The West Lafayette Community School Corporation recognizes that regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, students will perform, show potential to perform, or display at an outstanding level accomplishments in the core academic areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. WLCSC is committed to identifying students through systemic, on-going procedures; so we can provide High Ability Services that nurture an environment that challenges HA students to meet their full potential as lifelong learners.
● Implement an unbiased identification process based upon specific criteria using reliable and valid qualitative and quantitative testing measures
● Create a variety of program options to provide advanced content and differentiated instruction specifically designed to help high ability students achieve maximum student growth
● Provide professional development for educators so they can learn to recognize the characteristics of giftedness and how to meet the unique needs of high ability students
● Inform parents about the high ability program and provide resources for parenting a gifted child
● Evaluate the effectiveness of the high ability program based upon student achievement on an annual basis
Indiana defines a high ability (gifted) 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 other students of the same age, experience, or environment; and is characterized by exceptional gifts, talents, motivation, or interests.” We identify students as needing advanced curriculum/instruction in one of the following areas: General Intellectual, Math Only, or Language Arts Only.
WLCSC recognizes that we have many high-achieving students in addition to those who meet nationally-recognized criteria for giftedness. Overall, WLCSC students outperform their peers nationally and at the state level. Our students’ median scores on a national achievement test (NWEA) are typically well above the national norm. WLCSC student test scores on the ILEARN and SAT/ACT achievement tests of state standards regularly rank us among the top-performing districts in the state. The typical expectations and instructional levels in a WLCSC classroom are already high, and our curriculum is already both enriched and moving at an accelerated pace with differentiation for those above and below grade-level standards.