Highly Capable (HiCap) Program Overview

By Washington State law, students identified for Highly Capable Program services are those who “perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain.”

The Highly Capable State laws and our Board of Directors commitment to ensuring high-quality services for all students led the Kent School District to offer a continuum of appropriate Highly Capable Program services available to students K-12 that includes both programs in neighborhood schools and self-contained specialized programs. These programs support our commitment to be more inclusive and provide equitable practices.

Elementary Students

Kindergarten through Second Grade (K-2)

Primary Enrichment Program (PEEP)

In grades K-2, services are offered at the student’s neighborhood school in a general education classroom through our Primary Enrichment Program (PEEP). This program is designed to build on students’ strengths and to nurture their potential so that advanced ability has the opportunity to emerge.

Services may include:

• Differentiated instruction with flexible grouping
• Enhanced/enriched content or curriculum
• Adjusted pacing
• Curriculum compacting

Third through Sixth Grade (3-6)

In grades 3-6, qualified students are currently served through two program service delivery models.

Accelerated & Clustered Enrichment (ACE) Program

Highly Capable students may receive services through the Accelerated and Clustered Enrichment (ACE) Program at their neighborhood school. Led by teachers trained and familiar with the needs of highly capable students, this model allows clusters of students receiving Highly Capable services to receive instruction designed to meet their advanced needs while participating with other students within their school community.

Services may include:

• Differentiated instruction with flexible grouping
• Enhanced/enriched content or curriculum
• Adjusted pacing
• Curriculum compacting with the use of independent study/projects

Odyssey Program

Additionally, students who are academically highly gifted as demonstrated by achievement at the highest levels in both the quantitative and verbal areas will be served through the Odyssey Program in self-contained classrooms at selected program sites. Such students demonstrate significantly different learning needs that require comprehensive and substantial modification to the general education curriculum and classroom experience to achieve educational benefit.

Students identified for services and their families will be invited to learn more and to provide input through program open houses in the spring. Identified students are served at one of five school sites:

• Kent Elementary School
• Grass Lake Elementary School
• Lake Youngs Elementary School
• Ridgewood Elementary School
• Sunrise Elementary School

Services may include:

• Above grade level curriculum acceleration
• Differentiated instruction with flexible grouping
• Enhanced/enriched content or curriculum
• Curriculum compacting with the use of independent study/projects
• Support for social-emotional needs

Middle School Students

In grades 7-8, Acceleration Programs and Services are offered at the student's neighborhood school in a general education classroom.

Services may include:

• Clustering identified students in a classroom to provide a peer group
• Advanced course offerings
• Adjusting pacing, curriculum compacting, reducing review and repetition, inquiry approach to instruction, investigations
• Enhanced/enriched content or curriculum
• Differentiated instruction
• Providing a multidisciplinary approach to learning
• Counseling support for social-emotional needs

High School Students

In grades 9-12, Acceleration Programs and Services are provided at the student's neighborhood school through Honors, AP, IB, Career & College Readiness, and College in the High School classes.

Services may include:

• Clustering identified students in a classroom to provide a peer group
• Adjusting pacing, curriculum compacting, reducing review and repetition, incorporating inquiry, and investigations in instruction
• Enhanced/Enriched content or curriculum
• Providing a multidisciplinary approach to learning
• Differentiation of curriculum and instruction
• Counseling support for social-emotional needs

College in the High School

The College in the High School Program is designed to offer highly capable students the opportunity to take rigorous college courses while in high school. The courses are taught by qualified high school instructors who have been approved by appropriate Central Washington University (CWU), Eastern Washington University (EWU), and/or University of Washington (UW) academic departments and colleges as affiliate faculty. Courses must be university catalog courses at the 100- or 200-level and require the same prerequisites.

Running Start

Running Start is an additional offering for students and families who desire options beyond the Kent School District’s High School Course of Study. Information is available in each high school’s counseling center.