The Harrisburg School District provides advanced curricular options for identified high-ability students in grades K-12. Dr. Laurie Wenger serves as the Director of Advanced Programs and can be contacted at Laurie.Wenger@k12.sd.us.
Vision
In keeping with the Harrisburg Public Schools’ mission to optimize student potential through the pursuit of educational excellence, the following three ideas are fundamental to providing equitable educational services and programs to highly-able/gifted students:
1. The highly-able have a right to an appropriate education, one grounded in the recognition of individual differences and unique learning needs. The learning will permit and stretch the capable student to develop their potential while interacting regularly with intellectual peers.
2. The highly-able need a curriculum responsive to their individual rate, style and complexity. Differentiation of content, process, product and environment are essential.
3. The highly-able learn best in an instructional environment that insures significant challenges with advanced content, inquiry, critical thought, divergent thinking, professional thinking, and problem-solving.