What is the purpose of High Abilities Programming?

The mission of DCS’s faculty and staff, in collaboration with all stakeholders, is to recognize students who demonstrate or have the potential for exceptional academic performance. These high ability students need a differentiated, accelerated, and challenging learning environment to reach their full potential. DCS is committed to identifying these students, providing social and emotional support, and offering tailored educational opportunities to foster their personal and academic excellence in a dynamic world.

Who are High Ability Students?

High Ability students demonstrate or have the potential for exceptional performance in at least one area, such as general intellectual ability or specific academic fields like language arts or mathematics, compared to peers of similar age, experience, or environment. They exhibit remarkable gifts, talents, motivation, or interests (IC-20-36-1-3) and would significantly benefit from tailored programs and services designed to help them reach their full potential.

Broad-Based Planning Committee

This committee could include, but is not limited to, school board members, administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, parents/guardians, and students. The purpose of this committee is to update and provide input each school year on the district’s High Abilities program and multifaceted identification plan.

Daleville Community Schools follows the Indiana definition of a high ability student as one who “performs at, or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one domain when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment.”

Pathways for Identification

Students can be identified for our high abilities program through any of the following pathways:

Pathway 1:  Potential

The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) is administered to identify gifted students and provide insights into a student's academic potential. The test focuses on cognitive skills rather than knowledge or learned material, meaning that it doesn't require specific educational background. The results are presented in percentiles, which help compare a student's performance with that of others in the same grade level. The CogAT measures a student's reasoning abilities in three key areas:

• Verbal Reasoning: Measures a student's ability to think logically and understand concepts expressed in words. It often includes tasks related to analogies, classification, and verbal analogies.

• Quantitative Reasoning: Assesses a student's ability to understand and solve problems involving numbers and mathematical concepts, such as numerical sequences and quantitative relations.

• Nonverbal Reasoning: Evaluates a student's ability to think and reason using pictures or shapes, without relying on language. This section often includes patterns, classifications, and analogy problems using visual stimuli.

Pathway 2:  Performance

ExactPath's diagnostic assessments are valuable for identifying high-ability students because they provide detailed, objective data on student performance across multiple academic domains like reading, language arts, and math. By using this data, educators can recognize students who are excelling beyond grade-level expectations. High-ability students may demonstrate performance levels that are above their grade level in one or more subject areas.

Pathway 3:  Additional Data

The SIGS-2 (Simplicity in Gifted Screening-2) is used to identify high-ability or gifted students who may not fit traditional high-ability profiles but exhibit exceptional cognitive or creative abilities. By focusing on behavioral traits and gathering input from multiple sources, it helps ensure that gifted students are identified and given appropriate educational opportunities.

Qualification Standards

The following measures are used to qualify students into our high abilities program:

Aptitude Measures (student potential)

The CogAT test battery is used to identify students who have high aptitudes.

• The CogAT Screener is given to all students in grades K, 2, and 5 as well as to any newly nominated students in other grades. Students who score a 7, 8, or 9 (age stanine) on the CogAT Screener proceed on to the complete CogAT test battery.

• Qualifying scores (age stanine 8 or 9) on the CogAT Complete in any of the following areas: VQ, VN, QN, or VQN.

Achievement Measures (student performance)

HA students are identified by scoring at or above the 96th NP on Math or Language Arts.

• Edmentum ExactPath

• Given to all students in grades 1 - 6

Rating Scale Measures (teacher observation)

HA students are identified by scoring 127 or above on the SIGS-2.

• Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS-2)

• Students whose actual scores on the CogAT Complete fell in the age stanine 7 or fell just below the 96th percentile in Exact Path may be considered for identification by giving their teacher(s) and parent/guardian the SIGS-2 to complete in the respective subject area.

Nominations

A certified staff member, parent/guardian, or student (self) may recommend or nominate a student for HA consideration by simply contacting the student’s principal and/or guidance counselor in writing. The school official will take the nomination from there and follow the above plan for evaluation.

