Boise School District will open full-time classes for gifted elementary students at two schools in fall in a pilot program that will include students from Meridian School District.
Three classes are expected to open at Valley View Elementary and two classes at Horizon Elementary.

About 100 students from Boise and 13 students from Meridian are expected to be in the classes, which are for students in second through sixth grade.

These gifted students are usually defined as scoring in the top 2 percent on intelligence and achievement tests.

The program is in addition to one that opened in autumn for highly gifted students — those with an I.Q. of 145 or higher — at Washington Elementary School.

Boise also expects to expand its highly gifted program from 24 to 36 elementary students next year.

The programs will not mean increased costs to the district.

Boise Schools will hire an additional teacher for the gifted and talented with financial support from the state as Meridian´s 13 gifted students come into the Boise District.

Until now, most gifted students in the Boise and Meridian school districts have attended special classes for a half or full day once a week.

Boise School District wants to expand that to keep those children challenged. Many gifted students don´t show the academic growth they´re capable of because they don´t receive the attention they need, said Jo Henderson, district gifted students coordinator.

“It´s a way to give us a chance to focus on these kids,” Henderson said.

Boise School District has about 650 gifted and talented students.

Meridian signed onto the program to observe whether it will help gifted kids. “If it does, then we will be looking at doing it ourselves,” said Linda Clark, Meridian director of instruction. She expects the Meridian students to be selected by lottery.

Henderson said Boise also would consider expanding the scheme if it proves successful.

The gifted classes will comprise several grades in one classroom. Though specifics haven´t been determined, the classes will likely have students from second through fourth grades or fourth through sixth grades.

Boise School District is also counting on the expanded gifted program as another tool to help it maintain or increase enrollment.

The number of students in Boise schools continues to slide, from nearly 27,000 in the the mid-1990s to about 25,400 for fall.

The highly gifted program, which opened in fall at Washington Elementary School, brought in three students from outside the district. Next year, the district expects to bring another two students into the program.

Julie Brown, a Meridian School District mother of twin seventh-grade sons, said she supports full-day programs and is happy that Meridian is joining in the partnership, even though her own sons won´t benefit.