Skip to main content

Popular Links

Advanced Academics Home

Advanced Academics

The Advanced Academics Department manages services for gifted/talented and high ability students. Our services offer students the opportunity to engage in learning with greater depth, complexity, and rigor through differentiated curriculum and instruction. Coursework is extended beyond the general education classroom to develop critical and creative thinking. Classes are taught by certified teachers who have received or are receiving a Gifted and Talented Education Endorsement. The Extended Learning Program serves gifted/talented and high ability students in elementary and middle schools with two service models, Magnet Gifted & Talented and Advanced Academics and Mentoring Program (AAMP).

G/T Services for 2025-2026
G/T Services for 2025-2026 (Spanish)

Click OPT-IN TESTING ONLINE APPLICATION for online application for January 2026 testing.  Or see FORMS or ASSESSMENT, ELIGIBILITY & APPEALS.

Advanced Academics
406 East 100 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

801.578.8573

Elementary Magnet Gifted & Talented (full day)

  • Magnet serves students in a full day program at five schools, taught by certified teachers who have received or are receiving a Gifted and Talented Education Endorsement.
  • Students are found eligible for Magnet through an assessment process.
  • Magnet Gifted and Talented classes begin in 1st grade. 
  • Gradewide testing for current kindergarten and 3rd grade students attending a SLCSD school (not including the Open Classroom) takes place after winter break of their kindergarten or 3rd grade year at their school.  No sign up is needed.
  • Opt-In testing for current kindergarten and 3rd grade students not attending a SLCSD school (including the Open Classroom), takes place in January of their kindergarten or 3rd grade year.  Parent must complete the online application in order for student to test.  Online application opens in mid September and closes in mid December for testing in January.  Click OPT-IN TESTING ONLINE APPLICATION for online application for January 2026 testing.  Or see FORMS or ASSESSMENT, ELIGIBILITY & APPEALS.
  • Magnet eligible students attend the area Magnet school determined by their neighborhood school.  In the case of Magnet eligible out-of-district students, the Advanced Academics Supervisor places students based on clasroom balance.  

 

Elementary Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations for 2025-2026:

  • Edison Elementary (1st-6th Grades)
  • Indian Hills Elementary (1st–6th Grades)
  • Nibley Park Elementary (2nd-6th Grades, Magnet/DLI)
  • Washington Elementary (6th Grade)
  • Whittier Elementary (1st-6th Grades)

 
Elementary Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations for 2026-2027:

  • Edison Elementary (1st-6th Grades)
  • Indian Hills Elementary (1st–6th Grades)
  • Nibley Park Elementary (3rd-6th Grades, Magnet/DLI)
  • Whittier Elementary (1st-6th Grades)

 
Middle School Magnet Gifted & Talented

  • Magnet serves students in up to four core subjects at Clayton Middle School, Hillside Middle School, and West High School. Core subjects include language arts, science, social studies and mathematics.  
  • Students are found eligible for Middle School Magnet through an assessment process.
  • Testing for current 6th & 7th grade students takes place in January of their 6th or 7th grade year for possible middle school placement.  Parent must complete the online application in order for student to test.  Online application opens in mid September and closes in mid December for testing in January.  Click OPT-IN TESTING ONLINE APPLICATION for online application for January 2026 testing.  Or see FORMS or ASSESSMENT, ELIGIBILITY & APPEALS.APPEALS.


Middle School Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations:

  • Clayton Middle School
  • Hillside Middle School
  • West High School

ELEMENTARY AAMP (part time program)

Mission:  Coming Soon!

Vision:  Coming Soon!

Essential Guiding Concepts:  These guiding concepts represent what our students in our 4-6 pullout programs (verbal, quantitative and non-verbal) are expected to accomplish.

VERBAL:

1. 

Critical Thinking & Reasoning 

Students use verbal reasoning to infer, deduce, connect ideas, and apply knowledge to new or abstract problems. 

 

 

2. 

Creative and Expressive Language 

Students express understanding using academic discourse and engage in high-level, purposeful questions. 

 

3. 

Collaboration & Feedback 

Students participate individually and in cooperative peer groups to seek feedback and refine their ideas and deepen learning. 

 

 

 

 

4. 

Metacognition & Self-Monitoring 

Students monitor their own thinking, evaluate strategies, and adjust approaches to improve learning outcomes. 

 

 

 

5. 

Perseverance & Transfer 

Students persist through challenging tasks and transfer skills to support new learning when faced with unfamiliar or complex concepts. 

 

 

Resources for Verbal: Coming Soon! 

QUANTITATIVE:

1. 

Create visual or graphic models to represent and solve problems.  

 

2.  

