Dimension Academy to Expand to

Olson Middle School in 2010

Handout for Information Meeting

FAQ

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Learning is fun!

4th and 5th grade students share their knowledge about Colonial America through a creative "Wax Museum" exhibit.

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A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM-BASED PROGRAM
DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF
HIGHLY / PROFOUNDLY GIFTED LEARNERS,
GRADES 4-8.

A program of the Bloomington Public Schools

Placement is made dependent upon available openings and

qualifications of the candidates

What the DA kids are saying about DA:

"I think it is a really great curriculum and I'm really super glad that I was put here.  It has been a lot harder and a lot more challenging.  If I were still in regular class I would be getting in trouble all the time for not paying attention and spacing out because I would get it so fast."

"The curriculum was a great experience for me.  I feel that it has prepared me very well for high school.  I love how the learning takes place in many different ways and forms."

"The curriculum is very interesting.  The teachers do their best to challenge us.  I had a great year!!!!!!!!"

"This program was certainly a challenge, and also a learning experience.  Before I joined DA, I really had nothing to do.  Work would be done in five minutes, and I would be bored for the rest of class.  Thank you for a GREAT year!"

"It's great to be with people that understand you, and have some things in common with you."

What the DA parents are saying about DA:

"I believe the program is well run and that the teachers did a good job of drawing the best performance out of my child, encouraging him to work harder when necessary knowing that he had the capability to do so.  A lot of the subjects he worked on were done in a more challenging way than he had previously experienced and he learning many new skills, including report writing, biographies, researching for reports, and making visual presentations.  He really like his teacher and ended up enjoying Dimensions Academy to the extent that he is looking forward to going back next year."

"This was the first time that my child needed to work, and was encouraged to work hard."

"My child has found many friends who think as he does.  As he puts it, they 'get my jokes.'"

My child benefited from having intellectual peers and caring, intelligent, skilled teachers.  In previous grades, when the work was beneath her, she tended to use the least effort.  But in DA, she was motivated and her work was thoughtful.  She has made huge academic leaps, and feels a sense of community."

Dimensions Academy has expanded to full classes

at the 4th through 8th grade level.

The expansion allows for an additional classroom at the elementary level (grades 4 & 5).  The elementary classrooms will be at Ridgeview Elementary School beginning in the Fall of 2007-2008 and remain 4/5 multi-aged. 

The middle school level (grades 6, 7, & 8) students are placed on a team to be more integrated into the total middle school program.  Middle school students take the four core courses (Science, Social Studies, Math and Language Arts) as a class, with a different content teacher teaching the Dimensions Academy curriculum in each subject.  The middle school students then have lunch and exploratory classes with grade level peers. 

Qualified students whose applications are received after the deadline

are placed when space becomes available.

For more information contact:

Dr. Richard Cash,

Director, Dimensions Academy
(952) 681-6438
rcash@bloomington.k12.mn.us

Dimensions Academy
For the Highly / Profoundly Gifted

Dimensions Academy, a self-contained classroom-based program is designed to meet the unique educational and social/emotional needs of gifted children in grades 4-8 who have exceptional academic skills. Open enrollment option is available to students who do not live within the city of Bloomington.

Dimensions Academy provides a highly rigorous content at an accelerated pace, therefore this program is not for all students. Student selection is based on the Bloomington Public Schools' assessment measures or other professional assessments that deem this program to be educationally beneficial for highly/profoundly gifted children.

Dimensions Academy is framed in an intense curriculum designed to respond to the needs of gifted learners. Key elements of the program are:

Advanced content-based curriculum:

• Advanced content knowledge focuses students on developing new learning & knowledge, as opposed to factual regeneration;
• Concept learning develops student understanding of any discipline and the relationship among disciplines; and
• Process-product facet promotes student opportunities for manipulating information at complex levels by employing generic and specific thinking models.

