In 2009, Washington State passed legislation that made highly capable programming part of the state’s definition of basic education. The change was part of a package of reforms that were to be phased in between 2009 and 2018. In 2011, the highly capable programming reforms took effect. Many districts were unsure of how they were to proceed, however, because the regulations governing highly capable programming had not yet been updated.
Members of the State Gifted Advisory committee worked with OSPI to revise those regulations, and in early April of 2013, the revisions to the Washington Administrative Codes (WACs) took effect. All districts will now be required to have a highly capable program, and that program is expected to offer a continuum of services for students from K-12. OSPI has made available a webinar and a slideshow to explain some of the most important implications of these changes. You can access both through the Highly Capable page on OSPI’s website at http://k12.wa.HighlyCapable.