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What is ELP?

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Extended Learning Program services are provided to meet the needs of gifted/talented and high ability students.  ELP services offer students the opportunity to engage in learning with greater depth, complexity, and rigor through differentiated curriculum and instruction.  ELP coursework is extended beyond the general education classroom and is more abstract and complex, giving students greater depth of understanding.  Skill development with higher order thinking skills in both critical and creative thinking is an important part of the students' experiences.  ELP 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 AAMP.  

Magnet Gifted & Talented

The Magnet Gifted & Talented program (Magnet) is a district administered program in which students are identified by national normed assessment measures.  Eligibility is determined at the district level. 

Elementary Magnet 

  • Magnet serves students in a full day program at Emerson (1-6), Hawthorne (K-6), Washington (4 and 5), and Whittier (K-6) schools, taught by certified teachers who have or are receiving a Gifted and Talented Education Endorsement.

  • Students are found eligible for Magnet through an assessment process.

  • Application dates and assessment dates are posted on the ELP website.

Middle School Magnet

  • Magnet serves students in up to four core subjects at Clayton, Hillside, and West High School. 

  • Students are found eligible for Middle School Magnet through an assessment process.

  • Application dates and assessment dates are posted on the ELP website.

AAMP

The Advanced Academics & Mentorship Program (AAMP) is in ALL Salt Lake City School District elementary schools and in the following middle schools: Clayton, Glendale, Hillside, and Northwest.

Elementary AAMP

  • AAMP serves students in a part time pull-out program in grades 4-6 in a student’s neighborhood elementary school for up to 3 hours per week.

  • Students are found eligible for AAMP through an assessment process.

  • All students new-to-district students in grades 4, 5 and 6 are assessed at their neighborhood school at the beginning of the school year.

Middle School 

  • Almost all middle schools offer NELP/Honors advanced classes.  Middle school students can self-select into NELP/Honors classes, no assessment is required.  Though not a Magnet class, NELP/Honors are still more rigorous and advanced than general education classes.  

ELP Philosophy

The Extended Learning Program supports the mission of Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) to cultivate a love of learning in a diverse and inclusive school community, committed to educational excellence and integrity. In collaboration with families and community we hold high expectations for all students, respond effectively to individual needs, and provide a safe, healthy environment in which every student can learn the academic, problem-solving and social skills required for success in college, career, and life. The district has designed and implemented an Extended Learning Program to meet the cognitive and affective needs of identified gifted students. Through ELP, a continuum of program options provides a beneficial learning environment and curriculum designed to meet the needs of gifted/talented and high ability students.

ELP Motto

Discovering Through Depth and Complexity

Depth: understanding a topic beyond surface knowledge. Depth encourages students to venture further, deeper, with greater elaboration, through quality of subject matter, rules and ethics, language, and patterns. It involves learning from:

  • Concrete to abstract

  • Familiar to unfamiliar

  • Known to unknown

  • Literal to symbolized

Complexity: understanding a topic with more abstract thinking. Complexity helps students make connections and identify relationships and associations between, within, and across subjects and disciplines. It focuses on:

  • Varying perspectives

  • Issues, problems, and themes

  • Conceptual learning