HOW TO APPLY
What does "gifted" look like?
Young gifted children...
- are highly curious and ask limitless questions
- are very sensitive and can be highly self-critical
- are aware of the feelings and needs of others; often reach out to help and comfort others
- are able to plan and carry out complicated tasks
- often have large vocabularies and use complex sentences when talking
- sometimes teach themselves to read and write as preschoolers
- have unusally long memories
- like to experiment and do things differently
- learn quickly and need little practice
- spend a long time at an activity when interested
- like to organize things and people, often by making up complex games
- tend to put ideas together in interesting ways
- have many and varied interests
- may use several languages effortlessly
- tend to prefer playing with older children
Who's Eligible?
Highly Gifted Students
The Denver Public Schools Board of Education established Polaris to first serve the identified highly gifted students from northeast Denver. Students are nominated (by parent, teacher, administrator or self) in the fall of the year and are then tested for placement for the following year. (Further information on the nomination process is available from the Gifted Education Office, 720-423-8272.)
Gifted Students
Students are identified as gifted in their home schools by October of each year. A broad array of data is considered for the identification. To attend Polaris, no score can be below the 50th percentile. If a child has not been tested, the DPS Gifted Office will offer the testing. Please call 720-423-8272 for testing dates.
Transportation is only provided for students living in Northeast Denver. Once accepted, students may remain at the school through fifth grade. Priority status is offered to qualifying siblings of current students.
Advanced Kindergarten
DPS offers classrooms in eight elementary schools that are specifically designed for academically advanced kindergarten students. These classrooms provide a curriculum that enriches, expands and accelerates state and district kindergarten standards according to student academic readiness and assessed curriculum mastery. The Advanced Kindergarten Program is a part of the full-day Tuition Based Kindergarten Program. Financial assistance is available for tuition and for the $50 screening and the $50 application fees.
Applications are accepted in December for the following school year. Applications continue to be accepted after January if spaces are available in the program. Assessments for kindergarten include parent questionnaires, observation and standard readiness assessments. Children accepted to the Advanced Kindergarten Program are required to take the HGT testing during their kindergarten year. Currently, Polaris offers only one Advanced Kindergarten class.
Application Forms
Anyone may nominate a student. However, a parent must sign the form in order to give permission for testing.
Application Forms are availabe online at the website of the DPS Gifted Office