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Advanced Coursework & Acceleration

At Inver Grove Heights Middle School, we emphasize academics as well as social-emotional development, core life skills, and career and college readiness so students are prepared for whatever lies ahead. While we support a sense of belonging and confidence in every student, our school and district missions also aim to provide rigor for all students, offering them pathways to push themselves academically.

Increased Rigor for All Students

IGHMS provides opportunities for all students to be challenged through differentiated learning and advanced coursework in core classes. Academically gifted students have expanded opportunities, including gifted and enrichment services with a dedicated Gifted and Talented Specialist, cluster grouping in classes with other identified gifted and advanced students, and subject acceleration with opportunities to earn early high school credit.

Opportunities for Identified-gifted IGHMS Students

Direct Services

IGHMS is proud to be one of a few surrounding middle schools to offer direct gifted and enrichment services to our students identified as gifted. Gifted students have the opportunity to meet with our ISD 199 Gifted and Talented Specialist during advisory. The specialist then works directly with teachers to support them in differentiating instruction, providing enrichment, and increasing rigorous learning opportunities for their gifted and advanced students.

Advanced Coursework

Advanced coursework is learning that is tailored to students. It provides instruction options at both standard and advanced levels. Instruction is provided in different formats, including large group, differentiated small group, and individual/independent learning. All IGHMS students engage in differentiated learning, projects, and assignments.

We offer advanced coursework because it challenges all students. They have earlier, risk-free opportunities to challenge themselves academically and are exposed to rigorous coursework before high school. The experience prepares them for the higher education levels and familiarizes them with the work and learning expectations of those levels.

When middle school students try something new, they build confidence that can lead to them choosing advanced, college-level courses at Simley High School based on their interests and goals.

Subject Acceleration

For students who are academically gifted in different subject areas, we offer subject acceleration with cluster grouping. We use multiple data points including Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and the FastBridge Learning system to help guide us in determining who is best qualified for this pathway. Students who consistently score at or above the 95th percentile may qualify for subject acceleration.

Subject acceleration includes the opportunity to advance to the content standards of the next grade level or beyond. Students may also earn early Simley High School credit in math and English Language Arts as well as some science classes.

IGHMS students who subject accelerate in middle school and earn early high school credit have the opportunity to continue on that same pathway in Simley High School. They will often begin their 9th-grade year with 10th- or 11th-grade English and math courses, and they may earn more early college credit before they graduate from high school.

Students who open-enroll into Simley High School or students transferring from other middle schools may have transfer credits from their previous school or may need to participate in a Credit by Assessment process to qualify for acceleration at Simley High school.