Gifted and Talented

Testing for the 2024-2025 School Year:

Advanced Learning Center (ALC),

Gifted Spanish Dual Language Immersion at West Kearns,

and Junior High Gifted and Talented Classes 

High ability students whose needs are at a level that requires a specialized program have the opportunity to attend a district Advanced Learning Center, which includes placement in a full-day classroom, use of curriculum developed for high-ability students, and a teacher who has a gifted and talented endorsement.

To be considered for placement in these specialized classes, students must take specific assessments used to determine their level of need.

Click here to sign up for advanced learner testing for placement in the 2024-2025 school year.

Please note: The above link is for testing that will take place during the 2023-2024 school year, with student scores being considered for placement in the 2024-2025 school year.  If you are new to the district and require immediate testing for the current school year, please contact Jannette LaRose in the district gifted and talented office.

ADVANCED LEARNING CENTERS: 
Morningside Elementary -Grades 1-5
Fox Hills Elementary Grades 1-5
West Valley Elementary Grades 1-6
Woodstock Elementary Grades 1-5
West Kearns Spanish Dual Immersion 1-5 (Kearns Network) 

Placement in the ALC schools across the district is determined by the school boundary in which a student lives.  If a student qualifies for the ALC program, they will be invited to attend the ALC school to which their home school is assigned. To see a list of the schools designated for each ALC location, please click here: Advanced Learning Center Feeder Schools

Bus Schedules for ALC Schools

Fox Hills
Morningside
West Kearns
West Valley STEM
Woodstock

Advanced Learning Center Parent FAQ’s

TESTING SCHEDULE FOR STUDENTS BEING CONSIDERED FOR PLACEMENT FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR:

October 2023-December 2023
Grades 3-5: High Ability students will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) for possible placement in the Advanced Learning Center (ALC) or the Advanced Learning Clusters at their neighborhood schools.

Grades 5-6: Students entering junior high will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and an academic achievement test (SAGES-3) to determine placement in the gifted and talented classes offered at the junior high schools.

January 2024-March 2024
Grades K-1: Students are screened using a reading screener, and those who meet the criteria for further testing are given the Verbal and Non-Verbal portions of the Cognitive Abilities Test. Kindergarten students who live in the Kearns High School network may also be considered for the Spanish Dual Immersion program at West Kearns Elementary.

Grade 2:  High ability students take the Cognitive Abilities test for possible placement in the ALC program or the Advanced Learner Clusters at their neighborhood schools.

OUT OF DISTRICT APPLICANTS

Out of district applicants are welcome to test.  However, they will only be placed if there is an opening available in the Advanced Learning Center after all Granite District students who qualify are placed.

Please Note: We do not have a high ability kindergarten option. We test in kindergarten for placement in our 1st and 2nd grade Advanced Reader Program. 

Middle School and Junior High Enrollment Options

Junior High students take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the SAGES-3 to determine their qualifications for the junior high gifted and talented courses.

This testing is only required for those students seeking placement in GT classes. As a general rule, students seeking placement in GT classes should be performing significantly above grade level. Students do not need to be tested in order to sign up for honors courses in junior high. All junior high honors courses are self-select.

The cost for testing if your child is not currently enrolled in Granite School District is $35.  Please be prepared to pay for the test when you arrive at the testing session by check or exact cash only.  If you do not currently live within the boundaries of the junior high school you would like to have your child attend, you must apply for an open enrollment permit for the school. 

All placement decisions will be made by the junior high school your child will be attending. Test results will be sent out in February.  If your child does not qualify for gifted classes, please consult the junior high regarding the other courses that may be available. Appeals are handled by the individual junior high schools. 

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Granite School District Services for Gifted and Talented Students

The Granite School District is fully committed to both excellence and equity for all students. Gifted students and high ability learners present a particular challenge to this goal given they may have mastered 50-80% or more of the core curriculum for their grade level before a course of study begins. Therefore, academic growth for these students can only be achieved through differentiated educational services, opportunities, and programs.

All children, including gifted and talented children, have a right to have the opportunity to make at least one year of academic growth during a school year. Because there is a continuum of “severity” in the population of high ability learners, the scope of programs that should be available for students at each school also exists on a continuum. Toward that end, the following scope of programs will be available for students.

Continuum of Services

Granite School District Definition Of Academically Gifted And Talented Students.

Academically gifted and talented students are those with outstanding academic ability or those who show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of academic accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment.

