Highly Capable Referral & Selection

Grades K-2

Students grow and change rapidly in the K-2 years. In addition, some children come to school with a wider range of experiences and access to early learning opportunities that may be mis-assessed as giftedness. The K-2 program will focus on observing and nurturing characteristics of giftedness while providing the time and space for all students to grow.

In 2015-16, CSD implemented a defined protocol to observe for characteristics of giftedness in kindergarten students. Enrichment activities based on children’s literature are provided in kindergarten classrooms. Similar protocols were then expanded into the first and second grades. In K-2 classrooms, differentiation strategies address the needs of learners demonstrating characteristics of giftedness. In second grade, students who have been screened in their primary years will participate in the nomination, assessment, and selection process for the cluster grouping model in grades 3-5. Those who are selected for services will then be formally identified.

Grades 2-5

Camas School District is working toward screening all 2nd through 5th-grade students using the Characteristics of Gifted Learners Inventory (CGLI) list, the CogAt Screener (2nd grade), and recent assessment data. Elementary school teachers, grades 2 – 5, will complete a universal screening of all students to identify individuals needing additional highly capable services and support. Parent/guardian referrals are accepted for grades 2 through 5 for program consideration during the nomination window. While parent referrals are not required, we will utilize parent referrals as additional data for consideration during the screening process. Parent referrals are due by December 8.

The multi-disciplinary committee will screen students before any formal assessment process. Based on current evidence and data, students who clearly do not qualify for eligibility may be removed from the selection process. Parents who have referred their children will be notified.

With parent permission, students identified by the screening process will be assessed in February at their home school during the regular school day for potential placement in the program the following school year. Additional summer assessment dates may be scheduled for students who enroll in Camas School District after the winter nomination window.

Parents may refer students online here during the nomination window only. Paper forms are also available in the main office at each elementary and middle school. Students currently identified for HCP services do not need to reapply.

Grades 6-7

Any parent/guardian or educator may refer a student in grades 6 and 7 for program consideration during the nomination window.

Students who are referred by December 8 will be assessed in early February during the regular school day for potential placement in the program the following school year.

Grades 8-12:

Students are identified for participation in advanced-level coursework during the forecasting process that occurs every spring. Students in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grades are identified by counselors, teachers, and administrators at the building level based on a variety of individual academic performance data and successful completion of prior coursework. Advanced-level coursework includes Pre-AP and AP classes.

Click the tabs below to read more about the Highly Capable Program.

Assessment and SelectionPlacement, Appeals, Retention, and ExitTransfer Process

Assessment and Selection

Parent permission is required to assess students who have moved through the nomination or screening process. Students will be assessed using multiple criteria identified below.

Multiple criteria used to determine eligibility include:

Academic Achievement/Performance:

AIMSWEB Oral Reading Fluency
AIMSWEB Math Concepts and Application
Current year report card standards
Other district and state assessment results

Cognitive Abilities Tests (CogAT)*:

Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning

Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS):

Teacher Form
Parent Form

*The CogAT will be administered during the school day, rather than evenings or weekends, to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to participate in the assessment process.

The information gathered will be reviewed by a Multidisciplinary Selection Team that will identify the most highly qualified students for inclusion in the Highly Capable program.

Camas School District’s program is designed to serve the needs of students who demonstrate characteristics of giftedness and typically perform at or above the 98th percentile on measures of aptitude and achievement. For example, a student whose CogAT results in the 98th percentile or higher on verbal and quantitative/nonverbal domains would demonstrate aptitude within the range served by the HCP. Similar results on the Smarter Balanced and iReady assessments would demonstrate achievement within the range served by the HCP.

The Multidisciplinary Selection Team includes the Assistant Superintendent, Director of Elementary Education, Coordinator for Highly Capable services, school psychologist, Highly Capable program teacher at the elementary and middle school level, and a principal.

Letters are mailed to parents indicating whether or not their students have been identified for services through the HCP program.

Placement

Placement decisions for grades 3-6 are made by the Multidisciplinary Selection Team (MDST). Students are placed into a cluster grouping in elementary school classrooms or the appropriate middle school courses.

Eighth-grade students will engage in coursework identified during the forecasting process in the spring of their seventh-grade year.

For grades 9-12, teachers, counselors, and parents participate in the forecasting process to ensure that students plan to access advanced courses. Forecasting selections made by the student require a parent’s signature.

Appeals Process

Parents wishing to appeal a placement decision must submit a written request for an appeal to the Highly Capable Program Coordinator within 10 days of receiving notice that the student has been determined not eligible. The Appeals Form parents complete, and other district records will be reviewed by a Multidisciplinary Review Team, including two principals, two Highly Capable Program managers, a school psychologist, and a Highly Capable classroom teacher. Students may also be interviewed as part of the Appeals process. The review team will determine eligibility for placement and provide a final decision to the parent(s) within 30 days of receiving the Appeals Form.

