The application period for students currently in grade 5 is closed.
The application period for students currently in grades 6 and 7 is closed.
Applications will be solicited in the Spring.
Copy of letter sent home with students to parents of 5th grade students - sent home Friday, December 9, 2011
Copy of letter sent home with students to parents of 6th and 7th grade students - sent home Friday, March 18, 2011 - last years application period
Highly capable students are often able to perform at remarkably elevated levels. However, for some highly capable students, there is lack of alignment between school performance and ability. All of these students exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or academic areas. The needs of many highly capable students can be met in the regular classroom. Yet, a differentiated program of instruction that occurs out of the regular classroom is required to meet the unique needs of some of these students. It is the goal of the Chariho Middle School Program for Highly Capable Students to challenge all highly capable students to perform at their individual maximums.
The Chariho Middle School Program for Highly Capable Students provides two distinct avenues of out-of-the classroom differentiated instruction. A project-based learning experience is offered at the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels. Students must commit to rigorous and long-term guided research. Students are pulled out of their academic classes three times per week to attend class-based research classes in the library. Students in the fall 7th and 8th grade research program work in a group to create a documentary about a community or societal issue they identify. The documentary is submitted to a C-SPAN competition. Examples of two documentaries are included below (swine flu and immigration).
At the seventh and eighth grade levels, students also have the choice of enrolling in a Virtual High School course with a daily pullout program. Virtual High School courses offer challenging online courses with content generally encountered at the high school level.
At all grade levels, the Chariho Middle School Program for Highly Capable Students seeks to identify students who:
- Have high intellectual, academic and creative thinking capability
- Require out-of-the-classroom differentiated instruction
- Need an intellectual peer group for inspired learning
Students will be selected for the Highly Capable Program based upon the following criteria:
- Teacher referral, parent referral or student essay (see below)
- Academic performance
- State assessment performance (NECAP scores)
- RTI measures
- Need for an out-of-the-classroom differentiated program
Students or parents can submit an application to the program via a student essay OR a Parent Referral Form. Students or parents must apply each year to be considered for these opportunities. Teachers may also refer students to the program. When a teacher refers a student to the program, a student essay or parent referral form is not required. If your child would like to be considered for the program, complete either the essay or parent referral form. Do not assume your child's teacher will refer your child to the program.
- Student Essay: Students must complete a typed one paragraph response to why they want to participate in the Highly Capable Program
OR - Parents can complete the Parent Referral Form
Chariho Middle School also provides an opportunity to participate in Virtual High School. This is available only to 7th and 8th grade students. Students successful in the fall semester VHS course will be offered continued participation.
The application period for students currently in grade 5 is open. Applications are due to Kristen Danusis, Office of the Principal no later than Tuesday, December 20. Late applications will not be considered. The application was sent home with all 5th grade students on Friday, December 9. Information about the application process was included in the Principals' Listserv on December 9. This website was updated Thursday, December 8 with application information.
The application period for students currently in grades 6 and 7 is closed and will be open in the spring.