Individual Achievement Program (IA)
Greetings to you!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read about Enumclaw School District’s Individual Achievement or IA Program. The purpose of this brochure is to give you initial understanding about the program and provide you with contact information so you will be able to ask questions and/or visit a classroom as a result this reading.
The Individual Achievement Program is designed to meet the academic and social needs of gifted students with advanced learning abilities and interests. All students who participate in this program have qualified for admittance as a result of meeting necessary standard on an assessment.
Enumclaw School District offers a full-time program for students who meet standard. This roughly represents about three percent of the elementary student population. This full-time program is offered at Southwood Elementary in two classrooms: a 1-3 Primary Classroom and a 4-5 Intermediate Classroom. This two-component program provides students with enrichment and acceleration, focusing on critical and creative thinking skills.
Please don't hesitate to contact me or any of the Individual Achievement staff members at any time if you have questions about this program option for your child!
Respectfully,
Gerrie Garton
Director, Professional Development and Community Relations
Individual Achievement Program Staff Contact Information
Contact Information:
Jan Titus
Primary Individual Achievement Teacher
360.802.7390
janice_titus@enumclaw.wednet.edu
Janis Laybourn
Intermediate Individual Achievement Teacher
360.802.7397
janis_laybourn@enumclaw.wednet.edu
Barb Sadler
Individual Achievement Teacher (Pull-Out Program)
360.802.7399
barb_sadler@enumclaw.wednet.edu
Gerrie Garton
Director, Professional Development and Community Relations
360.802.7105
gerrie_garton@enumclaw.wednet.edu
2007-08 Individual Achievement Important Dates:
| December 3, 2007 | Families can sign up for Individual Achievement Testing |
| January 11, 2008 | Deadline for signing up kindergarten and first grade students |
| January 25, 2008 | Deadline for signing up second through fourth grade students |
| January 21 - January 28, 2008 | Kindergarten and First Grade Testing |
| February 2, 2008 | Second - Fourth Grade Testing |
| February 14, 2008 | Results mailed to all families. Invitation extended to students who meet qualifying standard. |
| February 11 - March 7, 2008 | Visitations to classrooms and conversations with teachers. |
| March 7, 2008 | Individual Achievement registration forms are due to the Enumclaw School District Office |
Program Identification and Criteria:
Students are identified for the Individual Achievement program through recommendations from teachers, parents and/or community members. Teacher and parent checklists of traits of a highly capable student are available for teachers and parents. The purpose of the checklist is to help teachers and parents understand the varying characteristics of a highly capable student. They are not used as criteria for testing. We test all students whose parents would like them tested.
Once the recommendations have been made, a letter is sent to families sharing information about the testing date and requesting confirmation/permission for their child to be tested for the program.
Kindergarten students are tested in small groups during their school day at their neighborhood school. The test is given over two days. Students in grades 1-4 take the test on a Saturday morning. The testing date for the 2006-07 school year is February 3, 2007.
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)is the name of the criteria assessment that we use in determining placement into our Individual Achievement Program. This assessment gives a balanced view of a child's abilities, giving scores in verbal (oral vocabulary and verbal reasoning), quantitative (relational concepts and qualitative concepts) and nonverbal(figure classification and matrices).
Students who have a combined score of 380 or higher (150 is available on each of the three areas)or who have an individual score in one area of 140 or higher, qualify for our self-contained program. Students who have a combined score of 360 -379 qualify for our pull-out program.
Student Placement Process
Following the testing process, all families receive a letter containing student scores. Students who meet the standard for the Pull-Out (part-time) or Self-Contained (full-time) option, are invited to participate in the Individual Achievement Program. Individual Achievement Program candidates will be given the opportunity to have a conversation with Individual Achievement Staff and visit the Individual Achievement Classroom before returning the registration form. Parents of students offered placement in the Self-Contained classes may select the Pull-Out Program instead if they wish.
Self-Contained Classes (Full-time)
Students who qualify for the Individual Achievement Program are provided with an educational option to attend the full-time program at Southwood Elementary. Students in grades 1-3 enter our primary classroom while students in grade 4 & 5 enter our intermediate classroom.
The goals of the self-contained program are:
- basic skill development
- enrichment
- acceleration as appropriate to the individual student
Students are placed in flexible multi-level classes. Opportunities are provided for students in these classes to interact with age-mates through participation in specific grade-level events such as field trips and school activities. These interactions and the multi-grade grouping develop and reinforce social development.
The framework for the self-contained classes is the Individual Progress Program (IPP), a nationally validated, thematic program organized around social studies. Most subjects are taught in an integrated format around a theme using a content/process/product delivery model. The themes occur on a three-year cycle and are entitled, Ancient Culture: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Medieval Times: Renaissance & Exploration and Modern Times: 1600s to the present. Each theme is based on a specific period in history.
Reading is literature-based and, for the majority of activities, books are related to the time period being studied. (Art, science and writing are integrated into the historical periods being studied.). Students read as a large group, in small groups, and individually.
Students learn the elements of art, creative and descriptive writing, and participate in the district adopted Foss and Harcourt science program. Students attend grade level math classes for Investigations, the district-adopted math program, and also receive accelerated and enriched instruction in the math strands of Measurement, Geometry, Algebra, and Probability involving structural math concepts. At the primary and intermediate level, math manipulatives, creative problem-solving skills, and structural math concepts are implemented to meet the developmental needs of the students. The district-adopted math program, Investigations, is used in grades 1-5.
Pull-out Individual Achievement Program (Part-time)
The Individual Achievement Program provides one full day per week of enrichment experiences for students in grades 1-5 at Southwood Elementary. Students participate in creative problem-solving activities and develop critical thinking skills in a positive and active environment.
Upon reviewing and accepting program offerings, parents agree that their child will maintain regular attendance in the program. Attendance in the Pull-Out Program may necessitate missing other classes, P.E., music, assemblies, parties or other activities. The Pull-Out Program will academically and creatively offset any general education activities occurring in the regular classroom.