The APP program is funded by a state grant that defines HC [highly capable] students to be those assessed to have superior intellectual ability as defined by measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement, and exceptional creativity in problem solving or other learning characteristics. Students must score in the top 10% in cognitive ability testing, the top 5% in one or more specific achievement test areas, and/or demonstrate behavioral characteristics for exceptional creativity. Using these measures, the District selects the most highly capable students for services. "A variety of appropriate program services shall be made available. Once services are started, a continuum of services shall be provided and may include kindergarten through 12th grade."

The state provides funds in a dollar amount equal to 2% (at risk of being reduced to 1.75% in the current budget) of the total enrollment of the District (not the number of kids who qualify for services). Each District's grant proposal indicates how they will use the funds and which students will be served. The bulk of Seattle's grant money is used to identify students for services, with small amounts available to buy supplies and provide small teacher stipends and occasional professional development. The testing identifies students for the APP program (roughly 98-99th percentile), with a secondary benefit of identifying the cohort of Spectrum-eligible students (roughly 92-97th percentile) for special services.

APP at LOWELL ELEMENTARY

The entire school is APP, with the exception of a small Special Ed program (which comes largely with its own budget). APP is thus completely self-contained at the elementary level. Seattle does not offer special services to kindergartners, and the program structure is pyramidal. Due to developmental issues, few of the youngest students qualify for services, while more test in as they mature. Lowell traditionally has 1 or 1.5 first grade classrooms, and gradually increases to 4 or 5 5th grade classrooms. There are often split classes, 1-2 and 4-5 being common, depending on the enrollment numbers in given years. Teachers have developed much of their own integrated curriculum over time. Language Arts and Social Studies are particularly geared to be academically challenging yet age appropriate. Few text books are used. The NSF science kits have been used for the last 4 or 5 years. A couple of years ago they started using the Connected Math series in the 4th and 5th grades, generally used in 6th and 7th grades across the District. Wonderfully skilled PCP teachers supplement the regular curriculum with art, music, PE and library activities with close links to the academic studies.

APP at WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

All APP middle schoolers are served at WMS, generally with 4 sections of students (128 kids/yr). With last year's policy decision to serve all eligible APP students (no wait list), and our current 5th grade "bubble", there will be 5 sections at 6th and 8th grades next year (hence the ongoing discussions about capacity - subject of another email). WMS is a diverse school housing multiple programs aside from APP - including Spectrum, neighborhood, ESL, Special Ed, homeless. Building decisions are made based on the needs of the entire school population. APP at WMS is partially self-contained. APP students are in self-contained blocks for 6th-7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies, with the same teacher for two years, in a double period block of time. In 8th grade LA and SS are separate, self-contained classes. Science is also self-contained. Math is sometimes self-contained and sometimes blended by skill level (so a 6th grade APP student, 7th grade Spectrum student, and 8th grade neighborhood student might be in the same Integrated 1 classroom). Most APP kids take 6th grade math, 7th grade Integrated 1, and are on track to take Integrated 2 in 8th grade, but most years a section of I-3 is offered for advanced students (who may take I-1 as 6th graders). There is a reading class that is self-contained, taken by some students instead of a gym class or for those not taking music or foreign language (requirement has changed over the last year or two, I'm not sure exactly what is planned for next year). Foreign language is not considered a core academic subject and is blended, as are gym, art, and other electives. The music program is blended but skills-based, with beginning instrument and beginning, junior, and senior levels for concert band, jazz band, strings/orchestra, and a choir. Students who don't take music take an elective course that offers half-semester blocks of art, computer skills, home ec, and foreign language sampler.

APP at GARFIELD

The APP program does not officially exist after 8th grade. Students are granted preference to Garfield HS, which means that any APP student who wants a seat may attend, regardless of where they live. Once at Garfield, however, there are no special offerings. The school offers more AP classes than any other District high school, and APP kids generally take AP World History in 10th grade (after honors history in 9th grade) and the first AP English offering in 11th grade. According to the 9th grade orientation presentation, "all freshmen take honors English and all freshmen take regular biology." Most APP kids are on track to take Integrated 3 math as freshmen, precalc as sophomores, AP calculus (AB) as juniors and either AP calculus (BC) or AP statistics as seniors. They take biology as freshmen, genetics or marine science or ecology as sophomores, chemistry as juniors and physics as seniors. Kids who have had two years of middle school language place into second year Spanish or Japanese at Garfield; Mandarin Chinese and Latin are also offered (and maybe French?) The kids need to fit in the state mandated gym, fine arts, and oc ed credits as well.

Our kids gain a lot from the diversified experiences they have at WMS and Garfield, and very much feel a part of those school communities. The APP Task Force is hoping to work with the principals, the schools, and the District administration to ensure that the students in APP continue to receive adequate academic challenge as they move from self-contained Lowell to less self-contained Washington to undefined Garfield.

Stay tuned for more on these issues...