Collaborate/ connect with peers on learning tasks and identify when assistance is necessary by asking appropriate questions.  

 

3.  

Apply quantitative reasoning to demonstrate understanding, connect skills in related areas such as spreadsheets, computer skills, etc... 

 

4. 

Design original situations or problems that require discussion and explanations using mathematical reasoning. 

5.  

Explore, create, and analyze multiple approaches to mathematical problem-solving with classmates. 

Resources for Quantitative: Coming soon!

NON-VERBAL:  

1. 

Students learn how patterns, rules, and sequences help them organize and make sense of new problems. 

2. 

Students use mental imagery, detailed illustrations, models, and diagrams to understand, represent, and communicate ideas. 

3. 

Students learn to communicate their visual thinking through precise spatial vocabulary, supported by diagrams, sketches and labeled visuals. 

 

4. 

Students learn how patterns, rules, and sequences help them organize and make sense of new problems. 

5. 

 Students engage in STEAM challenges, engineering design tasks, structure building, and prototype testing to explore spatial relationships and demonstrate  understanding. 

 

Resources for Non-Verbal:  5 Essential Guiding Concepts for Non-Verbal


ALL elementary schools (with the exception of the Open Classroom) have AAMP services.  

  1. AAMP serves students in a pull-out program in grades 4-6 in a student’s neighborhood elementary school for up to 3
    hours per week.
  2. Students are found eligible for AAMP through an assessment process.

 

DISCOVERY GROUPS

Discovery 3rd Grade Guidlines:  Coming Soon!

  1. Discovery Groups offer part time enrichment for skill development in grades K-3.
  2. Each elementary school schedules their Discovery Groups differently.
  3. For more information, reach out to the AAMP teacher at your neighborhood school. 

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School honors classes are housed at Clayton, Glendale, Hillside and Northwest.

  1. Middle school students can self-select into Honors advanced classes, no assessment is required.  Though not a Magnet class, Honors advanced classes are still more rigorous and advanced than general education classes. 
  2. Honors advanced classes are offered in up to four core subjects.  These include language arts, science, social studies and mathematics.  In these classes, students perform at an accelerated pace with complex and in-depth content.  

If your child:

  • displays advanced thinking skills.
  • demonstrates knowledge of many different things.
  • quickly sees why things happen and what causes them to happen.
  • understands new ideas or subjects with little effort.
  • shows a great deal of curiosity.
  • sees and creates patterns in areas such as speech, art, music, numbers and nature.
  • continues to work on a project regardless of time or space limitations.
  • obsesses in an interest area.
  • insists on perfection.
  • recognizes the humor in different situations.
  • makes connections.
  • perceives and observes beyond his/her years.
  • approaches ideas and problems from a number of perspectives

  • Elementary Magnet Gifted & Talented (full day)

    • Magnet serves students in a full day program at five schools, taught by certified teachers who have received or are receiving a Gifted and Talented Education Endorsement.
    • Students are found eligible for Magnet through an assessment process.
    • Magnet Gifted and Talented classes begin in 1st grade. 
    • Gradewide testing for current kindergarten and 3rd grade students attending a SLCSD school (not including the Open Classroom) takes place after winter break of their kindergarten or 3rd grade year at their school.  No sign up is needed.
    • Opt-In testing for current kindergarten and 3rd grade students not attending a SLCSD school (including the Open Classroom), takes place in January of their kindergarten or 3rd grade year.  Parent must complete the online application in order for student to test.  Online application opens in mid September and closes in mid December for testing in January.  Click OPT-IN TESTING ONLINE APPLICATION for online application for January 2026 testing.  Or see FORMS or ASSESSMENT, ELIGIBILITY & APPEALS.
    • Magnet eligible students attend the area Magnet school determined by their neighborhood school.  In the case of Magnet eligible out-of-district students, the Advanced Academics Supervisor places students based on clasroom balance.  

     

    Elementary Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations for 2025-2026:

    • Edison Elementary (1st-6th Grades)
    • Indian Hills Elementary (1st–6th Grades)
    • Nibley Park Elementary (2nd-6th Grades, Magnet/DLI)
    • Washington Elementary (6th Grade)
    • Whittier Elementary (1st-6th Grades)

     
    Elementary Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations for 2026-2027:

    • Edison Elementary (1st-6th Grades)
    • Indian Hills Elementary (1st–6th Grades)
    • Nibley Park Elementary (3rd-6th Grades, Magnet/DLI)
    • Whittier Elementary (1st-6th Grades)

     
    Middle School Magnet Gifted & Talented

    • Magnet serves students in up to four core subjects at Clayton Middle School, Hillside Middle School, and West High School. Core subjects include language arts, science, social studies and mathematics.  
    • Students are found eligible for Middle School Magnet through an assessment process.
    • Testing for current 6th & 7th grade students takes place in January of their 6th or 7th grade year for possible middle school placement.  Parent must complete the online application in order for student to test.  Online application opens in mid September and closes in mid December for testing in January.  Click OPT-IN TESTING ONLINE APPLICATION for online application for January 2026 testing.  Or see FORMS or ASSESSMENT, ELIGIBILITY & APPEALS.APPEALS.