Parents can access an Appeals Form here or by calling Shauna Ruse at 360-335-3000 ext. 78259 to request a form.

Retention

Students identified as highly capable will remain in the Highly Capable Program unless formally exited.

Exit Process

When considering exiting a student from the Highly Capable Program, the emphasis is on meeting the student’s social, emotional, and academic needs. A recommendation for discontinuation of services should be based on evidence that may include unsatisfactory class work, demonstration of a lack of motivation or lack of task commitment, and/or documentation that the student is not working to his/her potential. If either the teacher or parent/student suspects that the current Highly Capable Program is not the best placement, the following procedure will take place:

A meeting will be held between the parent, teacher (and student if appropriate). The purpose of this meeting will be to:

Discuss concerns
Set measurable goals with a timeline

The school principal will be notified of the goals and timeline. If the concerns remain after the designated time, a follow-up meeting will be held to revise the goals or go on to step 2.

A meeting will be scheduled with the parent, teacher, building principal, Teaching and Learning district administrator, and other professionals as requested. The purpose of this meeting will be to:

Discuss concerns
Set measurable goals with a timeline or make a decision to exit the student from the current Highly Capable Program placement

If goals are set, and concerns remain after the designated time, go on to step 3.

The student exits the program (preferably at the end of the school year).
Should the student wish to re-enter the program in the future, the district’s multidisciplinary committee will consider the request to determine what identification procedures are necessary.

Students Transferring into Camas School District

Washington State law requires each school district to have a program to serve students with gifted characteristics. Within the requirements, districts design the programs and services that provide the best fit and match for their learning communities. For this reason, a gifted or highly capable program in one district may differ greatly from a program offered in another district. In the Camas School District, the Highly Capable Program serves students who demonstrate aptitude and achievement in the top 1-2 % across multiple measures. Students are selected for the program through a review of data by a multidisciplinary selection team. The annual nomination window occurs in the late fall, mid-winter assessment, and early spring selection. Students selected each spring will begin in the Highly Capable Program in the fall of the following school year.

Please refer to Section A if a student has previous Highly Capable/Gifted program enrollment. If a student has not had previous Highly Capable/Gifted program enrollment, but the student and/or parent is interested in being assessed for participation, please refer to Section B.

Section A: Student Has Previous Highly Capable/Gifted Program Participation

Sometimes students will enroll in the Camas School District with previous, documented enrollment in a highly capable or gifted program in their previous school. As programs and selection criteria vary from district to district, transfer students must apply for the Highly Capable Program in grades 3 through 8 by following the steps below:

Complete and submit a transfer form.
Submit a report card from the end of the most recent term.
Submit proof of participation in a highly capable or gifted program (from school last attended).
Submit standardized ability tests taken within the last two years with national or international norms (Camas School District uses the CogAT).
Submit standardized achievement test results with national or international norms if administered in the previous school district.
Submit state assessment results, if applicable.

Note:

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.

Within three weeks of receiving all documents listed above, a team of at least three CSD Highly Capable Program staff will review the data to determine whether or not the expectations of the previous district equal, exceed, or approximate local expectations. This review will result in one of the following decisions:

A preponderance of data indicates fit and match between the student’s ability, achievement, and the services Camas School District HCP offers; the student will be placed in the Highly Capable Program, pending parent permission

If the receiving school has space within the highly capable cluster classroom, the student will be placed in that classroom.
If the receiving school does not have space within the highly capable cluster classroom, the student will be placed in the next best setting, with differentiation provided by the classroom teacher. The following school year, the student will be placed in the HCP setting.

The data review determines that the student’s needs can be met through the regular instructional program; the student will not be placed in the Highly Capable Program

Students who enroll in Camas School District from September through mid-December can still apply for the annual referral, assessment, and selection process.
Students who enroll in Camas School District from January through May can still apply for August testing by calling the HCP office at 360-335-3000 ext. 78259.

If sufficient data is not available, the student can be referred by the parent for assessment during the established referral windows.

Section B: Student Does Not Have Previous Highly Capable/Gifted Program Participation

Students who have not been identified to receive gifted or highly capable services in a previous district and who enroll between September and mid-December may apply for consideration during the annual application window. Students who enroll after mid-December are eligible for August testing.

Parents of new students must apply for the Highly Capable Program in grades 3 through 7 by following the steps below:

Complete and submit a referral form.
Choose a testing date and time (two dates are set each August with morning and afternoon slots available) using this link: https://bit.ly/3vYeh6y
Submit a report card from the end of the most recent term.
If administered in the previous school district, submit standardized achievement test results with national or international norms.
Submit state assessment results, if applicable.