Talent Development

At each of our six elementary schools, a talent development coordinator offers comprehensive, individualized opportunities for high-achieving students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Talent Development Services are provided to students in both the traditional classroom and in the "pull-out" Talent Development classroom.

All teachers provide rigorous, challenging curriculum for each student. Classroom teachers are the first line in providing differentiated curriculum and opportunities for all students to grow at their own levels. The talent development coordinators support classroom teachers by providing additional experiences and/or curriculum for students showing high potential and need for additional challenge.

Talent Development Opportunities at the Elementary Schools

Inquiry

• Grades 1-3: All students engage in inquiry-based experiences at least 6 times a year in their classroom.
• School-Specific Labs like genius hour and makerspace focus on creativity, problem solving, and content specific to student strengths.

Literacy

• Grades 4-6: Each grade level team collaborates with the literacy coach, talent development building coordinator, and principal to create the enrichment model which best meets the needs of their students.

Mathematics

• Enriched Math
  • Grades 5 and 6: Each grade level team collaborates with the talent development building coordinator, classroom teachers, and principal to create the enrichment model which best meets the needs of their students.
• Accelerated Math
  • Grade 4:  Some lessons from the fourth grade EM curriculum are taught to ensure that all standards are met. Services provided by the talent development building coordinator. *Tanglen only students complete the EM (Everyday Math) curriculum for grade 5.
  • Grade 5: Students complete the sixth-grade CMP (Connected Math) curriculum. Services provided by the talent development building coordinator.
  • Grade 6: Students complete the seventh-grade CMP (Connected Math Project) curriculum. Services provided by the talent development building coordinator.

At both of our International Baccalaureate designated junior high schools, a talent development coordinator offers comprehensive, individualized opportunities for students in seventh- through ninth-grade.

 

Hopkins Talent Development Services coordinates with other academic departments and classroom teachers to meet the needs of high school students through a variety of services.

Talent Development Opportunities at the High School

• Advanced Placement (AP): Our premier AP program offers 22 courses in language arts, social studies, science, math, and art, with curriculum established by the College Board that offers both the rigor of college classes and the opportunity to earn college credit.
• College in the Schools (CIS): Also unique at Hopkins are the 8 CIS courses in languages and science that we offer in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, all of which earn college credit.
• Professionals Providing Experiences for Life (ProPEL) gives students the chance to work side-by-side with a professional in their area of interest, while earning elective credits at the same time. The ProPEL program services a broad spectrum of career fields and attempts to match the interests of the student with the best professionals available in trade, service, academic, medical, legal, executive, and creative fields.
• Honors & Advanced Learning: Hopkins High School also offers 12 Honors courses.
• Credit by Assessment is an opportunity for students to bypass a required course because they have already mastered the material. Students may have acquired that knowledge through extracurricular activities, activities outside of school, previous learning, or community and work experiences. 

Students are identified for Hopkins Talent Development Services using a combination of the following criteria and considerations:

• Standardized testing: Tests used in the referral process include the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA III), the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test.
• Classroom assessments: Assessments include a variety of tests and may include a combination of reading assessments, language fluency tests, leveled reading tests, unit pre-tests, and math problem-solving and computation tests.
• Teacher referral and parent referral
• Student interest

Elementary

Inquiry — Grades 1-3: All students engage in inquiry-based experiences at least 6 times a year in their classroom. 

Literacy — Grades 4-6: Each grade level team collaborates with the literacy coach, talent development building coordinator, and principal to create the enrichment model which best meets the needs of their students.

Mathematics — Grades 4-6: Each grade level team collaborates with the talent development building coordinator, classroom teachers, and principal to create the math enrichment model which best meets the needs of their students, including accelerated math pathway.

Please contact your child's classroom teacher, guidance counselor, or the talent development coordinator at your school for more information.

Junior High

Flex Courses: Flex courses are open to student choice. Anyone who wants that level of rigor can enroll.

Autonomous Learner Model (ALM): Students are selected to participate in ALM by the talent development coordinators. Students must have an ability score on the CogAT of 125 or higher AND/OR have MAP achievement test scores in both math and reading at the 95th percentile or higher.

High School

Advanced Level Courses: All advanced level courses including Advanced Placement (AP), College in the Schools (CIS), Honors, and other courses are open to student choice. Anyone who wants that level of rigor can enroll.

ProPEL: Students may apply to enroll in the ProPEL course. Enrollment is limited and students are selected based on an application, interview, and a review of their previous coursework.

Some students are so far advanced in their basic skills and knowledge that acceleration to a higher grade level may be considered.

The practice of educational acceleration has long been used to match academically advanced students with optimal learning opportunities. Several forms of acceleration currently exist in Hopkins Public Schools. They include:

• Early school entrance
• Subject area acceleration
• Grade acceleration
• Multi-age grouping
• Taking courses at another school (such as junior high students taking a class at the high school)
• Early graduation

The guidelines we use when making grade acceleration decisions include a careful evaluation of a child's intellectual functioning, academic skill levels, and social-emotional adjustment.

Intellectually and academically, a child should have a level of mental development greater than the mean for the grade they desire to enter. Socially, emotionally, and physically a child should be free of any serious adjustment problems and mature for their age. Assessments and recommendations from the child's family and classroom teacher will also be considered as part of the careful screening process.

For more information about this process, please contact the talent development coordinator at your child's school.

Credit by Assessment is an opportunity for students to bypass a required course because they have already mastered the material. Students may have acquired that knowledge through extracurricular activities, activities outside of school, previous learning, or community and work experiences.

Students are given an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery through Credit by Assessment. If the students successfully pass the assessment, they can select a more academically appropriate course option.

A wide variety of volunteer opportunities is available for parents within the Talent Development Services program and may vary by school site.

Opportunities may include:

• Junior Great Books
• Imagination Fair
• Fermi Math League
• Math Masters
• Chess Club
• Lego League
• Stock Market game
• Mentorships
• Independent Study Supervision
• Speakers

Please contact the talent development coordinator at your school to see which of these programs might be available and how you can get involved.