The Extended Learning Program for gifted and talented students serves those students who are good at solving problems, learn quickly, and think and learn in more complex ways than most students. To be eligible for these extra services, a student must show a need for going beyond the regular classroom instruction. Students are required to score at or above the 95th percentile on a cognitive test of their thinking and reasoning skills, and at or above the 95th percentile on an achievement test (Alaska Standardized Assessment Test or the Woodcock Johnson III).

If you feel your child might be eligible for services and you want your child to be tested, please let your child's classroom teacher or the Extended Learning Specialist in your child's building know. If your child is home or private schooled, then please contact the Extended Learning Program Specialist in the building your child would attend if s/he attended public school. Your child may also be referred to the program by his or her classroom teacher. In that event, no testing or placement will be done without your written consent. 

The Extended Learning Program Specialist in your child's building will administer the Cognitive Abilities Test to determine the cognitive scores for eligibility in the Extended Learning Program. If your child is home or private schooled, then the Extended Learning Program Specialist in the public school where your child would attend if s/he were attending public school will do the testing. If your child participated in the school district's Alaska Standardized Assessment testing, then those scores will be used to determine the achievement level for your child. If your child did not participate in the Alaska Standardized Assessments, then the Extended Learning Specialist in your child's building will give the Woodcock Johnson III to determine the level of achievement for your child. 

• Students in grades 4 - 6 can be tested throughout the school year as needed. The specialist can only test after receiving permission from a parent for testing. In grades 3, 7, and 8, there are two testing weeks per school year. For the 2008-2009 school year those weeks are September 15-19 and again April 13-17.
• Elementary School - In grades K - 2 students are not tested for the Extended Learning Program. In grades 1 and 2, your child may be invited to participate in an enrichment class. You would be asked to sign a paper stating that your child may be pulled from the regular education classroom for these services and that this does not mean formal placement into the Extended Learning Program.
• In grade 3 the school district screens all students for the Extended Learning Program. This screening takes place during district specified weeks. The first screening is in the first quarter of the school year. For students who are not present during the first screening week, a second opportunity will occur for one week in the last quarter of the school year. In the 2008-2009 school year the testing will take place from September 15-19 and again April 13-17. Parents will receive the results of testing in the mail, or during parent teacher conferences if testing falls the week prior to conferences. The extended Learning Specialist in your child's building is available to answer any questions you might have about the test. If your child is home or private schooled and you want your child screened, you are responsible for contacting the Extended Learning Specialist, and for providing transportation to and from testing.
• In grades 4 - 6 students are tested throughout the school year as they are referred. Testing takes place soon after the parent returns a signed form giving the Extended Learning Specialist permission to test. You will be notified of the results as soon as possible after testing takes place.
• Middle School - Testing in middle school will take place during a district specified week in the first quarter of the school year, and again during a district specified week in the last quarter of the school year. In the 2008-2009 school year the dates are September 15-19 and again April 13-17. The school will send out notification to parents prior to each testing week. If you want your child tested for the program, please notify the Extended Learning Specialist in your child's building, or in the building your child would attend if s/he were attending public school. If your child is home or private schooled, you are responsible for contacting the Extended Learning specialist, and for providing transportation to and from testing. Your child will not be tested without written consent from you.
• High School - High school students are not tested for the Extended Learning Program. 

All students who are in the Extended Learning program need to have a measure of their cognitive ability and their school achievement. In third grade, the cognitive measure can come from the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices that is given to all third grade students in the district. For students in higher grades, the Cognitive Abilities Test is used to determine the cognitive abilities of the student. This test can also be used in the third grade if the Raven suggests that the student needs another cognitive measure that is more verbally oriented.

For the school achievement portion of the testing, we use the Alaska Standardized Assessment scores if they are less than a year old. If they are greater than a year old, or if another measure of achievement is warranted, then we administer the Woodcock Johnson III. Often when a student transfers to our district, the student does not have achievement testing that is current, or that matches what our district uses. In that case, we would administer the Woodcock Johnson III to determine achievement levels.

Some students are highly creative and may be given a Torrance Test of Creative Abilities. We can also accept an IQ score from the WISC III or the Stanford-Binet. 

If your child has gone through testing and is not eligible, it may be that your child is correctly placed in the regular education classroom. You will have an idea of your child's strengths and relative weaknesses. In many schools there are after-school programs in which your child can participate. There are usually clubs that can also help your child to develop his or her interests. If your child's scores are sufficiently high and if there is room in the program, your child may be invited to come to the Extended Learning class on a semester by semester basis. If this happens you would have to sign a letter stating that your child has your permission to attend, and that you understand that the invitation does not mean formal placement, and that it is on a semester-by-semester basis. 

If your child is determined to be eligible for the Extended Learning Program in this district, then your child will not need further testing. This holds true even if you temporarily leave the district, or if your child is not attending public school for any length of time. If your child does not require services for any reason, your child is still eligible for services when s/he chooses. 

• In district - If your child is eligible for services in the Extended Learning Program and you move to another school within the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, your child is still eligible for services in the Extended Learning Program at the new school.
• Out of district - The State of Alaska has not standardized programs for gifted students in how they are run or in how students are identified. As a result, your child may be placed in a program based upon test results from the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District, or s/he may have to retest. Let the new district know of your child’s placement, and they will let you know what services they have available and how to access them.
• Out of state - Not every state has a program for their gifted students. Many states do, however, have excellent programs. In states where there is a program for gifted students, each has its own criteria for entrance into the program. Your child may have to be tested again in order to receive services in another state. 

For those of you who are new to our district, we will need to see the testing that was used to determine eligibility into a program for gifted students in another district or another state. Some testing is the same as ours, or at least similar enough for us to accept. If the testing is more than a year old, or if the tests are not similar to the tests our district uses, your child will need to be retested for eligibility into our district's Extended Learning Program.

No. If your child is interested in taking Advanced Placement classes, please see your child's counselor.