What is EXCEL?

EXCEL is Evergreen School District's program for meeting the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of highly capable students in grades 2-8. Qualified students are placed in one of three program options.

Program Options

Parents may request a program preference from program options once eligibility is determined.
(Please refer to Identification and Selection Process regarding program placement.)
Transportation is provided by the district for all the program options.

ELEMENTARY

Grades 2-5: EXCEL Pull-Out: Students may be placed in one-day-per-week classes held at Fircrest Elementary School. Students interact with others in the same grade level from across the district in activities designed to respond to the needs of highly capable learners by strengthening communication, research, interpersonal, and leadership abilities, with a focus on critical and creative thinking processes. This is an enrichment option and does not accelerate the academic areas of Language Arts, Math, and Science, which are taught in the regular classroom. Pull Out Students are also cluster grouped in their regular classrooms with differentiated instruction.

Grades 3-5: EXCEL Full-Time: Students placed in the Full-Time Program are bused, based on their residence, to their designated magnet school, either Image or Illahee Elementary schools. Students admitted to this program must demonstrate high academic achievement of at least one year above grade level. The faster pace and greater depth/complexity is designed to meet the needs of academically gifted learners.

Successful students exhibit persistence, strong motivation, and task commitment, as well as the need and readiness for an accelerated and differentiated curriculum.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grades 6-8: EXCEL Blocks: Students are “blocked” in Language Arts and Social Studies.

All 5th graders are assessed and placed at the appropriate levels for math instruction through the district’s Assessment office (360-604-4015). Math is blocked with science. Frontier, Pacific, Shahala, and Wy'east provide the settings for EXCEL Block classes. Covington students are bused to Frontier and Cascade students are bused to Pacific. 

CURRICULUM 

The EXCEL curriculum for students in the elementary Full-Time and middle school EXCEL Blocks follows the district's curriculum frameworks and the state's academic learning requirements. All EXCEL program options emphasize:

• critical and creative thinking processes
• communication, organizational, study, research, and quality production skills
• group processes
• decision making
• problem solving
• affective/emotional development
• self-direction and accountability

Identification and Selection Process

This is a six-month process during which anyone (parents, teachers, media specialists, friends, family, acquaintances, members of the community, cohorts, etc.) may refer a student for testing. The process is twofold, including 1) eligibility, and 2) placement. Selection and placement is made by the Multi-Disciplinary Selection Committee. The MDSC, made up of administrators, teachers, and program staff, reviews test data and first determines eligibility.

They subsequently determine placements based upon test scores and space available, as well as teacher recommendation, parent preference, and any supporting data supplied. Students living outside of the Evergreen Public Schools boundaries are not normally considered for program placement. Exceptions are made on a case by case basis, depending upon program space availability. Students may also be placed through the Appeal Process, in which the MDSC examines documentation for students whose test scores did not meet the criteria, but for whom other evidence exists of high ability, a need for program placement, and a high probability of success. Students determined to be eligible via the Appeal Process are ranked below all other eligible students. Retesting for eligibility purposes is available, although currently identified students will not be retested annually to maintain eligibility. Additionally, eligible students cannot be retested solely for the purpose of increasing their ranking score. The criteria for retesting is: 1) at least 6 months between testing sessions; and 2) testing at the next higher grade level. Private testing results, as well as testing information from other school districts, are accepted for review. The State of Washington requires both mental ability (IQ) and achievement testing.

Eligibility & Placement Requirements:

1. 90th percentile or above in the mental ability, composite score, or
2. 95th percentile or above in the achievement composite score
   and any mental ability subtest score at or above the 90th percentile.
3. Private testing: IQ at/above the 95th percentile.

Placements

• Students meeting the placement criteria are ranked through a process which combines achievement and mental ability scores. The HCP is unable to use, for ranking or identification purposes, scores from achievement tests which do not include reading, language, and math subtests.
  
• Students are ranked and placed until the class enrollment cap is reached. Students are then ranked in the same manner on waiting lists. An invitation to participate in an alternate program is extended if space is available.
  
• Placements of new students are not made after the first four weeks of school.
  
• Students are placed in the appropriate school based upon their residential address.

