PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District is opening student nominations for the district’s 2015-16 gifted and highly capable education programs.
Students can be nominated by a teacher, parent, guardian, community members, school staff member or themselves.
A parent informational meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Roosevelt Elementary School library, 106 Monroe Road.
The programs provide an accelerated education to students who “perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environment,” according to rigorous testing and evaluation.
Kindergarten though fifth-grade students who are currently enrolled in Port Angeles schools, private school or home-school will be considered for acceptance to the program, which offers both gifted services in regular classrooms or enrollment in The Ridge elementary challenge program.
At Stevens Middle School, those who are identified as being academically gifted are enrolled in an accelerated honors program.
When those students move into Port Angeles High School, they can choose from honors, advanced placement or Running Start classes.
The Ridge
At The Ridge, students work with a curriculum one year ahead of their grade peers, complete a more in-depth study of the subjects and can work at their own pace as needed.
The program is in its first year, with a combined first- and second-grade class, a combined third- and fourth-grade class and a combined fifth- and sixth-grade class.
Students selected the name “The Ridge,” comparing the nearby Hurricane Ridge to the heights they might achieve.
They also selected the mascot of a river otter.
The program is independent within Roosevelt Elementary, but students mix with other students at the school during recess, music classes, lunch and other school activities.
Teachers from the program made a presentation to the School Board on Nov. 13 and told board members the students have already begun taking the initiative.
The third- and fourth-grade students researched the Ebola virus and its impact on West Africa, then shared what they learned with other classes in the school, said teacher Terri Longin.
That research led students to institute a campuswide Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which raised nearly $1,200 to help children in West Africa and around the world, Longin said.
Nominations are due at each student’s current school by Dec. 1.
Nominated students will be pre-screened and scheduled for testing at each school site from Dec. 1-12.
Testing will be held Jan. 8-23, and additional student information gathered from Feb. 2 through March 13.
Merits, ability
Members of the Multi-Disciplinary Steering Committee will meet to consider each student’s merits and ability.
Students must meet all “highly capable” benchmarks to be accepted to The Ridge.
Those who qualify in some but not all subjects will be given appropriate work in the subjects in which they excel in their regular classrooms, according to district guidelines.
Parents will be notified as to whether their students will be accepted to the program from March 23-31.
An appeals process is available for students who are not accepted.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsula dailynews.com.
