Honors Reading Program encourages reading and conversations about reading.
Gifted & Talented
Our program is designed to meet the academic, cognitive and affective needs of gifted and talented students through a collaborative partnership between staff, students and families.
K-1 Early Entrance Option
According to Minnesota law, children who are five years old by September 1 of any given year are eligible to begin kindergarten. Children who are six years old by September 1 of any given year are eligible to begin first grade. However, Wayzata Public Schools offers an early entrance evaluation option for kindergarten and first grade for children who live within the school district at the time of application and whose birthday falls between September 2 and October 15. Children who will reach the age of five by October 15 may be considered for kindergarten and those turning six by October 15 may be considered for first grade. Children who demonstrate intellectual ability, academic achievement and social/emotional development well-advanced for their age may be considered for early entrance.
If you would like your child to be considered for early entrance, please download an application. The application includes a letter explaining the Early Entrance Evaluation process.
Academic standards referenced in the Early Entrance Application:
- Minnesota English Language Arts Standards – Kindergarten
- Minnesota English Language Arts Standards – Grade 1
Applications will be accepted through May 1. District staff will evaluate eligible students from mid-May through early-June and will make a decision by June 30. Direct questions to Demae DeRocher, Administrative Professional, at Demae.DeRocher@wayzataschools.org or 763-745-6016.
Elementary Schools
Our program offers challenging learning opportunities primarily in the area of Language Arts and/or Math to students who demonstrate outstanding academic ability. Students served by our program exhibit skills and understanding as measured by exceptionally high test scores and unique needs. Our students whose general ability and subject area achievement are at the top of the district will receive services. Since children grow and change, yearly they are assessed to determine current needs.
Our program uses a comprehensive identification process, which includes two or more standardized assessment measures.
The measures include:
- The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test)
- FastBridge Achievement tests in reading (aReading) and math (aMath)
You can find your child's FastBridge and CogAT results in Skyward Family Access under "Test Results".
If you have any questions about services, please contact your school's Gifted and Talented teacher.
- Birchview: Danielle Miller, Danielle.Miller@wayzataschools.org
- Gleason Lake: Carolyn Sund, Carolyn.Sund@wayzataschools.org
- Greenwood: Erin Bloom, Erin.Bloom@wayzataschools.org
- Kimberly Lane: Sue Bradsher, Sue.Bradsher@wayzataschools.org
- Meadow Ridge: Lori Finn, Lori.Finn@wayzataschools.org
- North Woods: Angela Henry, Angela.Henry@wayzataschools.org
- Oakwood: Darren Augustine, Darren.Augustine@wayzataschools.org
- Plymouth Creek: Stephanie Janish, Stephanie.Janish@wayzataschools.org
- Sunset Hill: Michele Hull, Michele.Hull@wayzataschools.org
Teaching & Learning Contact:
Austin Tollerson
Director of Teaching & Learning
Austin.Tollerson@wayzataschools.org
Fall Gifted & Talented Identification Criteria
| Grade(s) | Enrichment | Seminar |
|---|---|---|
| 2 & 3 | aFast scores, CCC and Bridges assessments, and current classroom assessments. Cut scores determined by building. | n/a |
| 4 & 5 | aFast scores, CCC and Bridges assessments, and current classroom assessments. Cut scores determined by building. |
CogAT composite score 130 or higher OR CogAT strand score (Verbal, Quantitative, and/or Nonverbal) 135 or higher. |
Middle Schools
The middle level gifted & talented coordinators provide or facilitate a variety of experiences to help meet the needs of high ability/high-achieving students. Some of these experiences are available to all students while other experiences are for those who meet qualifying criteria.
If you have any questions about services, please contact your school's gifted & talented coordinator.
- Central Middle School: Nichole Osterholt, Nichole.Osterholt@wayzataschools.org
- East Middle School: Lynnea Allen, Lynnea.Allen@wayzataschools.org
- West Middle School: Clarice Jorenby, Clarice.Jorenby@wayzataschools.org
Teaching & Learning Contact:
Austin Tollerson
Director of Teaching & Learning
Austin.Tollerson@wayzataschools.org
The five primary components of the middle school gifted & talented program are:
- Collaboration, Differentiation and Student Support
The gifted & talented coordinators' primary responsibility is to support the needs of our gifted and talented learners by working with classroom teachers in all content areas to help facilitate differentiated/more challenging tiered learning opportunities. In addition to academic support, the gifted & talented coordinator may provide emotional, social or organizational support as needed. - Gifted & Talented Language Arts Clusters
Students whose standardized test scores are in the 97th percentile or above on the 5th grade FastBridge aReading assessment will be placed in cluster groupings within the regular language arts classroom. The gifted & talented coordinator at the middle school collaborates with the language arts teachers in helping to design differentiated/more challenging lessons and activities that are done within the language arts classes. These activities are designed to meet the needs of our identified cluster students in addition to students who exhibit a strong talent or skill in a given lesson or unit. - Gifted Seminars
Students with a Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) composite score of 130 or above will be enrolled in gifted seminars. These seminars are separate from a student’s academic classes and are taught by the gifted & talented coordinator. Gifted seminar topics include:- Coping with Stress
- Perfectionism
- Relationships
- Self-advocacy
- Leadership Time
- Management Organization
- High school readiness
-
Accelerated Math
- Accelerated Math Student Profile
- Mathematics Pathways Grades 6-12
- English Language Arts Clusters
- Gifted Seminars
- Optional Activities and Experiences
Accelerated Math Student Profile
Mathematics Pathways Grades 6-12
English Language Arts Clusters
Students whose standardized test scores are in the 97th percentile or above on the 5th grade FastBridge aReading assessment will be placed in cluster groupings within the regular English Language Arts classroom. The Gifted and Talented coordinator at the middle school collaborates with the English Language Arts teachers in helping to design differentiated/more challenging lessons and activities that are done within the English Language Arts classes. These activities are designed to meet the needs of our identified cluster students in addition to students who exhibit a strong talent or skill in a given lesson or unit.
