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BACK to Grapevine HOME | Shen HOME ENRICHMENT/ACCELERATION
Posted on January 13, 2011 For the students in accelerated subjects, will there be something that says they took these classes earlier than the average student on their high school diploma? Otherwise, two students (one accelerated and one not) being compared with each other would give the accelerated student a disadvantage even though they may be more capable than the other student. It is noted on the student’s transcript the grade in which they earned the credit.
Posted on June 13, 2011 Can you please re-publish the criteria for middle school acceleration into LA and social studies. You advise readers to use the archives but the information contained therein is not what I am being told...
The Shenendehowa English/Language Arts and Social Studies Acceleration
Program, which begins in grade 7, is appropriate for students who have a
very high level of academic aptitude and are driven to learn. The
standards for acceptance into this program are very rigorous. This
program is designed for students who achieve at the highest levels in
both English and Social Studies. Annually, between 6-8% of the 6th grade
are invited to participate in the Acceleration Program.
Posted on April 26, 2011 When will decisions be announced regarding which sixth graders will be in honors courses next year?
There are no honors courses currently offered in sixth grade. Students who qualify for the enrichment program- Quest or accelerated mathematics have been notified. Students will have opportunities for both honors and acceleration in grade 7.
Posted on February 2, 2011 Is there acceleration in Spanish for eighth graders? No.
Posted on September 24, 2010
Can sixth grade students be accelerated in English, social studies and
science?
Posted on August 30, 2010 In the past, the NYS test scores have been used heavily to assess how/where a student is placed and the opportunities available to them, including but not limited to the placement in classes and on teams, potential for advanced and/or accelerated classes, etc. With such a discrepancy between the scores last year and this year, how will the district now use the scores? For example, if a child has received a "3" by this years' standards but would have received a "4" by last years' standards, how is the district taking this into account when assessing student placement and academic opportunities? Same question applies to a "2" this year that otherwise would have been considered a "3".
Posted on December 23, 2008 Why do you have to be in accelerated math AND science in middle school, and why do you have to be in accelerated English AND social studies? What if your really good in one subject, but not the other?
Handling the Earth Science curriculum in eighth grade, which is our accelerated science course, is most effective if it is matched with advanced math. Earth Science requires a very strong understanding of math. As for English and Social Studies, the accelerated course of study is established to prepare the student for World Cult/World Lit, which is our accelerated course at the high school. It is heavily interdisciplinary, thus the course at middle level is preparation for that type of complex study.
Posted on March 5, 2008 There is word going around that Shen currently has procedures for acceleration in Math only, not any other subject for kids in grades K-3. Is this true?
Sort of. There is whole grade acceleration and acceleration in math. However, the needs of higher level learners in other subjects are addressed through differentiated instruction within the classroom.
Posted on December 5, 2008 Are 6th graders that are in Critical Inquiry automatically in advanced reading, advanced ELA, and advanced social studies in 7th grade?
There is a set of criteria for admission to the accelerated programs in seventh and eight grade. Some students who are currently in Critical Inquiry may qualify, others may not. It is not sufficient to be in Critical Inquiry; a student must perform at a certain level on several benchmarks. If you have questions about the criteria, you may contact the ELA Academic Administrator or the Academic Administrator for Social Studies.
Posted on June 1, 2010 Is the cogat test given to all students or is that the same as the quest test?
Posted on April 8, 2009 What is QUEST?
QUEST is an acronym for Question-Understand-Experiment-Share-Think and is a program under development to serve children n grades 4 and 5 who demonstrate high ability and who have attained a certain score on the School and College Abilities Test administered to students in third and fourth grade.
Posted on February 24, 2008 How do middle schoolers get selected for acceleration?
The process of selecting students for the English Language Arts/Social Studies Acceleration Program is as follows:
A letter explaining the English Language Arts/Social Studies
Acceleration Program is sent home to all parents/guardians of
6th-grade students with second quarter interim reports.
Parents/guardians that wish to have their child evaluated for the
program are asked to reply back to the gr. 6-8 English language arts
and social studies academic administrators before the end of the
second quarter. The process of selecting students for the Science Acceleration Program for students in grade 8 is as follows:
A grid is filled out by the 7th-grade teachers that looks at overall
grades in math, English, science and social studies. All subject
grades should be at or above 93 in the first two semesters.
Math students generally have two opportunities to accelerate at the
middle schools; as they come into 6th grade or as they enter 8th
grade. All students in high ability 5th-grade math groups are given
the TOMAGS (Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students). Their
score on this, the level they performed at on the 4th-grade NYS
assessment, and teacher input is considered when recommending them for
6th-grade acceleration. Parents are then notified of the
recommendation. Parents of students who qualify are invited to a
meeting to learn more about the program and then decide if they want
their child to participate.
Posted on March 3, 2009 Were the TOMAGS test given this year? If so, what grades took the test and when will the results be out?
