Project IDEA has been developed for academically talented students in grades four through eight who meet established district criteria on the Cognitive Abilities Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and teacher observational data.  

A Project IDEA Matrix is used, with a student needing 9 points out of possible 19 points to qualify for placement in the program.  The program is offered at all fourteen elementary buildings and at all five junior high schools.  Students participate in a literacy class, which meets five days per week during the student’s regularly scheduled literacy block.

Approximately 40% of the instructional time is spent on traditional gifted activities involving  creative and critical problem solving and 60% on the literacy strands of reading, writing, speaking and listening aligned with District 203 Literacy Learner Outcomes available from your student's classroom teacher.

Project IDEA Curriculum

The program seeks to develop, through integration of curriculum, the higher level thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as well as creative and critical thinking skills.

The fourth and fifth grade Project IDEA curriculum is created on a two-year cycle.  Year One is Imaginations.  Year Two is Investigations.  A detailed outline of each year in the curriculum cycle is available at the schools or you can view the brochures by clicking on the above Imaginations and Investigations link.

The sixth, seventh and eighth grade Project IDEA Curriculum is an integrated Language Arts block focusing on reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The Project IDEA curriculum is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners by changing the process, content, product or the learning environment in which students are engaged.