November 22, 2024

Dear Naselle-Grays River Valley Parents/Guardians,

Greetings. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about our school's Highly Capable (HiCap) Program and an upcoming screening oppottunity. Washington State Law (RCW 28A 185.020) finds that, for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and instruction is access to a basic education. As such, schools are required to provide accelerated and individualized learning oppo1tunities for highly capable students. The Naselle-Grays River Valley School District strives to provide these learning oppo1tunities for our highly capable students. These oppo1tunities are provided in a variety of ways-both in and out of the classroom.

Students who display exceptional abilities in academics, creativity, or critical thinking may be eligible for enrollment in the Highly Capable Program. To be initially considered, a student must earn a qualifying score on an assessment of cognitive ability. Each year, the school district administers the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all second and fifth grade students, and to any other students who are referred by parents, teachers, or community members. Students receive a score on a scale of 1 to 9 on the CogAT, and those who earn a 9 automatically qualify. The school also reviews other standardized test scores. Additional information and data is gathered for those who earn lower scores-with priority given to those who earn a 7 or an 8. Parents and guardians who believe that their student may qualify and benefit from our highly capable program can obtain a parent referral packet from our website (www.naselleschools.org) or by contacting the office at 360-484-7121.

If you are the parent of a second or fifth grade student that does not want your child to be tested, please contact Mr. Laine or the office immediately. We will administer the CogAT during the week of December 2-6. If you are the parent/guardian of a student in grades K-1, 3-4, or 6-12, and would like to have your child tested, please complete and return a parent referral/permission packet to the office as soon as possible. Your child will then be screened with multiple data sources as outlined in the parent referral packet. The CogAT is just one pait of the screening process. The HiCap screening committee will also consider other standardized assessments, classroom measures, parent input, and teacher feedback. Please call or email Mr. Laine at 360-484-7121 or jlaine@naselleschools.org if you have any questions about our Hi Cap Program or the screening process. 

HiCapLetter2024.pdf