To learn more about the College of William & Mary's

Integrated Curriculum Model used in Dimensions Academy

click here

For a copy of the

Dimensions Academy

Curriculum Scope and Sequence

click here

Math Sequence:

Grade 4 --Accelerated Grade 5 (Everyday Math series)*

Grade 5 -- Accelerated Grade 6 ( Everyday Math series)*, plus the Stock Market Game

*Both Grade 4 & 5 incorporate extensive enrichment and extensions to the Everyday Math series.  Students are often pre-tested on their knowledge of each unit.  For those students who show mastery of components of the content,          a menu of enrichments and extensions are offered.

Grade 6 --Pre-Algebra (College Preparatory Math series)

Grade 7 -- High School level Algebra I (College Preparatory Math series).  Students receive grade & credit toward High School Graduation*.

Grade 8 -- High School level Geometry (College Preparatory Math series).  Students receive grade & credit toward High School Graduation*.

*PLEASE NOTE: The grade your child receives in these two classes WILL appear on their high school transcripts.  This means your child's high school Grade Point Average (GPA) begins with these two course.

MATH PLACEMENT:

* Current Bloomington Public Schools students will be placed into the appropriate math class based on the prior year’s math program completion.

* Students new to the Bloomington Public Schools will be assessed by program personnel for appropriate placement within the DA program’s math sequence.  Students will complete a battery of assessments that include, but are not limited to, quantitative measures (such as norm referenced standardized tests, end-of-year grade level tests, problem solving assessments and prior course grade/completion) and qualitative measures (such as class discussion participation, daily work, individual conversations with the student, prior teacher recommendation and parent input).  Options are available, outside of the DA program, for math programming, enrichment and/or extensions.  Contact us for a list of options.

Differentiated instruction to meet the sophisticated learning needs of gifted children:

• Acceleration of basic content experiences;
• Construction of meaning as the central goal;
• Use of higher order process models;
• Exploration of substantive content at a conceptual and abstract level;
• Inquiry as a fundamental tool for encouraging learning;
• Open-ended activities and questioning that encourages further exploration or social action;
• Development of creative products to stimulate use of higher level thinking and problem-solving processes; and
• Extensions to pique interest around substantive content.

Social and emotional development and guidance:

• Development of a healthy sense of self through self-knowledge and self-acceptance;
• Development of healthy relationships through understanding of self and others;
• Development of appropriate expectations of self and others; and
• Development of risk-taking behaviors in intellectual contexts.

PLACEMENT CRITERIA:

• Highly Qualified:
  • Computerized Achievement Level Testing (CALT) or other acceptable* standardized achievement testing =>98% (national) on Reading and Math     OR
  • IQ Measure=>140

  * Achievement Testing other than CALT/MAP/NWEA must be approved by the Placement Committee.  Contact the Program Director for more details.

  Plus

  Teacher or other education professional recommendation

• Qualified:
  • Computerized Achievement Level Testing (CALT) or other acceptable* standardized achievement testing =>95% (national) on Reading and Math     OR
  • IQ Measure=>130

   

           * Achievement Testing other than CALT/MAP/NWEA must be approved by the Placement Committee.  Contact the Program Director for more details.

            Plus

Teacher or other education professional recommendation

• Other data considered for placement:
  • parent, outside consultant/psychologist, other school district criteria

Tiered Placement:

APPLICATION DATE LINES:

March 19, 2010: Application Deadline

APPLICATIONS ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED FOR 6TH GRADE OPENINGS

April 9, 2010: First round notification of placement

2010-2011 school year

August 13, 2010: Late Application Deadline-

No applications will be accepted for the

2010-2011 school year after this date

August 20, 2010: Second round notification of placement

2010-2011 school year

Office of Gifted and Talented
Attn: Dimensions Academy
1350 W 106th St.
Bloomington, MN 55431-4126

Site Location:

Elementary 4-5

Ridgeview Elementary School

9400 Nesbitt Ave

Bloomington, MN 55438

School hours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Middle School 6-8

Oak Grove Middle School
1300 W. 106th St.

Bloomington, MN 55431

Olson Middle School

4551 W 102nd St.

Bloomington, MN 55437

Middle School hours: 7:50 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.