West Valley presents updated identification cycle, services and family outreach for highly capable students

Wendy Clark, the district's highly capable program coordinator, told the West Valley School District board on Sept. 23 that the district is opening referrals Oct. 1 and will complete placement determinations in February for students who will enter the program the following school year.

Clark said the district currently serves about 664 students in some capacity in the highly capable program across grades K'12, with roughly 180'185 in K'5 and the remainder in grades 6'12. She told the board that more than 500 families are represented by those students and that 54 elementary teachers currently have identified highly capable students in their classrooms.

Clark said the identification cycle includes universal screening for second and fifth grades (with a CogAT screener in second grade and data mining of fifth-grade assessments), targeted referrals for other grades, and full CogAT testing for students identified for further evaluation in January. She described the program's emphasis on both "accelerated learning" (access to new content at a faster pace or higher-grade standards) and "enhanced instruction" (formally guided instruction with greater complexity and depth) using language Clark said comes from state rules.

On services, Clark described classroom differentiation, dedicated high-cap classes at the middle level ("high cap inquiry" classes), online subscriptions and supplemental platforms, and dual-enrollment and mentorships at the high school. She announced a new Lisonbee Foundation grant that funds Beast Academy subscriptions (an online math enrichment resource) for K'5 students and said the district uses ALEKS for middle-school students who test out of the district's I-Ready math curriculum.

Clark also summarized staff supports, including monthly newsletters, planned professional learning community meetings for dedicated high-cap teachers at multiple grade spans, and an online Google Classroom of ready-made resources. She said K'5 advanced learning plans are completed and that K'8 plans were being finalized for rollout to families with 24/7 access.

On family outreach, Clark said the district will hold informational webinars in English and Spanish during the referral window, expand the advisory committee to four meetings this year, pilot Hi Cap family night presentations this fall, and host a first annual Hi Cap showcase on Feb. 23 at White Hollow to display student projects across grade levels.

Clark cited survey responses from last year: 64 students completed a K'5 survey and 51 families returned a family survey. She read several representative quotes from students, staff and families praising challenge opportunities, teacher quality and social-emotional supports.

Clark also presented outcome data from state assessments for students identified as highly capable. Quoting district figures, she said: "71% passing the English language arts SBA, 78% passing math and strong science results," and noted those rates exceed state averages. She told the board the district will produce longitudinal comparisons (tracking the same cohort across years) in future reports.

Board members asked follow-up questions about midyear transfers and how identification is handled for students who enroll after the universal screening window. Clark said transfer students who arrive with previous identification may be admitted immediately (with reassessment considered later), and that she conducts testing for transfers outside the standard cycle so students do not have to wait a full year to be considered for services.

The presentation ran roughly 30 minutes and generated several clarifying questions from board members. Clark said she will send an updated graphic and post corrected materials to the district highly capable web page and the Google Classroom for staff and families.