High Ability

Middlebury Community Schools' Mission Statement:

The Mission of Middlebury Community Schools is to inspire students to shape the world. We do that by preparing our students to be life-long learners and contributing citizens.

Middlebury Community Schools is committed to academic rigor and continuous growth for all students, including those students who perform at, or show the potential to perform at, an outstanding level of academic accomplishment.  All students deserve to have content and instruction provided on their level, and the high ability programming in the Middlebury Community Schools aims to meet students' varied needs through curriculum and programming designed for high ability learners.  Middlebury Community Schools is also committed to the overall growth of the high ability child, including social and emotional growth.  Please direct any questions about our high ability program Kari Dyer, Director of Elementary Education at 574-825-9425.

Middlebury Community Schools' Mission Statement for High Ability Program:

At Middlebury Community Schools, we are committed to helping every student reach their highest potential. Through a comprehensive approach to identifying and serving high ability learners, we provide opportunities for advanced learning, critical thinking, and intellectual growth while supporting students' social and emotional well-being. Our goal is to cultivate the talents of high ability students so they can thrive in school and beyond.

Middlebury Community Schools' Definition of High Ability:

In Middlebury Community Schools a high ability student is one who:

1. Performs at or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one domain when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment; and
2. Is characterized by exceptional gifts, talents, motivation, or interests.

Reflective of the Indiana State Definition IC 20-10.1-5.1-2

Identifying High Ability Students

Students are identified in two ways:

• those with exceptional cognitive potential in mathematics and/or reading
• those with outstanding achievement in mathematics and/or reading

Measuring Cognitive Potential

In measuring cognitive potential, we use the CogAT, a nationally normed test of aptitude. All students in kindergarten, first, second and fifth grades take the CogAT screener test.  A screener is a condensed version of the CogAT test. Students scoring at the 80th percentile or above on the CogAT screener are included in the high ability identification pool and take the complete CogAT by participating in the post-screener testing. Teachers may refer students to participate in the complete CogAT and in second and fifth grades, parents may also request that their child participate in the complete CogAT. A score of 96th percentile or above on the complete CogAT indicates that students qualify to receive high ability services. Students who score in the 94-95th percentile may potentially still qualify for services pending additional data points and committee decisions.

Measuring Academic Achievement

Normative data from the NWEA test for students in grades K-2 is used to identify high academic achievement for students in reading or math. ILEARN Checkpoints are used to identify high academic achievement in reading or math for fifth graders. Students who score in the 98-99th percentile on NWEA or ILEARN Checkpoints qualify for high ability students. Students who score in the 96-97th percentile may potentially still qualify for services pending additional data points and committee decisions.

Third Data Source:

Teachers complete the Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS) for students in the identification pool. This rating scale is used in conjunction with CogAT and/or achievement test data (NWEA or ILEARN Checkpoints), along with committee discussion when determining identification for students who need a third data point for identification. 

Student Selection for High Ability Services:

An identification committee will meet to identify elementary students as High Ability, based upon the CogAT scores, NWEA or ILEARN Checkpoint scores and the SIGS rating scale.  The identification process is done "blindly" by the committee, which means names of students and schools are not known until after placement decisions are made. 

All parents of students who are in the identification pool for high ability will receive a letter which will include the committee's decision and the student's test scores. Any parent who disagrees with the decision, has the right to appeal and should contact the corporation's high ability coordinator.  After the appeals committee meets, the parents will receive a letter to inform them of the decision.

Once a student is identified as High Ability, the designation will carry over to the next grade where the student is placed with a cluster of other identified High Ability.  It is typical that a relatively small number of students are identified in kindergarten and that the number increases each year as the screening and identification process is repeated. 

K-5 students who are identified for high ability services are placed into cluster classrooms to receive academic enrichment and differentiation. Students entering sixth grade have opportunities for accelerated coursework through enrollment in Honors English Language Arts or a variety of Honors Math options such as pre-algebra in sixth grade, Algebra I in seventh grade, and Geometry in eighth grade. Students successfully completing Algebra I and/or Geometry receive high school credit for these courses.

Appeals

A parent or guardian who wishes to appeal the determination of the identification committee may do so by submitting their reasons for the appeal in writing to the district's High Ability Coordinator. The Coordinator will provide the parent with an appeals portfolio checklist to complete, along with a Home SIGS Rating Scale, and permission to complete the OLSAT8 if appealing math identification. The portfolio and SIGS are returned to the High Ability Coordinator who will appoint a committee to review the file. The review committee will respond to the appeal in writing with one of the following: 

• The committee will recommend a trial period in the program with informal placement in the high ability cluster group.
• The committee will recommend, with the child's best educational and social/emotional interest in mind, that the student remain in the regular classroom and not participate in the program. 

Exit Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to support a student who may be struggling with high ability programming. As a last resort, the student may be exited from the program if they continue to not find success. The process for exiting the program may be initiated by parents, guardians, students, teachers, or school administrators. 

Requests from Parents, Guardians, or Students: Requests to exit the program along with reasons for the request must be put in writing and be given to the building principal or student's school counselor. The School Counselor will meet with the student and/or parent about the desire to exit the program to gather information for a conference. A conference including the student (as appropriate), parents, teachers, counselor, and administrator will convene prior to exiting a student from the program in order to discuss concerns, interventions, outcomes, and the student's well-being. Suggested interventions should then be implemented for no less than one grading period. Following the intervention period, the conference committee will reconvene to discuss the student's progess with the interventions in place and future placement.

Requests from classroom teachers or administrators: The staff member will complete referral documentation and submit it to the building principal or designee. A resource team will convene to develop intervention strategies, conference with parents and student, and/or develop modifications in high ability services. Suggested interventions should then be implemented for no less than one grading period. Following the intervention period, the conference committee will reconvene to discuss the student's progess with the interventions in place and future placement.

Middlebury Community Schools offers programming and services for K-12 high ability learners in reading/language arts and/or mathematics.  Middlebury Community Schools’ High Ability Services is called EXPLORE (EXpanding Potential through Learning Opportunities, Resources and Experiences).

Elementary (K-3) Program

Kindergarten students are identified as high ability learners during their school year and provided services within each classroom, with flexible grouping, and possibly cross-class grouping.  Beginning in first grade students identified as high ability learners are clustered together in general education classrooms with a teacher who is trained or has received professional development in delivering instruction to high ability students.  Students receive accelerated and enriched instruction in reading/language arts.  Mathematics instruction is enriched and focuses on problem-solving and explaining how a mathematical solution was determined.

Intermediate (4-5) Program

Students in grades 4-5 are placed onto a team that provides accelerated and enriched instruction in reading/language arts and/or mathematics.

Middle School (6-8) Program

Students in grades 6-8 are placed in Talent Development classes that provide accelerated and enriched instruction in reading/language arts and/or mathematics.  Students in high ability math can receive either one or two year accelerated advanced math.  This includes the option to take high school Algebra for high school credit as a 7th grade student, or as an 8th grade student.

High School (9-12) Program

Students have access to honors classes, Dual Credit, International Baccalaureate and AP classes and other rigorous coursework to meet their needs.  Online learning can also be an option for students who require such coursework.