School for Advanced Studies

SAS students at Sutter Middle School make up about twenty percent of the school population of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The School for Advanced Studies was established to provide differentiated instruction in all academic areas; to promote and enrich learning for gifted and high achieving students, and to promote standards of personal and classroom discipline and good citizenship.

• Highly trained teachers in differentiation

• Gifted/SAS coordinator

• Full-time nurse and psychologist on campus

• Grade-level counselor

• Core teaching of academic subjects in 6th grade to help students transition to middle school from elementary school.

• Algebra I and Geometry college prep classes

• A-G approved courses offered in 8th grade

• 7th & 8th grade technology enhanced science

• Teachers and students have access to HP Chromebooks in the classroom

• Students are provided with 1:1 iPads and 30 GB of data every month through Verizon

• Technology based and project based lessons in all SAS classes

• Computer Science and Engineering electives

• Instrumental music - Beginning and Advanced from our Award Winning Band

• Yearbook

• Media and Communications Elective

• Leadership class

The Advanced Studies Program was developed in response to the increasing demand for high level academic programs which meet the educational needs of highly able learners. The intent of this program is to mirror and enhance the setup of a gifted magnet program. The overall goal is to provide a program with high quality content and performance standards within the classroom setting.

• Students should be state identified gifted or pending identification. See handout for specific criteria.

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• Students must have strong GPA and teacher recommendation with evidence of excellence.

• Gifted, highly gifted, and high achieving students are clustered together in classes.

• Teachers have all attended a minimum thirty-two hours of professional development directed toward differentiated instructional techniques and strategies appropriate for teaching the gifted student.

• Administrators attended a minimum eight hours of professional development directed toward instructions techniques appropriate for the gifted student.

• Regular assessment and evaluation are conducted to direct curriculum modification.

• Parent education workshops are scheduled and directed toward issues related to gifted children.

• Math Counts - competitive math activities afterschool. Students enter various competitions around the country and win. This year students were Silver Certified and one of our own won the entire writing portion.

• 600 Club - students compete and use standard based activities to excel on the California Standards Test.

• Lunch Bunch Book Club - students read across the curriculum and genres to discuss Universal Themes and Big Ideas.

• Student to Student Mentor Program - Eighth grade students work with sixth and seventh grade students to help transition and succeed in middle school and in advanced studies.

• SAS Success - students meet once a week and learn how to organize their time, set goals, and reflect on their success.

• SAS/GATE Advisory meetings

• Monthly workshops: technology, enhancing projects, expert speakers, and much more

• Recommended volunteer work

• Showcase communities

• Invited as guest speakers for classrooms