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Highly Capable Program

Teaching & Learning

Highly Capable

DC

Drew Crandall

K-6 Teaching & Learning Director

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BISD’s Highly Capable Program supports students who perform, or show potential for performing, at significantly advanced academic levels compared to others of their age, experiences, or environments.

Following Washington State guidelines, we are committed to providing equitable access to challenging coursework and academic growth, honoring each student’s strengths.

Our Goal

To accelerate learning, deepen understanding, and nurture creativity so that every highly capable student is both supported and challenged.

How Students Are Identified

District-Wide Identification

An identification process conducted across the district at two grade bands.

Nomination Process

Parents, guardians, and teachers can refer students during the referral windows.

 

 

  • Highly capable students (“HC Students”) are students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared to others of the same age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students’ general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain. These students are present not only in the general population but also within protected classes.

    HC Students may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:

    • Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned, and to transfer learning to new situations
    • Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their chronological peers;
    • Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;
    • Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength; and
    • Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.

  • During the referral window, a link is provided in the space below so you can complete your referral and rating scale. Once you submit the form, you should receive a copy of your responses to the email address you provided. If you do not receive a confirmation email, it means that your responses were not successfully submitted. If this happens, please return to the form and resubmit it until you get a confirmation email.  

    A referral form will be linked below during the nomination window.

     

  • There are two times each school year when students may be referred for possible entry into our district’s Highly Capable program. 

     

    Fall Window, in October: The fall referral window is open September 21-October 9.
    * For students new to our district (entering after February 19, 2026)
    * The referral window is open from September 21 - October 9, 2025.
    * Parent/guardian or teacher can refer newly enrolled students in grades 1-11. 
    * Kindergarten students will have a referral window in February.

Make a Referral

Please use this form to make a Highly Capable Nomination for this Fall for new to BISD Students (as of February 2026) in grades 1-11.

 

Fall HC Referral Form