Students in grades pre-K through 2 are not referred or tested at this time.
All students in grade 3 are given the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices screening. The SPM measures visual perceptual skills and the ability to form perceptual relationships. It measures a student’s ability to reason by analogy, which helps students to understand new material more readily. It also measures a student’s ability to make sense out of complex data. The Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices was designed to be independent of language, culture, or formal school experience. It does not measure math skills, although it correlates with that ability. It also does not measure reading skills or your child’s verbal ability.
Some students may be placed in the Extended Learning Program based on that
screening in combination with a test of their overall academic achievement.
This screening is done twice per school year. The first time is in the first
quarter of the school year, and for students who were not present during that week,
the screening is given again in the last quarter of the school year.
In grades 4 – 6 students are referred to the program as needed. Students may be referred for testing by anyone including teachers, parents, or even themselves. Once a student is referred, a form giving the ELP teacher permission to test is sent home. After the parent has signed and returned the permission form, the child is placed on the testing list and tested as soon as possible. When the child has finished testing parents are notified of the results. If the child is eligible for the Extended Learning Program, and the parent gives permission for the child to be placed, then a student plan is written and the student is formally placed in the program.
In grades 7 and 8 testing for the Extended Learning Program is done 2 times per school year. The first time is during a district specified week in the first quarter of the school year and the second time is during a district specified week at the beginning of the second semester. Students may be referred for testing by anyone including teachers, parents, or even themselves. Once a student is referred, a form is sent home requesting permission to test for the Extended Learning Program. It needs to be signed and returned by the first day of testing, or the student will have to wait for the next designated testing week. After students are tested, parents are notified of the results. If the child is eligible for the Extended Learning Program, and the parent gives permission for the child to be placed, then a student plan is written and the student is formally placed in the program. The student may opt for a schedule change to accommodate the Extended Learning Program class in place of a class on the student’s current schedule.
High school students are not tested for the Extended Learning Program.