Students who qualify for high ability services present a continuum of needs and service design may vary by student need and school service design. Best practice for high ability students includes thoughtfully placing students together. You can expect your student to be grouped with some other students who receive high ability services by your school’s leadership team. This does not mean that all students in a classroom will receive the same services.
Your child’s teacher will have the most relevant and specific information about what to expect from instruction and assessment this year. Please see below for general descriptions of each designation.
High Ability Services for Reading – If your student qualified for high ability services in Reading only, you can expect greater depth, challenge, and acceleration with an emphasis on critical and creative thinking in your child’s Reading and Writing workshops. Your child's report card will denote Advanced in both Reading and English and will be assessed by the teacher on standard indicators from the current grade level. Students who receive HA reading services have access to Junior Great Books for emphasis on critical thinking, discussion, and deep reading. The Fountas and Pinnell system is used to assess student reading levels and assure instruction and independent reading occurs at students’ instructional levels. High ability services will continue each year in Reading and Writing.
High Ability Services for Math – If your student qualified for high ability services in Math only, you can expect greater depth, challenge, and acceleration with an emphasis on critical and creative thinking in your child’s Math workshop. Your child will be issued the textbook for the grade level above his/her actual grade level (i.e. Third graders in Advanced Math will receive a fourth grade math text.) Your student’s report card will denote Advanced Math, and he/she will be assessed by the teacher on standard indicators from the following grade level. High ability services will continue each year in Math.
High Ability Services for Both Reading and Math – You can expect everything detailed in both Reading and Math above. High ability services will continue each year in both areas.
General Education – Hamilton Southeastern Schools invests in the growth of all students. It is the intention of our school corporation to infuse rigor, differentiation, and enrichment into all classrooms to meet the needs of all students. Some students may demonstrate the need for high ability services that offer greater depth or acceleration. At this time, our review indicates your student’s educational needs will be best met in a general education setting. You can expect your child to be challenged and grow in this setting!