Nomination windows for Highly Capable Program testing will be open soon for students attending private schools, in second grade and in grades three through 11.

The nomination window for students attending private schools in second grade opened on Oct. 27 and closes Nov. 17. The nomination window for testing of students in grades three through 11, including private schools or current Mercer Island School District (MISD) students, opens Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 19.

All MISD kindergarten students will take a screening test as the first stage in qualifying for the new Primary Enrichment Program in the window of Dec. 5 through Dec. 12. More information is available on the MISD website.

All MISD second-grade students will take the CogAT and ITBS for qualification into the grades three through eight, self-contained Highly Capable Program.

If parents would like their students to opt-out of being tested, please contact the classroom teacher so other arrangements can be made.

Mercer Island schools are focused on successfully preparing all students to thrive in the cognitive, global and digital world.

The MISD Highly Capable Program is designed to meet the academic needs of students in grades three through eight who fall generally in the top two percentiles for cognitive aptitude, the top 10 percentiles academically, and who demonstrate exceptional ingenuity.

The program develops the special abilities of highly capable students by fostering academic excellence through the challenges of accelerated, compacted, integrated and enriched curriculum, as well as through the stimulation of working with highly capable peers.

The Highly Capable Program is designed to recognize that, despite high intellectual ability, students differ in levels of organizational ability, personal maturity, academic competence, values and family background.

For more, go to http://www.mercerislandschools.org/domain/109