• FAQ About SAGE

    What is SAGE?
    SAGE is the Deer Valley Unified School Districts program of Gifted and Talented students in grades 3-8. At Copper Creek students receive instruction in the area of math and reading daily. Below is a brief description of the Districts 3-6 program. If you are looking for information about middle school you can contact the appropriate school.

    3-6 Math
    Enriched with problem based learning units Accelerated at least 1 grade level higher

    3-6 Language Arts
    Differentiated through literature studies and units of study from the College of William and Mary.  Processes include critical and creative thinking skills, discovery learning, open-ended problem solving, choice of learning activities, small group interaction, greater variety, evidence of reasoning.daily
     
    Is there a lot of homework in the SAGE classes?
    No, when students use their time wisely there is only about 15 minutes in math daily and probably about the same or less in language arts.

    How does a students qualify for the program?
    Students qualify by scoring in the 97 percentile or Standard Age Score of 132 on the Cognitive Abilities Test or another test accepted by the Arizona Department of Education for gifted identification. Deer Valley will accept students scoring 95th percentile in verbal or quantitative provisionally for one subject area.  Deer Valley Schools provide testing using the Cognitive Abilities Test three time during the year. Students may be referred by teachers, parents, or themselves for testing. More information can be obtained from classroom teachers.

    How can I prepare my child for the test?
    You can't. Because this is a test of reasoning skills there is no way to prepare. Just make sure they are rested and relaxed.

    If my child is in SAGE do they retest each year?
    No. Once a student qualifies with the above criteria they do not retest.