New enrichment programme for advanced elementary students begins

What happened

On January 29, 2026 the district presented the Ridgewood Enrichment Program, its new gifted-and-talented offering for elementary students, built around a tiered identification matrix using assessments given in grades 3 and 5. Parents pressed the board on how twice-exceptional children, those who are both advanced and have a disability, would be identified when the matrix leans heavily on computer-based testing, whether there is a route to content acceleration, and how the programme's effect would be measured when students are tested only twice.

Why it matters to families

This decides which children get pulled out for extra challenge and which do not, and a grade 5 rating carries forward into middle school. The district has since made 'Tier II mathematics instruction' a 2026-27 strategic priority, so the programme is expanding rather than settling.

The evidence

The January 29, 2026 approved minutes record the presentation by the director of curriculum and three staff members, the full set of parent questions about the identification matrix, and the board president's commitment to continue the discussion at a superintendent coffee. The 2026 State of the Schools address lists continued implementation of the programme among next year's action items.

The source