Junior High School Highly Capable Programs

The Puyallup School District is committed to nurturing the abilities of highly capable students.  The PAGE Program is offered for highly capable seventh and eighth grade students who have been identified by the multidisciplinary selection committee.  The PAGE Program includes courses with a high level of rigor, depth, breadth, and acceleration within a cohort setting.  6^th grade applicants may be identified for one or more of the following core subjects:  English, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. 7^th grade applicants may be identified for English and/or Social Studies.

Learners should plan to participate in a rigorous curriculum and their work should exceed grade level content standards. Successful students exhibit a strong work ethic and a high level of task completion. 

Important PAGE Dates

• November 21 – December 9, 2022: PAGE Testing Window

• Early January 2023: Placement letters mailed

• September 2023: PAGE placement begins

• November 16, 2022: Application deadline

Highly Capable Students

Highly capable students are students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments.  Outstanding abilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain. These students are present not only in the general populace but are present within all protected classes.

Students who are highly capable may possess, but are not limited to, these learning characteristics:

1. Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned, and to transfer learning to new situations;
2. Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their chronological peers;
3. Creative ability to make unusual connections among ideas and concepts;
4. Ability to learn quickly in their area(s) of intellectual strength; and
5. Capacity for intense concentration and/or focus.

PAGE Program Locations

The PAGE Program is available for 7th and 8th graders at three regional sites - Ferrucci, Stahl, and Kalles. PAGE transportation uses hub pick-up and drop-off sites.  To see the 2022-23 hub visit our Transportation webpage. update link

Identification Process

PAGE identification steps for students currently in grades 6 or 7:

   1. Interested parents complete a Highly Capable Application online by November 16^th.
   2. The student’s achievement scores are screened to determine eligibility for further testing; achievement scores must provide evidence of high performance for the student to be eligible for highly capable testing.
   3. Students identified for further testing through the screening process are administered the Cognitive Abilities Test at the Kessler Center on a regular school day.  Parents provide transportation.
   4. The data is reviewed by a selection committee.
   5. Multiple criteria are used to identify students who are among the most highly capable. Results from ability and achievement tests, teacher rating scales, and state and district assessments are considered.
   6. The assessment results and placement decision are mailed to parents.
   7. Identified students begin receiving services in September 2023.

Parents, teachers, staff, students, or members of the community may refer a student. Forms are available on the district website. Referred students are screened to determine eligibility to test for the highly capable program.