Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
During a Yelm Community Schools (YCS) Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23, Traci Schulz, Southworth Elementary assistant principal, highlighted some of the new changes and goals for the district’s “advanced academics” program.
Schulz noted that in other districts, “advanced academics” courses may be titled “gifted and talented” or “high cap” programs. She described the 2024-25 school year as a building year for the district’s program, and noted those involved are continuing to build it up during the 2025-26 school year.
196 students are identified as participating within the program this school year.
“We choose to do advanced academics here. Just to review, our programmed rules are to ensure access to rigorous, inclusive learning for all learners. We’re working on building sustainable systems,” Schulz said.
Per Policy 2190, which was adopted in January of 1991, the district will offer an advanced academic program that provides selected kindergarten through 12th grade students with an access to a “basic education program” that accelerates learning and enhances instruction.
The framework for these programs includes:
-Expansion of academic attainments and intellectual skills
-Stimulation of intellectual curiosity, independence and responsibility
-Development of a positive attitude toward self and others
-Development of originality and creativity
-Additionally, “advanced academics” are offered within YCS through English language arts, social studies/history and math courses.
“We do that differently at different grade levels,” Schulz said. “At kindergarten through sixth, we have a responsive intervention model. What that means is the classroom teachers in our elementary schools are differentiating instruction for those students.”
She added that elementary students involved in the responsive intervention model are still in the classroom with their peers all day, but noted their teacher might give them an extra project or “something that goes a little deeper.”
“For grades seventh through ninth, we have acceleration and honors classes,” Schulz said. “Tenth through 12th, we have both acceleration honors classes, we have AP, and we have Running Start. We really have a wide variety of services we offer for our students at Yelm.”
According to Schulz, screening for the “advanced academics” program occurs in second and fifth grade, but any parent, teacher or community member can recommend a student for the more rigorous program.
“We’ve found since we started screening our fifth graders, we’re catching a lot more students — which is great because we were only doing second grade and now we’re doing fifth grade, so we can really make sure we’re including all students who could possibly qualify for this program,” Schulz said. “Programming is where we’re really going to dig deep this year. We do have the services that I mentioned earlier, but we’re also adding more for our teachers — especially those teachers at the elementary schools who are doing that differentiation in that classroom. There is no curriculum. It is on the teacher.”
