School City of Mishawaka recognizes that some students perform at, or show the potential to perform at an outstanding level of accomplishment in the core academic areas of language arts and mathematics. These students are found in all socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, and this school corporation recognizes the need to identify such students through systematic, on-going procedures. The high ability program provides a supportive learning climate that will enrich learning so students can maximize academic potential and develop emotionally and socially in order to be contributing members of society.

In Indiana, students can be identified as high ability based on achievement and/or aptitude. We are required to give nationally normed assessments to test for high ability. We use i-Ready & ILEARN to measure achievement and CogAT to measure aptitude.

We have selection committees that determine which students are high ability. The cut-off scores for i-Ready, CogAT, and ILEARN are the 96th percentile (using local or national norms, whichever are more inclusive). Because young students change and grow, there are three times in the elementary experience that we formally identify students who have high ability: kindergarten, second, and sixth grade.