    Middle School Magnet Gifted and Talented Locations:

    • Clayton Middle School
    • Hillside Middle School
    • West High School

  • ELEMENTARY AAMP (part time program)

    Mission:  Coming Soon!

    Vision:  Coming Soon!

    Essential Guiding Concepts:  These guiding concepts represent what our students in our 4-6 pullout programs (verbal, quantitative and non-verbal) are expected to accomplish.

    VERBAL:

    1. 

    Critical Thinking & Reasoning 

    Students use verbal reasoning to infer, deduce, connect ideas, and apply knowledge to new or abstract problems. 

     

     

    2. 

    Creative and Expressive Language 

    Students express understanding using academic discourse and engage in high-level, purposeful questions. 

     

    3. 

    Collaboration & Feedback 

    Students participate individually and in cooperative peer groups to seek feedback and refine their ideas and deepen learning. 

     

     

     

     

    4. 

    Metacognition & Self-Monitoring 

    Students monitor their own thinking, evaluate strategies, and adjust approaches to improve learning outcomes. 

     

     

     

    5. 

    Perseverance & Transfer 

    Students persist through challenging tasks and transfer skills to support new learning when faced with unfamiliar or complex concepts. 

     

     

    Resources for Verbal: Coming Soon! 

    QUANTITATIVE:

    1. 

    Create visual or graphic models to represent and solve problems.  

     

    2.  

    Collaborate/ connect with peers on learning tasks and identify when assistance is necessary by asking appropriate questions.  

     

    3.  

    Apply quantitative reasoning to demonstrate understanding, connect skills in related areas such as spreadsheets, computer skills, etc... 

     

    4. 

    Design original situations or problems that require discussion and explanations using mathematical reasoning. 

    5.  

    Explore, create, and analyze multiple approaches to mathematical problem-solving with classmates. 

    Resources for Quantitative: Coming soon!

    NON-VERBAL:  

    1. 

    Students learn how patterns, rules, and sequences help them organize and make sense of new problems. 

    2. 

    Students use mental imagery, detailed illustrations, models, and diagrams to understand, represent, and communicate ideas. 

    3. 

    Students learn to communicate their visual thinking through precise spatial vocabulary, supported by diagrams, sketches and labeled visuals. 

     

    4. 

    Students learn how patterns, rules, and sequences help them organize and make sense of new problems. 

    5. 

     Students engage in STEAM challenges, engineering design tasks, structure building, and prototype testing to explore spatial relationships and demonstrate  understanding. 

     

    Resources for Non-Verbal:  5 Essential Guiding Concepts for Non-Verbal


    ALL elementary schools (with the exception of the Open Classroom) have AAMP services.  

    1. AAMP serves students in a pull-out program in grades 4-6 in a student’s neighborhood elementary school for up to 3
      hours per week.
    2. Students are found eligible for AAMP through an assessment process.

     

    DISCOVERY GROUPS

    Discovery 3rd Grade Guidlines:  Coming Soon!

    1. Discovery Groups offer part time enrichment for skill development in grades K-3.
    2. Each elementary school schedules their Discovery Groups differently.
    3. For more information, reach out to the AAMP teacher at your neighborhood school. 

     

    MIDDLE SCHOOL

    Middle School honors classes are housed at Clayton, Glendale, Hillside and Northwest.

    1. Middle school students can self-select into Honors advanced classes, no assessment is required.  Though not a Magnet class, Honors advanced classes are still more rigorous and advanced than general education classes. 
    2. Honors advanced classes are offered in up to four core subjects.  These include language arts, science, social studies and mathematics.  In these classes, students perform at an accelerated pace with complex and in-depth content.  

  • If your child:

    • displays advanced thinking skills.
    • demonstrates knowledge of many different things.
    • quickly sees why things happen and what causes them to happen.
    • understands new ideas or subjects with little effort.
    • shows a great deal of curiosity.
    • sees and creates patterns in areas such as speech, art, music, numbers and nature.
    • continues to work on a project regardless of time or space limitations.
    • obsesses in an interest area.
    • insists on perfection.
    • recognizes the humor in different situations.
    • makes connections.
    • perceives and observes beyond his/her years.
    • approaches ideas and problems from a number of perspectives

Helpful Links

More Information