High Ability FAQs

The CogAT Screener test will be administered in the second trimester of each school year to all students who are in Kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade. The CogAT Screener will also be administered to students who are new to SENSE Charter School in grades 1, 3, and 4 in the second trimester.

The iReady Math Diagnostic is administered to all students (Grades K-8).  The iReady Reading Diagnostic assessment is administered to students in Grades 4 -8. For K-3 students, the mClass with DIBELS will be administered. These assessments will take place in the Fall, Winter, and Spring of each school year. The Spring or End of Year data will be used to identify students who qualify for High Ability services. Spring iReady Diagnostic Data and mClass with DIBELS Data, as well as qualitative data, will be used to identify kindergarteners for High Ability services for the next school year.

SENSE Charter School educators are encouraged to attend workshops that pertain to the High Ability curriculum. Educators are invited to attend the state High Ability conference and any workshops sponsored through the Indiana Department of Education and other organizations related to High Ability studies. Guidance counselors are encouraged to attend any workshops or programs pertaining to the social and emotional needs of High Ability students.

SENSE Charter School provides teachers with the opportunity to earn their High Ability certification by enrolling in state-approved classes at the graduate-school level. SENSE Charter School provides teachers with the opportunity to develop differentiated lessons and collaborate with fellow teachers in the development of curriculum. Additionally, the school encourages teachers to earn their High Ability endorsement for their licensure.

Students that have been identified as high ability will be placed in either self-contained high ability classrooms or classrooms according to cluster grouping, depending on the number of identified high ability students. The classroom teacher will differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students in the room and provide appropriate levels of challenge for each student. Students will also be grouped by ability levels during core Language Arts and Math instruction. As high ability students are whole-to-part learners, content will be taught through higher level “macro” concepts that foster interdisciplinary connections.

Accelerated learning opportunities will be provided as needed. High ability students will have opportunities to subject skip, receive accelerated instruction, complete in-depth individualized projects based on student interests, and participate in enrichment activities. High ability students will also participate in project-based learning programs throughout the year. Finally, teacher practices will aid students in developing critical and creative thinking skills, communication skills in multiple formats, and metacognition skills, such as planning/organizing, monitoring, and evaluating their learning.

The curriculum in both the high ability classrooms and the regular classrooms follow the state standards. Pacing may look different between the two, but that doesn't mean one program covers more or less curriculum than the other. The high ability classroom has traditionally been able to offer more collaborative, project-based learning opportunities. There is also more of an emphasis on enrichment, inquiry-based learning, and independent learning expectations in the high ability classrooms.

High ability students make connections between what they already know and the new information they are just learning. These connections can be between math, science, reading, history, etc. or can be between fictional and real-world events – or different events across time, etc. High ability students want to know how everything fits together. They are conceptual learners and often need to understand the big picture before diving into the details. This is why our high ability rooms utilize Overarching Concepts – to give these kiddos something to hang their knowledge on. For example, if the overarching concept is Change, we might have our kiddos look at how insects change throughout their life cycle or how numbers change depending on the operations involved or how characters change from the beginning to the end of a story or how weather changes affect our school days. That big concept is crucial. 

Our Overarching Concepts for the year include Connections, Structure, Order, Patterns, Change, and Relationships.

We want every student to be placed in a setting where he/she will learn, grow, and be challenged! The best resource for appropriate challenge and instruction that meets your child's needs is the classroom teacher. Our teachers are experts in aligning instruction with student needs. Please reach out to your child's new teacher when school starts to share your goals and hopes for your child.

We are happy to help! The following would be your contacts for any questions:

• Your child's teacher (for personalized answers related to your child's instruction, needs, and placement.)
• SENSE's High Ability Coordinator (for understanding the high ability services at SENSE and the specifics related to your child's placement.)