Gifted Seminars
Students with a Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) composite score of 130 or above will be enrolled in gifted seminars. These seminars are separate from a student’s academic classes and are taught by the Gifted and Talented coordinator. Gifted Seminar Topics include:
- Coping with Stress
- Perfectionism
- Relationships
- Self-advocacy Leadership
- Time Management
- Organization
- High school readiness
Optional Activities and Experiences
* Qualifying criteria may apply to competitions.
Activities/experiences for within the regular school day:
- American Mathematics Competition *
- Continental Math League competitions
- Knowledge Master Open
- National Geographic Bee
- Spelling Bee
- Young Authors Conference *
Optional activities/experiences available to all students outside the school day:
- Destination Imagination (parent coach required, run through Wayzata Community Ed)
- Future Problem Solving
- First Lego League *
- Honors Reading Program
- Junior High Math League
- Math Counts*
- Math Masters (6th grade only) *
- Northwestern University Midwest Academic Talent Search (7th and 8th grade only) *
- Science Bowl *
- Young Scientist Roundtable
High School
Our program is designed to meet the advanced learning needs of gifted and talented students. At WHS students are able to select from 34 different Advanced Placement courses and can also earn college level credit in high school through our concurrent enrollment and CIS programs. Developing a class schedule to appropriately challenge a student and prepare the student for future educational goals requires careful planning. Amy Swenson, Gifted & Talented coordinator, is available to help students and/or parents create an academic pathway for the high school years. In addition to offering schedule guidance, the Gifted & Talented program also offers a variety of academic co-curricular activities and curricular Olympiads, in addition to opportunities for research through Honors Mentor Connection or summer enrichment programs.
If you have any questions about services, please contact Amy Swenson at Amy.Swenson@wayzataschools.org.
Teaching & Learning Contact:
Austin Tollerson
Director of Teaching & Learning
Austin.Tollerson@wayzataschools.org
Optional Activities and Experiences
Please complete the Intent to Participate form if you would like to receive more information regarding how to participate.
Students must have an area of intense interest, a history of academic success in advanced coursework (especially in the area of interest) and the proven ability to work independently.
Brain Bee is a neuroscience Q&A competition for secondary school students that aims to motivate them to learn about the brain, capture their imaginations, and inspire them to pursue careers in biomedical research.
Music Listening Contest (MLC) expands the musical experiences of students – particularly through the use of Western art music, commonly referred to as classical music.
Students choose a topic that relates to an annual theme, research that topic, and present their research in one of five presentation categories.
Minnesota Scholars of Distinction Award Program recognizes distinguished achievement by highly motivated self-directed students in Leadership, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, STEM and Theater Arts.
North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad is a contest for US and Canadian high school students. Contestants compete to solve compelling and creative puzzles in linguistics and computational linguistics. Requiring no previous knowledge of linguistics, languages or computing, these puzzles can be solved by analytic reasoning alone.
The purpose of this competition is to win individual awards and recognition in physics. Each year, approximately 10,000 students take a 40-question, timed 45-minute, multiple-choice test under their school’s supervision.
This is an annual catalog of academic enrichment programs, challenges, competitions, events and opportunities for K-12 students
Each year, the American Institute of Physics sponsor a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition.
This program provides an opportunity for high academic achievement in science through conducting a science experiment and submitting it for competition through the International Science and Engineering Fair.
Simons Fellows are matched with Stony Brook faculty mentors, join a research team and assume responsibility for a project. The Simons Fellows conclude their apprenticeship by producing a written research abstract and a research poster.
University of Minnesota Talented Young Mathematics Program (UMTYMP, pronounced "um-tee-ump") is one of the nation's premier accelerated programs for students who are highly talented in mathematics.
Astronomy Olympiad is a series of tests written to select the most competitive individuals to compose a five-person team representing the USA at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics.
USA Biology Olympiad enriches the life science education of nearly 10,000 talented students annually.