All students in the high ability 5th grade math classes were given the TOMAGS (Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students) in February. The results of these assessments, as well as additional data, are used to make a recommendation for a student's math placement for the 2009-10 school year. Letters will be sent home by mid-March to parents of all fifth grade students who took the TOMAGS with the recommendation and further information. Recently the SCAT test was given to students in grades 3 and 4 whose parents requested testing. Once the results of the test arrive, students who receive a score of 85 or greater on the OUT OF GRADE quantitative portion of the test will qualify for further testing. Parents of these students will be contacted by their classroom teachers and the TOMAGS will be given. Results of the testing will be sent to the building principal where the building child study team will make a final recommendation. A designated member of the CST will notify the child’s parent(s) of the CST decision, which usually occurs during the month of April.
Posted on May 6, 2009 My daughter (grade 4) took the TOMAGS recently. How and when will we be informed of the results? Her classroom teacher was unsure.
Math acceleration decisions are determined at the building level. Test results were sent to the buildings in April. Please contact the building principal for your child’s results.
Posted on April 9, 2009 I thought the criteria for Young Scholars was identical to that for QUEST? Can you explain how 92 qualified for Young Scholars just over 100 for QUEST.
Posted on December 18, 2008 Here's another accelerated elementary math question - why are the kids getting "acc" on their report card not a grade (such as a 4, since they are working beyond "grade level)? How will the grades that the teacher gave in the report card comment section be recorded on their "permanent record?"
The report card is a part of the permanent record file. It is understood that a child in accelerated is performing past grade level. The grades in the comment section explain how the child is performing in the above grade level class.
Posted on August 12, 2008 A lot of Shenendehowa parents seem to think they have gifted children. About what percentage of kindergarteners are identified as gifted?
A very small percentage of children are identified as gifted in kindergarten. All children are screened for "potential giftedness" as is required by law, but there is no formal identification process for labeling gifted kindergarteners. Many of our students are extremely able children, but early childhood education is a time for children to begin to uncover the gifts they have. As children mature through the grades, there are ample opportunities for them to develop specific areas of talent and interest. We do utilize a variety of assessment practices to determine appropriate programming for children, including acceleration and enrichment. If you have questions about a specific child, it is best to contact the building principal.
Posted on April 22, 2008 How did the district decide which kids should take the TOMAGS test? Why didn't you send a letter to all parents offering the test (as you did with SCAT for all 3rd graders)?
The TOMAGS were administered to all fifth graders in the highest math groups. It is also administered at any elementary level when there is a need to gather more information about a child's math capacity. It is not an assessment that is designed for wholesale administration like the SCAT.
Posted on April 10, 2008 I understand there is no retest policy for the SCAT test. Does the district intend to document this information? Also, can a parent pay for retesting on their own? If so, and the child qualifies, will they be admitted to the Young Scholars program?
When giving a standardized test like the SCAT, the results of a retest within a limited amount of time may be skewed because of test familiarity. It is recommended that a retest be given the following year and we have provisions for such testing. There is no provision for parents paying for an additional test. The child would not be admitted to Young Scholars unless the child met the appropriate criteria on the test at the time the benchmark was administered by BOCES.
Posted on April 10, 2008 What score on the TOMAGS test qualifies a student for accelerated math?
The TOMAGS is a screening instrument and it is used to inform the building level Child Study Team of a child's potential in math. There is no score that automatically qualifies a child for acceleration it is only one of many factors that are considered in each child's individual case.
Posted on January 23, 2009 This may be more of a private concern, but we need to have a response: I have a question about the advanced English and History classes - we moved here this summer and after meeting with the Counselor and Department Heads my 8th child was placed in Geometry and Earth Science, but we were told that no one was placed in the accelerated English and History because those children had been together since 6th grade. This did not make sense to us since the District has many new students each year, but our request was not approved. Our concern is for 9th grade - we want our child in the accelerate English and History classes and we want to know who we need to speak with to make this happen - especially since we have discovered that new students were accepted into the 8th grade English and History classes this year!
Incoming 7th and 8th grade students new to the district that are wishing to accelerate in both English language arts and social studies have their coursework and grades reviewed for program eligibility purposes. Generally, incoming 8th grade students new to the district are not eligible for the program because they have not completed the requisite Intermediate-Level Social Studies Curriculum (the human experience in the United States from pre-Columbian times to the present) that they will be assessed on by the state at the end of their 8th grade year. All students that do not end up accelerating in these courses have the same opportunity to take honors or college credit bearing courses in both disciplines at the high school as afforded to the students that accelerated in English language arts and social studies; these students would be eligible to enroll in these classes with their grade-level cohort, rather than a year in advance. For questions about the Program of Studies for English language arts and social studies at the high school, please contact Mary Ann Campe and/or Lisa Kissinger, Academic Administrators for High School English Language Arts and Social Studies, respectively.
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