These students need program modifications to receive an appropriate education. The distinction between gifted and talented is individual for each student and is based upon the severity of need. Needs of moderately talented students may well be met through enrichment opportunities within the regular school program. By contrast, the needs of some profoundly gifted students might only be met in a specialized district-wide program. These extremes define a continuum of need between moderately talented and profoundly gifted. Each academically gifted or talented student needs to be placed appropriately on this continuum.

Talent Development

Talent development opportunities should be provided for all students to develop a wide range of talents and could include: Math Olympiad, Future Problem Solving, Science Fair, History Fair, Debate etc.

Differentiation within the Regular Classroom

Curriculum and instruction should be differentiated so there is an appropriate match to the academic levels and needs of all students.

Specialized Academic Grouping.

Academically gifted and talented students may need to be grouped together in specific content areas. For example, a first grader may be placed in a second grade classroom for mathematics instruction if appropriate to his/her needs or a seventh grader may be placed in an eighth grade classroom for mathematics instruction if appropriate to his/her needs.

Specialized Academic School Classes.

Gifted and talented students should have specialized classes ranging from ninety minutes to all day at their school site. They should be taught by a teacher possessing or actively pursuing an Endorsement for Gifted and Talented on their Utah Professional Educator License.

For Elementary:

• Gifted Language Arts Class for First through second grade
• Gifted Language Arts Class for third through sixth grade
• Gifted Mathematics Class for third through sixth grade

The following are possible grouping options for these specialized classes:

Full Day Cluster Group within a Heterogeneous Class: All of the students (typically the top 5%) within one grade level are placed in a single class with a gifted endorsed teacher. Other students in the class are randomly selected as in other classes. (Good practice would indicate that the bottom 5% would not be included in this heterogeneous group.) A school may chose to create a full day cluster group across multiple grades. Students may be regrouped during the language arts and math classes.

Single Grade or Cross-Grade Academic Class: Teachers in a single grade or across multiple grades coordinate the time of day that one or two subjects are taught (i.e., Language Arts and Mathematics). Gifted students (typically the top 5%) and other students are grouped together with a gifted endorsed teacher during these periods. (Based on the instructional program being used it may not be appropriate to place below grade level students within this grouping.) This could be extended to include more subject areas.

Specialized District-Wide Programs: Gifted students whose needs are at a level that requires a very specialized program should have the opportunity to attend a district gifted Advanced Learning Center program, which includes Fox Hills, Morningside, West Valley STEM, and Woodstock Advanced Learning Center and West Kearns Gifted Dual Language Immersion. Placement is based on the elementary your student attends.

Assessment Procedures.

To determine the level of service that is necessary for a student to continue appropriate academic growth, the following assessment procedure is necessary:

• Stage 1: Pre-screening – Parents and students should assess interests and motivations on a continuing basis throughout the students’ academic experience. All students should be encouraged to explore a wide variety of experiences provided by their school’s administrator onboarding opportunities.
• Stage 2: Screening – Existing evidence of students’ academic accomplishment, cognitive potential, and academic performance should be considered to determine whether further assessment is recommended in order to clarify the severity of need. This determination should be made by a team with an effort to be inclusive in their screening procedures.
• Stage 3: Assessment for Specialized Academic Classes – If further assessment is deemed necessary, the school’s decision-making team will collect information in each of the following areas to clarify students’ severity of need:
• Elementary – Survey Battery Cognitive Ability-Cognitive Abilities Test, CogAT Form 7
• Junior High – Academic Achievement-SAGES-3, CogAT Form 7.

Appeals

• All appeals must be submitted within 14 days of receiving your child’s results. To appeal a placement decision for your elementary student, please complete and submit this form: Granite District ALC Appeals Form. For more information about the appeals process, please see the following document: Appeals: Frequently Asked Questions.
• Junior High appeals are handled through the junior high school your child attends or will attend.

Advanced Learning Center (ALC) Locations

Advanced Learning Center Feeder Schools

Fox Hills Elementary
3775 West 6020 South
Taylorsville, Utah 84129

Morningside Elementary
4170 South 3000 East
Holladay, UT  84124

Woodstock Elementary
6015 South 1300 East
Murray, UT  84121

West Valley STEM Elementary
6049 West Brud Drive (3100 South)
West Valley,  UT  84128

West Kearns Spanish Dual Immersion (Kearns Network)
4900 South 4620 West
Kearns, Utah 84118