Educational Programs

Warsaw Community Schools, in partnership with Head Start, provides early childhood education to children age 3 to 5 in classrooms, and through itinerant and consultative services to area preschools.

Young students with a suspected disability may be referred for an evaluation for special education services. Students who qualify for special education receive services in area preschools, on a walk-in basis at the elementary buildings, or in a developmental preschool at Jefferson Elementary.

Two Early Learning Centers at Claypool Elementary and Leesburg Elementary offer preschool classes through Head Start. More information can be provided through the schools where the classes are located. All of our early childhood programs are designed to provide children with the skills to have a smooth transition to kindergarten.

The Warsaw Community Schools K-12 English Learner/Multilingual Program is designed to provide English language instruction to non-English and limited proficient students.

Students at the elementary, middle and high school levels receive language assistance to support their learning of content area curriculum. The goal for English Learners is to gain proficiency in academic English while in Warsaw Community Schools.

Warsaw Community Schools believes that some students achieve or exhibit the potential to perform at high levels of exemplary performance in English Language Arts, Mathematics, or both. Students are provided a continuum of service delivery options, differentiated instruction, and the opportunity to use higher-level thinking skills in order to meet their individual academic and social needs.

Definition of Student Identified as High Ability

Students identified as high ability at Warsaw Community Schools are defined as ones who perform or has the potential to perform at extraordinarily high levels in English Language Arts, Mathematics, or both, compared to their peers. These students require services and instruction aligned to their unique academic and social needs.

District Services for Students Identified as High Ability

Elementary

• Acceleration by grade level
  • Grade Skipping: A referral for consideration for skipping a grade can come from any stakeholder familiar with the academic performance of the child. Decisions will be considered on an individual basis by a child study team.
• Qualification as having general intellect (HA in both English Language Arts and Mathematics)
• Self-contained classroom for grades 5 and 6 together housed at Lincoln Elementary: This classroom is taught by a teacher licensed in HA. Students are grouped together full time which allows for a differentiated pace, level, curriculum, and instruction to meet the unique academic and social needs.

Middle

• Qualification as HA in English Language Arts and/or Mathematics
• Honors classes are available for students who meet the metrics.

High School

• Qualification as HA in English Language Arts and/or Mathematics
  • Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to take honors, Advanced Placement, and/or dual-credit courses in their area of HA.

Multifaceted Identification Plan

• Norm-referenced aptitude measure (measures ability)
  • Kindergarten- Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt)
  • 2nd grade- Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt)
  • 6th grade- Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt)
  • High School- PSAT
• Norm-Referenced Achievement Measure (measures performance and can demonstrate above grade level performance)

  • Kindergarten- NWEA

  • 2nd grade- NWEA

  • 6th grade- NWEA

  • High School- Performance in honors classes with above grade-level standards

Identification Process

• Kindergarten
  • There are 3 possible pathways for high ability identification:
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on NWEA or Fastbridge
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on CogAt
    • Score within the standard measure of an error on either assessment AND demonstrate outstanding potential or performance using the data from Scales for Identifying Gifted Students
• 2nd Grade
  • There are 3 possible pathways for high ability identification:
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on NWEA or Fastbridge
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on CogAt
    • Score within the standard measure of an error on either assessment AND demonstrate outstanding potential or performance using data from Scales for Identifying Gifted Students
• 6th Grade Selection for Middle School
  • There are 3 possible pathways for high ability identification:
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on NWEA or Fastbridge
    • Score at or above the 96th percentile on CogAt
    • Score within the standard measure of an error on either assessment AND demonstrate outstanding potential or performance using data from Scales for Identifying Gifted Students
• Middle School Selection for High School
  • There are 2 possible pathways for high ability identification in 8th grade for scheduling for freshman classes:
    • 10) Score at or above the 96th percentile on NWEA
    • 11) Score at or above the 96th percentile on the PSAT

Placement Procedures for Students Who Have Moved In

Students who have moved in from other districts may have been identified using different methods and cut scores than those used within Warsaw Community Schools. This includes other districts in Indiana as the state regulations allow for local procedures.

Students who move into Warsaw Community Schools with high ability identification from another corporation may submit testing data to be reviewed. If the data meets the identification criteria, eligibility will be confirmed. If it is deemed the eligibility criteria are not met, the student will participate in the next round of testing with their grade-level peers.

Appeals Process

If a parent, guardian, or teacher would like to appeal a student’s high ability determination, the stakeholder shall submit evidence and a cover letter stating the rationale for the request. A review team will review the data and provide the results in a meeting with the stakeholders.

Exit Procedure

If a student has met the eligibility criteria at grade K and/or 2, but does not continue to meet the criteria in the next grade level identification screening, the student will no longer be identified as high ability, thus, exited from the high ability program. Notification occurs by mailing scores and results home in grades 2 and 6.

If a secondary student no longer performs above grade level in English Language Arts and/or Mathematics in honors and/or advanced placement courses, an intervention plan will be created, implemented with fidelity, and monitored for no less than a period of one grading period. Upon conclusion of the next grading period, notification will be made by mailing a letter home. Parents may request a meeting with stakeholders to review data, student progress, and future placement.

Parents/guardians who have questions and/or concerns about their child and services should contact their Building Administrator or the Coordinator for High Ability at 574-267-7474

If a student is unable to attend classes at the normal school site because of illness or injury, the student can receive educational services through homebound instruction. A student who receives homebound instruction is taught the curriculum through a licensed teacher as soon as practical after a physician determines that the student will miss twenty school days or more because of the condition.

Warsaw Community Schools does not discriminate against any student on the basis of his or her disability and allows equal access to and participation in its programs and activities. The District also does not discriminate against anyone because he or she is associated with someone who is disabled. A student may be eligible for services under the provisions of Section 504 if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including learning. It is the District’s responsibility to identify and evaluate students who, within the intent of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, need specially designed instructional or physical accommodations so those students may receive free appropriate public education.

Warsaw Community Schools is committed to equipping all students with appropriate education to meet their needs. Students with disabilities in Warsaw Community Schools are supported through an Individual Education Plan which provides the goals and objectives for the student, the accommodations that are needed for the student to access general education, and the special education services. Each student receives an education in the least restrictive environment to meet the student’s special needs. The Special Services Department provides a comprehensive special education program that adheres to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Article 7, the Indiana rule.

Parents and eligible students have the following rights regarding private data under School District policy: The right to inspect and review the student’s education records. The right to request the amendment of the student’s educational records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy or other rights. The right to consent to the disclosure of individually identifiable information contained in the student’s educational records except where exempted by school board policy, state, or federal law.