Lake Washington School District will change the grades in which gifted education is offered through its Quest program from first through ninth grade to second through eighth grade.

This change will coincide with the fall 2012 change in the district’s grade configuration to a kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school, six through eight middle school and grades nine through 12 high school system. (Schools currently are kindergarten through sixth grade in elementary school, seventh through ninth grade in junior high and 10th-12th in high school.)

The district will no longer test kindergarten students. It will serve advanced students in regular first-grade classrooms.

Cognitive measures of ability are not well developed for students in kindergarten. It is difficult to determine which students are “highly capable” students and which students are simply more knowledgeable about subjects measured by the test.

This change brings LWSD in line with many other districts in the area that also begin their gifted education program in second grade.

Sixth-grade students will be served in the middle school Quest program along with seventh and eighth graders.

Ninth grade students will be in the high school beginning in the fall of 2012. They will be able to accelerate their learning through advanced courses, including Advanced Placement courses if appropriate.Information nights are scheduled for both elementary and middle school Quest admission for the 2012-13 school year.

Information nights are scheduled for both elementary and middle school Quest admission for the 2012-13 school year. The elementary parent information nights, concerning students who will be in second through fifth grade next year, will be held on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, with two sessions each day, from 4-6:30 p.m. or 7-8:30 p.m. All sessions will be held at Rose Hill Junior High, 13505 N.E. 75th St., Redmond.

Elementary Quest applications for 2012-13 will be available online beginning Oct. 3. Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. on Oct. 28. Late applications will not be accepted.

The middle school parent information night, for students who will be in sixth through eighth grade next year, will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Kamiakin Junior High, 14111 132nd Ave. N.E., Kirkland.

Middle School Quest Applications for 2012-13 will be available online beginning Oct. 24. Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. on Nov. 18. Late applications are not accepted.

Complete information on the Quest program, admission criteria and application procedures is available at www.lwsd.org/quest.