As part of the new student assignment plan, passed by the School Board on June 17, all middle schools in Seattle will be required to offer the Spectrum advanced learning program by the 2010-2011 school year.

Currently, Lafayette Elementary and Denny Middle School are the only schools in West Seattle that offer Spectrum besides a very small program at West Seattle Elementary. According to the new plan, a well-developed program will be established at Madison Middle School and at least one elementary school in the southern half of West Seattle.

“Spectrum is a good fit for a group of kids who are significantly advanced in their math skills,” said Denny principal Jeff Clark.

Clark added that the new student assignment plan will help Denny better align their programs with other schools.

School Board member Steve Sunquist explained that because students will be assigned to local schools under the new plan, the district is striving to ensure program access in all reference areas.

There is a disparity of Spectrum programs across the city. While many schools in north Seattle offer the program, there are few in south Seattle

“I’m all for (Spectrum) at any of our schools," said Sundquist "I’m hoping communities will rally around it and help put the program in place.”

Spectrum is a grades one through eight district-supported program that serves the needs of students who are academically gifted. The program provides a rigorous, accelerated curriculum that challenges students to apply complex thinking skills when working with core skills and concepts.

The reading and mathematics curricula are presented at an accelerated learning pace, focus on grade level expectations that are above students' assigned grade levels in reading and mathematics, and emphasize an advanced level of complexity and depth.