WAVA Highly Capable Program
2023-2024 School Year
Spring 2024 Testing Links
Highly Capable Program Goals
Our program goal is to meet the unique social, emotional, and academic needs of the most highly capable students at WAVA. We encourage students to participate in a variety of enrichment learning opportunities to further their growth and development.
Important Program Dates
These dates are subject to change.
Nomination and Testing Spring 2024 Information
- Referrals accepted during the open nomination window for students 1st-11th: March 1-17, 2024
- Screening of nominations: March 18-22, 2024
- Collection of missing parent/guardian permission to test and teacher surveys: March 18-22, 2024
- Testing Information Letters: Letter emailed to nominees with testing dates and times: March 21-22, 2024
- Required Tech Check for students testing. See Testing Information Letter
- CogAT assessment administered online via zoom: March 25-April 19, 2024 (no testing will take place during Spring Break)
- A multi-disciplinary selection team will review data that has been collected for each of the referred students. May 2024
- Parent/guardians and students are emailed results and testing scores: Notification Letter's Emailed by June 1, 2024
- Parental permission to provide services form due by: June 7, 2024
- Appeals Deadline: June 7, 2024
Enrichment Opportunities for Qualifying Students
Below you will find Hi Cap class offerings by grade levels. Class offerings can change each year depending on student numbers, grants, scheduling, and teacher offerings.
Kindergarten
At WAVA, Kindergarten students are enriched within the general education classroom. We have found that beside rare circumstances, advanced Kindergarten aged children are often hIgh achievers and quick learners instead of gifted and talented learners.
Elementary Grades 1-5
Required Class: STEAM All elementary Hi Cap students participate in a live weekly STEAM class. This class is a hands-on project based class covering areas of STEAM.
Independent Optional Classes: Foreign Language is an independent study class that can be done on your own schedule. Languages offered are Spanish, French, and Chinese. We offer at least 2 classes per language with each class being intended for 1 year. Music is an independent study class that can be done on your own schedule. This class covers music theory learning about music elements that form harmony, melody, and rhythm and teaches about compositional elements.
Other Optional Live Classes: Numbers Club (2-3) This class is all about numbers. From playing math games, to thinking critically about math problems, this class allows kids to explore all the different ways to solve problems and enjoy math. Creative Writing (3-5) this class allows students to write creatively and share their stories and ideas. This class is to promote writing for enjoyment and creativity. Explorers (3-5) This class encourages students to explore outside the classroom, and challenges them to take learning to the next level by teaching their peers about their explorations.
Middle School Grades 6-8
Classroom teachers serve highly capable students in the regular classroom for core course. Advance course work may be considered with supporting data, and teacher input. this is done on a case-by--case basis.
Independent Optional Classes: Foreign Language as independent study. Languages offered are Spanish, French, and Chinese. Music as independent study with offering for Grade 6 or Grade 7-8.
Optional Live Classes: Class offerings include Creative Writing, Math Challenge and STEAM classes.
High School Grades 9-12
WAVA meets the unique needs of our highly capable high school learners through their High School and Beyond Plan.
Highly Capable Team
Highly Capable Program Elementary Coordinator and Teacher K-5
Star Downey
Highly Capable Program Middle/HS Coordinator and Teacher 6-12
Melanie Wyckoff
Special Programs Administrator
Shelley Sears
Program Information
Our Hi Cap Program encourages students to pursue their passions and explore new interests, having fun and making friends along the way.
The Hi Cap teacher will meet with each family to tailor a Highly Capable Academic plan to each student's needs.
We provide enrichment services for the most highly capable students in grades 1-12. Highly capable students are students who perform, or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen with students’ general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and creative productiveness within a specific domain.
Students selected for this program typically rank in the top one to five percent of students as measured on a Cognitive Abilities assessments (95th-99th percentile).
Students who are highly capable may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:
(1) Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned, and to transfer learning to new situations;
(2) Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their chronological peers;
(3) Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;
(4) Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength.
(5) Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.
If you have a child who demonstrates many of the characteristics above, please watch for nomination information to be mailed out in February 2024.
Hi Cap Transfer Students
Previously enrolled in Hi Cap services?
Nomination Information
Annual Notification
- Annual Notification Email is sent to all parents and staff
- Posted on WAVA Bulletin Board
- In WAVA Smore Newsletter
Referral and Permission
Anyone may nominate a student to the program. Students are commonly nominated by their parents, LC, or teacher.
· Parents must provide written permission to assess their student. This is done via the online nomination form. If a student is nominated by a teacher, the parent will be contacted and asked to fill out the parent nomination form and give permission to access their student.
· The nomination/referral form is available at the bottom of this page. This form is only available during open nominations in Spring.
Assessment Process
Academic Achievement Assessments including but not limited to:
- Reading: Star 360, DIBELS
- Math: Star 360
- Washington Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA)
Intelligence and/or cognitive ability assessments including but not limited to:
- CogAT Cognitive Abilities Complete Test
·Qualitative assessments including but not limited to:
- Parent input: Highly Capable Program Nomination Inventory
- Teacher Observation: Highly Capable Program Nomination Inventory Teacher
Multidisciplinary Selection Committee
- Highly Capable Teacher(s)
- Principals
- Psychologist/other qualified practitioners with the training to interpret cognitive and achievement test results
- Certificated administrator/coordinator responsible for the program
Selection of Most Highly Capable
The following guidelines have been developed to assist the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee in determining eligibility.
- The multiple disciplinary selection committee will use a Multi-criteria Identification Matrix. A total of fifteen points on the Matrix qualifies students for placement in the WAVA Highly Capable Program.
- A student with the matrix score of 12-14 will be considered if the CoGAT Complete score is in the top 3% in at least one area.
- Placement decisions will be based on multiple criteria. No single criterion or cut-off score will be used to exclude a student from identification.
Appeals Process
Parents/legal guardians have the right to appeal the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee’s decision. Individuals appealing the selection committee’s decision must submit a completed appeal form or letter requesting review of selection/placement decision.
The written request must include reasons for the appeal and, to support reconsideration, must provide additional evidence of significantly advanced cognitive or academic levels and/or outstanding intellectual, academic, or creative abilities.
The appeal request and supporting evidence must be submitted to the Highly Capable Teacher by date TBA.
Members of the district’s Multidisciplinary Selection Committee will review the student’s file, assessment profile data, and additional evidence provided in the request for appeal.
The decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee may include:
· Upholding the original decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee
· Reversing the decision of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee
Program Exit Procedures
The exit process may be initiated due to data, concerns regarding assignment completion, attendance, participation issues, social/emotional wellness, academic achievement, etc.
- The exit process for the program involves the teacher, student, parents, and the school principal.
- Parents may remove their students from the program by contacting the student’s teacher or principal or program administrator.
- All placements in the program will undergo periodic review including assessment data to ensure that each student is demonstrating consistent academic progress. Should the determination be made that a student is not demonstrating consistent academic progress, a conference to discuss alternatives will be scheduled with parents, the teacher, and the principal. This may result in a change of placement.