Appeals

Appeals are considered annually by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee and are based upon a review of the documentation received. Please see the schedule under Identification for deadlines. Contact the HCP Manager for forms and information. Students may be appealed more than once.

2007-2008 SCHEDULE

ELEMENTARY FULL-TIME and MIDDLE SCHOOL EXCEL BLOCK

Classes begin and end on the same schedule as regular classes.

ELEMENTARY PULL-OUT

Grade 2 classes begin the week of September 24, 2007. All other classes begin the week of September 17, 2007. The last week of EXCEL Pull- Out is June 2-6, 2008.

IDENTIFICATION & PLACEMENTS

Fall Testing: Testing is limited to students new to the district from other gifted programs, private or home schools, and special cases.
 

Registration Opens                             Aug. 6, 2007

Registration Closes                             Sept. 12, 2007

Testing                                            Sept. 15, 2007 (Saturday)

Notification of eligibility/placement        Sept. 24, 2007

Winter Testing: Grades 1-7. (For placement in the 2008-2009 school year).
 

Testing notification                            Oct. 12 - Nov. 9, 2007

 

Referral Deadline

to Building Liaisons                   Nov. 28, 2007

to HCP Office                          Nov. 30, 2007

Testing Schedule mailed                     Dec. 18, 2007

All Testing on Saturdays

          2008

• January 12, 19, 26
• February 2, 9, 23

Make Up Testing                                          March 8, 2008
Notification of Eligibility                                 April 15, 2008

Appeals opens
     (Contact the HCP Office)                          April 15, 2008
Appeals Deadline to HCP Office                       April 30, 2008
Notification of Placement                               May 15, 2008

PROGRAM GOALS

Gifted learners need a faster pace and greater depth/complexity than is offered through the standard curriculum. They also need interaction with their intellectual peers. With this in mind, the goals of the EXCEL Program are:

• To identify students who have high intellectual, academic, and creative thinking ability.
• To provide differentiated instruction appropriate to the needs of gifted learners.
• To place students among their intellectual peer group.
• To develop in students a sense of self, life-long learning, quality production, and critical/creative thinking abilities.
• To engage in ongoing evaluation of students' progress and placement.
• To provide appropriate staff development opportunities to maximize teaching effectiveness in providing for the academic and social/emotional needs of gifted learners.
• To engage in ongoing program evaluation and revision.

HOW YOU CAN BECOME INVOLVED

The Highly Capable Programs Advisory Committee is a representative group of parents, teachers, and administrators which advises the district about HCP matters and acts as a liaison between parents, program personnel, and the community. If you would like to be considered for membership on the committee, call the Highly Capable Programs office at (360) 604-4001.

Further Information:

Please contact the Highly Capable Programs Manager at 604-4001 or the following building liaisons:

Burnt Bridge Creek ..................................  Susan Payton
Burton .....................................................Patty Dugger
Columbia Valley ..................................... Margaret Scott
Crestline ..................................................Pauleen Ross
Ellsworth ..................................................Debbie Small
Fircrest .....................................................Anju Auluck
Fisher's Landing..........................................  Barb Asher
Harmony ....................................................Jan Wright
Hearthwood ..................................... Kristina Parmenter
Home Choice Academy.............     Nancy Barrett-Dennehy
Illahee ........................................................Marci Hay
Image.....................................................Pam Goodlett
Marrion............................................ Elizabeth Christina
Mill Plain .................................................Laurie Treosti
Orchards.................................................Carrie Foshee
Pioneer ............................................ Janet Dondelinger
Riverview .................................................Mary Demert
Sifton .......................................................Jan Grassel
Silver Star ................................................Rocky Baker
Sunset .............................................Jennyfer Murphine
York.....................................................Stephanie Land

Cascade ..........................................Adrianne Campbell
Covington .................................................Helen Hafer
Frontier...................................................Heather Love
Pacific .......................................................Brad Riggs
Shahala ..................................................Brian Goforth
Wy'east .................................................... Kim Wanke

Evergreen ....................................................Eve Eden
Heritage...................................................Tom Baldwin
Mountain View.............................................Gregg Plitt
Union .................................................................TBD

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