HCL Frequently Asked Questions
What indicates that a student is gifted?
Definitions of giftedness vary, but the following descriptors are indicative (but not inclusive) of a highly capable learner:
- Understands complex concepts
- Reads a vast variety of materials
- Has high retention of information
- Exhibits original, divergent, and creative thinking
- Demonstrates and accelerated pace of thought processes
- Shows heightened capacity for seeing relationships among disparate data
- Processes and creates complex generalizations
- Is curious and has a broad spectrum of interests
- Is able to generate original ideas and solutions
- Solves problems and manipulates relevant information
- Thinks spatially and/or symbolically
- Is intuitive, intense, and intellectually mature; but, may be socially naïve
- Displays a sophisticated sense of humor
- Responds to challenges appropriate to social, emotional and intellectual development
- Shows an advanced level of language development and verbal ability
- Exhibits advanced levels of musical and/or kinesthetic talent
What does the HCL program look like?
- All HCL students have an Individual Education Program that highlights what accommodations will be made in order to keep them engaged and developing skills.
- At grades 3-5, HCL students come (almost) every Friday to Happy Valley for pull out units of study. This year, the units have been reading and Thinking Maps, social studies and technology, science, and writing. We will incorporate math later this year.
- At the high school level, student IEPs are based on their performance on the PSAT, which tells them which skills they should hone in order to perform better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The current structure of high school curriculum has built in programs like honors and AP that challenge HCL students.
What is our vision for the future of the program?
- There are approximately 250 students in the HCL program in our district. One of our goals is to increase the number of students in our program.
- We are forming a focus group in the fall to produce a comprehensive vision for the program's future
