LWSD Reducing Grades Offered by Quest Program

The “Quest” program for gifted students in the Lake Washington School District will be reduced from first through ninth grades to second through eighth grades beginning next school year, the district announced Tuesday.

The change is being made to coincide with the district’s shift in grade configuration to kindergarten through fifth grade elementary schools, sixth through eighth grade middle schools and ninth through 12th grades in high schools. Currently, the district operates K-6 grade schools, 7-9 junior highs and 9-12 high schools.

The district said in a press release the shift in years offered by the Quest program conforms to the approach of other districts, and that it will no longer test kindergarten students because of questionable test results at that age.

The district has scheduled informational meetings on the changes for later this month and October.

The move is not being made to save money or address other budgetary issues, said district spokeswoman Kathryn Reith.

“Budget is definitely not a issue with this,” she said. "That is a good question. But we’ll have the same number of teachers and the same number of students.”

The Bellevue and Northshore districts begin their gifted programs in second grade, and Issaquah in third, she noted. The change also reflects concerns about the broad range of abilities teachers encounter in students at the kindergarten and first grade levels, based not necessarily on ability but rather on the students’ knowledge levels.

As for older potential Quest students, with ninth graders entering high school beginning in 2012, they will have access to advanced placement courses and other accelerated learning programs offered at that level.

Information nights are scheduled for both elementary and middle school Quest admission for the 2012-13 school year. They are:

• Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, two sessions each day on elementary level Quest admissions, 4-6:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m., at (13505 NE 75th St., Redmond).

•  Oct. 25, one session on middle school admissions, 7-8:30 p.m. at (14111 132nd Ave. NE, Kirkland).

Complete information on the Quest program, admission criteria and application procedures is available at www.lwsd.org/quest.