Toppenish School District

Toppenish School District Highly Capable Program

• Does your student want to learn everything?
• Does your student learn everything fast?
• Does your student have an insatiable curiosity?
• Does your student love solving problems?
• Does your student take risks because they want to know what will happen?

Goals of the Toppenish School District Highly Capable Program

• Expansion of intellectual skills.
• Stimulation of intellectual curiosity, independence and responsibility.
• Development of a positive attitude toward self and others.
• Development of originality and creativity. 

Referral Process for the Highly Capable Program

Referrals for the Highly Capable Program will be accepted annually February 1 – March 31.  By referring your student, he or she will be considered for further testing for qualification for the highly-capable program.  Parent permission is mandatory before a student may be placed in the Highly Capable program.

Annual Screening 

Second grade students are screened annually. TSD will add an annual screening for sixth grade students in the 2023-2024 school year.

If you need assistance or have questions, please call Sarah Mukasa, Highly Capable Coordinator at 865-8021 or email at sbaisinger@toppenish.wednet.edu.

• Parent Referral Form (English)
• Parent Referral Form (Espanol)
• Teacher Referral Form (English)

Policies & Procedures for the Highly Capable Program

The following links will take you to the laws of Washington State specifically addressing highly capable education and the guidelines set forth by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

• Policy 2190 - Highly Capable Program(PDF)
• Washington Administrative Code Chapter 392-170
• Revised Code of Washington Chapter 28A.185
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Highly Capable Website 

Appeal Process

The Toppenish School District, in compliance with the Washington State rules for Highly Capable Programs (WAC 392-170-076), has an appeal process for students nominated, but not qualified for Highly Capable Program services.  Please note: Screening decisions and/or placement decisions, as allowed under statute, are not subject to appeal.

You may file an appeal of the selection decision based on one of the following criteria:

• A condition or circumstance believed to have caused a misinterpretation of the testing results, (for example, an incorrect birthdate or grade level used in calculation of the student's score).
• An extraordinary circumstance occurred during the testing period that may negatively affect the validity of the test results (such as a death in the family or extreme physical ailment); this must be communicated to the district office in writing within two weeks of the end of the district testing window.
• The suspicion of an error in the administration of the assessment.
• A misapplication or miscalculation of the scores by the selection committee.

Appeals submitted for reasons other than above will be denied without further consideration. No outside testing will be considered.

To file an appeal you must use the Selection Decision Appeal Form. The form must be completed and returned to the district office within ten (10) work days following the notification of score results.

All appeals will go before the Appeal Review Team and you will be notified of the decision by mail. The purpose of the Appeal Review Team is to consider individual circumstances based on the criteria above, that may have impacted the student's evaluation data. The decision of the Appeal Review Team is final. It is the goal of the Toppenish School District to provide all of our students with appropriate academic services.