Overview

As Washington moves to provide appropriate educational opportunities for all of the state's students, the Highly Capable Program (HCP) provides funding to school districts to institute educational opportunities that meet the unique academic needs of this student population. Students who are Highly Capable Learners often have high levels of academic performance; however, their academic needs are not adequately met in the traditional classroom. Programs for highly capable students are needed in order to challenge these students to meet their academic potential.

Educating HCP students is both a state and local responsibility. Districts rely on the state to provide funding for students who have been identified for highly capable program services; however, the state is not the only source of revenue for the program. Districts can choose to supplement their state program funds with funds raised at the local level for HCP programs.

The state’s HCP provides extra funding to districts for developing and implementing programs that will meet the advanced educational needs of identified highly capable students. Districts have authority to determine if they will apply for an HCP grant from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). If the district does apply, it must meet all guidelines as provided in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 392-170. The guidance requires districts to institute a formal identification process using a variety of standardized assessment measures to determine eligibility of the student. Part of the formal plan must include a team of professionals that have knowledge of HCP student characteristics. This team is responsible for placement of students into the program. Districts are required to develop Highly Capable student plans. These plans must address the academic talents of the students and provide appropriate educational opportunities. The WAC also requires that districts annually provide program evaluation data to OSPI in the HCP End-of-Year report.