a family emergency and my child cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
- 14. How will we be notified of the results of eligibility?
- 15. I had my child privately tested. Can I submit these results with the application?
- 16. Can I appeal the results of the screening or assessment?
1. How do I know if my student is a good candidate for highly capable services?
Highly capable services are designed to meet the unique needs of students beyond general education. 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:
- Unusually large vocabulary for their age
- Ability to read earlier than most children
- Greater comprehension of the subtleties of language
- Longer attention span, persistence and intense concentration
- Ability to learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice
- Wide range of interests
- Highly developed curiosity and a limitless supply of questions
- Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
- Tendency to put ideas together in ways that are unusual and not obvious (divergent thinking)
- Ability to retain a great deal of information
- Unusual sense of humor
For more information on traits of highly capable students, see Traits of Giftedness.
2. Who may apply for highly capable services?
To be eligible to apply for highly capable services, students must
- Reside in Lake Washington School District
- Attend Kindergarten
- Be 5 years old by Aug. 31 of the entrance year or qualify for Early Entrance to Kindergarten per Kindergarten Early Entrance Instructions
3. When is the application period?
4. How do I get an application?
The highly capable application must be submitted online. If you do not have access to the Internet or if you 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.
5. Can out-of-district students apply?
6. We don’t live in Lake Washington School District but we are thinking of moving. Can we apply?
7. Can we observe K5HC services?
8. How can I talk with parents of students in the program?
The Gifted Education Advisory Council (GEAC) is a good source of information about the highly capable program, especially from the perspective of parents. GEAC holds monthly general meetings, provides parent information and support and maintains a GEAC Facebook page.
9. My child is in a private school. What should we do?
Students residing in LWSD and attending private schools may apply for and receive highly capable services.
For students in kindergarten, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:
- Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
- Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate
Please note that K5HC services are LWSD school based and occur at various times during the day and during the week. Qualifying private school students would need to be present in their neighborhood LWSD school when the services are offered. The dates and times that services are offered may change over the course of the school year.
10. When do the screening and assessments take place for highly capable services?
Testing dates for assessments are generally determined and announced before the application window opens.
For the 2021-22 school year, assessment dates will be posted as an update on the Accelerated Programs main page when determined.
11. How and when will I know if my child is scheduled for assessment?
12. What if my child is sick and cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
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 illness. Students who are not feeling well on the date of the original test are given one opportunity to test on the makeup date within the assessment window. 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.
13. What if we have a family emergency and my child cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
Appeals will not be considered for a family emergency. Please email quest@lwsd.org before the test begins if your child is going to miss a scheduled test due to a family emergency. Students who are not feeling well on the date of the original test are given one opportunity to test on the makeup date within the assessment window. 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.
14. How will we be notified of the results of eligibility?
15. I had my child privately tested. Can I submit these results with the application?
16. Can I appeal the results of the screening or assessment?
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. Appeals outside of this will not be processed. The decision of the appeal review team is final.
Transfer Students
Students who transfer or are returning to Lake Washington School District and were enrolled in a highly capable or gifted program in their previous school may apply to Accelerated Programs as a transfer student. Students must reside in LWSD boundaries and must meet highly capable acceptance criteria. Transfer students are not automatically enrolled in the Highly Capable Programs. Students must be enrolled in the LWSD to apply for services. Call the Accelerated Programs office at 425-936-1238 or email at quest@lwsd.org for more information about the transfer process.
Transfer application process for elementary students
- Register your student at your neighborhood LWSD school
- Complete and submit a transfer form
- Submit proof of participation in a highly capable or gifted program (from LWSD or school last attended) or submit proof of acceptance into a highly capable or gifted program within the last six months
- Submit standardized achievement test results with national or international norms
- Submit standardized ability test results with national or international norms
- Submit Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist.
- Meet the LWSD eligibility criteria for admittance into the program
Please note: additional test may be necessary
Notes:
- Private testing outside of the student’s school district-sanctioned testing cannot be used to substitute for district testing
- Letters of recommendation are not considered in the review
- Transfer applications must be complete with all documentation submitted before they are processed.
Notification/placement process for highly capable services
The Accelerated Programs Office will notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the student’s eligibility status after the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee (MSC) reviews the the applicant’s file. If the student is not eligible, he/she can apply for and go through the district identification process during the next open application period.
Change of Service
LWSD Highly Capable Programs Change of Service Request
Current LWSD Highly Capable Students: 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 attending a LWSD school may receive differentiated instruction in their LWSD classroom and will remain identified as highly capable in LWSD regardless of participation. Students opting out of Full-Time Quest may request participation in either Pull-Out Quest or K5HC services. Students opting out of Pull-Out Quest may request participation in K5HC services.
If a family wishes to have their student return to highly capable services, they may submit a Change of Service Request. All Change of Service requests to return to services will be reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee.
Deferment of Services: Newly identified highly capable students may opt to defer services from originally offered start date. Students will remain identified as highly capable. Students attending a LWSD school may receive differentiated instruction in their LWSD classroom. After deferring highly capable services, parents who wish to begin previously offered services may complete a Change of Service Request.
Returning LWSD Students: Students who return to LWSD after moving out of district boundaries and who previously received highly capable services in LWSD should complete the Transfer Form found on the Accelerated Programs webpage for review by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee.
NOTES:
- Students must reside in LWSD boundaries to participate in LWSD highly capable services.
- School assignment and classroom placement are subject to change.
- Change of Service Requests (with any supplemental documentation) should be emailed to quest@lwsd.org.
Please contact the Accelerated Programs Office by email at quest@lwsd.org or by phone at 425-936-1238 for more information.
Navigation
Contact Accelerated Programs
Phone: 425-936-1238
Fax: 425-936-1325
Department email: quest@lwsd.org
Website: lwsd.org/HCP
Accelerated Programs Staff
Becky Kadrmas, Director
Laura Morgan, Administrative Supervisor
Amanda Olson, Administrative Professional
Allyson Dowden, Administrative Professional
Britt Galen, Accelerated Programs Psychologist
Crystal Batlle, Instructional Specialist
Erin Fleshman, Instructional Specialist
Ryan Smith: 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.