Appeals

If a parent/guardian or certified staff member has a disagreement or question about the identification and/or programming for a student currently in the HA program or for a student who did not qualify for services, he or she may complete the high ability identification appeal form located on the corporation website under parent resources. This form is submitted to the student’s principal and/or guidance counselor. The student in question may also initiate this process in writing by completing the same appeals form. The contacted school official and the high ability identification team will begin the appeals procedure process. An appeal does not re-evaluate student data already considered in the official identification process. Excelling on ILEARN, high grades, or strong performance on classroom benchmark assessments are not valid reasons for an appeal. The purpose of the appeal is to bring new information to the attention of the school official that could lead to a different decision. After a thorough review of the concern, a final decision regarding an appropriate course of action will be made.

Exits/Dismissals

Students who are not performing well or who are struggling are subject to removal from the High Abilities program. Dismissal from the program may be initiated by a parent/guardian, certified staff member, or the student in question. A request for dismissal must be made to the student’s principal and/or guidance counselor. A student team meeting will be held with all appropriate stakeholders to discuss issues of concern. Also, appropriate interventions will be discussed and implemented for a probationary period not less than one month. At the end of the probationary period, the student team meeting will reconvene and review progress and determine if the student should exit services. If the team decides dismissal from the program is in the student’s best interest, the student will be assigned by a school official to a different academic setting best suited to meet the student’s needs. This dismissal period will be established by each school; however, a student may reapply for placement after that period has ended. All necessary requirements must be met to re-qualify for services. If a student and/or parent decides to withdraw from the program and/or courses associated with such without school support, a sign-off will be required to ensure the student and/or parent understand the potential consequences of such decision.

Daleville Community Schools uses a wide variety of service options to meet the academic needs of its identified High Abilities students. Those service options include the following:

Elementary School (K-6)

• Groupings: Cluster grouping, Cross-grade grouping, Ability grouping, Flexible grouping

• Curriculum: PLTW,  HA Curriculum manual, Course compaction, Acceleration, Enrichment, Differentiation

• Assessments: Pre-assessments using ExactPath

• Locations: Regular classroom, Pull-out, MakerSpace lab, PLTW classroom

Junior-Senior High School (7-12)

• Groupings: Honors classes, AP classes, Dual credit classes, Cluster grouping, Cross-grade grouping, Ability grouping, Flexible grouping

• Curriculum: HA Curriculum manual, Course compaction, Acceleration, Enrichment, Differentiation

• Assessments: Pre-assessments using Study Island & Clearsight

• Locations: Honors classroom, AP classroom, Dual credit classroom, Regular classroom, Pull-out, MakerSpace lab, Robotics lab

Elementary School (K-6)

Daleville Elementary School uses the CASEL-approved Edmentum BASE Education program to offer a personalized social-emotional learning curriculum. Lessons are differentiated through pre-assessments and are rooted in mental health and wellness principles.

Junior/Senior High School (7-12)

Daleville Junior/Senior High School uses the CASEL-aligned CharacterStrong program to offer a personalized social-emotional learning curriculum. Lessons are differentiated through pre-assessments and are rooted in mental health and wellness principles. Success periods provide opportunities for HA students to explore college and career opportunities and internships.

Elementary School (K-6)

The elementary HA coordinator meets with each grade level teacher group to discuss HA identification, curriculum, and instruction.

Ongoing teacher group work sessions on ExactPath score utilization occurs several times each semester.

Junior/Senior High School (7-12)

The junior/senior high HA coordinators meet with each department to discuss HA identification, curriculum, and instruction. Ongoing teacher group work sessions on Clearsight and Study Island score utilization occurs several times each semester.

Additionally, all HA coordinators are offered the opportunity to attend the yearly IAG conference.

High Abilities Planning Committee

• As described in the MFP, this committee (HAPC) may include school board members, teachers, guidance counselors, principals, the High Abilities coordinator, parents/guardians, and students.

• In practice, the HAPC includes the district HA coordinator, the building level HA coordinators, two elementary teachers, one high school math teacher, one high school language arts teacher, one high school science teacher, one parent from each school.

Program Evaluation

• The purpose of the HAPC is to update and provide input each school year on the district’s High Abilities program and multifaceted identification plan.

• The HAPC identifies key areas within three domains - identification, curriculum, and instruction - to be addressed during the upcoming school year along with the metrics for each in order to evaluate the level of accomplishment.

• The HAPC reviews the results from the pre-established metrics for the previous year as a precursor during the September meeting.