Parent Information Meetings and Tests
| Dimensions Academy (STEM and Humanities) Info Meeting | Tuesday, Dec. 5 6-7 p.m. | |
| Nobel High School Info Meeting | Thursday, Dec. 14 7-8 p.m. | |
| Pre-ACT Test | Olson Middle School Oak Grove Middle School Valley View Middle School *Out of district students, see information below. | BPS 8th graders take the test at their middle school. |
Dimensions Academy
Dimensions Academy High School (DAHS) is an innovative approach to gifted education at the high school level. Attuned to the psycho-social and emotional needs of advanced learners, the program combines the challenge needed by gifted students with trained faculty and a peer cohort necessary to support learners to reach their potential.
Beginning with the graduating class of 2024, DAHS offers a four-year program within the Bloomington High School system where students are part of a learning cohort taking multiple college-level courses at college pacing. Students can focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Humanities (english and social studies), or both.
Students take grade-advanced coursework, and study at a faster pace and with opportunities for greater comparisons that engage learning and provide for deeper understanding of similar and overlapping topics. For example, students take AP Comparative Politics and AP Human Geography as semester long courses instead of a year-long course, as well as pairing Honors Algebra 2 with Honors Precalculus in the same year.
The program culminates with the Humanities cohort taking the AP Seminar class their junior year and AP Research in senior year. AP Research builds on what students learned in AP Seminar to delve more deeply into an academic topic, problem or issue of their interest. Students spend the entire year designing, planning, and conducting research to address their question, culminating in an academic paper and presentation. The combination of these two courses gives our students the opportunity of qualifying for the AP Capstone diploma. This diploma is a unique offering as only approximately 2000 schools in the world set students up to earn the diploma by offering the Seminar and Research sequence.
Through participation in the DAHS Humanities and STEM programs, students have the opportunity to take concurrent enrollment courses which earn direct college credit as well as 17 AP courses that, with a score of a 4 or 5, can be used for credit at many colleges and universities.
All students are considered for participation in DAHS; placements are based on students' current qualifications, regardless of past participation in gifted and talented programs in elementary or middle school.
2024-25 School Year and Forward:
Dimensions Academy High School (DAHS) consists of a learning cohort for 9th and 10th grade students who take multiple college level courses at college pacing in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) pathway, humanities (english and social studies) pathway, or both. In grades 11 & 12, students have the opportunity to continue their pathway by enrolling in college courses offered at their school and participating in a DA Advisory focusing on post-secondary planning and support through graduation.
Students take grade-advanced courses, and study at a faster pace and with opportunities for greater comparisons that engage learning and provide for deeper understanding of similar and overlapping topics. For example, in the Humanities pathway students take AP Comparative Politics and AP Human Geography as semester long courses instead of a year-long course. In the STEM pathway students take Honors Algebra 2 with Honors Precalculus in one year as well.
Students in the DAHS Humanities and STEM programs have the opportunity to take concurrent enrollment courses to earn direct college credit as well as 17 AP courses that, with a score of a 4 or 5, can be used for credit at many colleges and universities.
All students are considered for participation in DAHS; placements are based on students' current qualifications, regardless of past participation in gifted and talented programs in elementary or middle school.
*Out of District Pre-ACT Testing Information
Students wishing to enroll from outside the Bloomington Public Schools district will need to take a Practice ACT. Students can register for a Practice ACT through this link: Breakaway Test Prep. Please email testing@breakawaytestprep.com and let them know your child is in 8th grade, needs to take a Practice ACT, and that you are using the score to apply for the Gifted Program in Bloomington Public Schools. They will be able to get your student set up.
| Math Courses | Science Courses | |
| Freshmen | Honors Algebra II/ | DA Earth and Space Science |
| Sophomores | AP Calc AB | AP Chemistry |
| Juniors | AP Computer Science A | AP Biology |
| Seniors | AP Calc BC/ Calc III | AP Physics C |
Note: Incoming students don’t need to have completed Geometry to be in the program but they will need to take Geometry over the summer or concurrently so they have some geometry background prior to taking PreCalc.
- Minimum of 2 consecutive years of middle school achievement data (e.g. MAP) => 95 percent (national) on reading and math
OR - IQ Measure => 95 percent (administered by an approved licensed psychologist/psychiatrist)
PLUS
- ACT scores: Math, Science and STEM subtests and composite = >20
- Middle School GPA (gr. 6, 7, and 1st half of 8th grade)= >3.667
- Teacher or other education professional recommendation
- Applicants with the highest cumulative scores are placed first. District students are given priority.
Social Studies Courses | Language Arts Courses | |
| Freshmen | AP Human Geography/ | Pre-AP English 1/ |
| Sophomores | AP World / | Honors 10/ |
| Juniors | AP U.S. History | AP Language & Composition /AP Seminar |
| Seniors | AP U.S. Government & Politics/AP Macro Economics | AP Literature & Composition/ AP Research |
*Dual enrollment courses where students will earn college and high school credit.
- Minimum of 2 consecutive years of middle school achievement data (e.g. MAP) =>95% (national) on reading and math
- -OR-
- IQ Measure =>95% (administered by an approved licensed psychologist/psychiatrist)
PLUS*
- ACT scores: Reading and English subtests and composite = >20
- Middle School GPA (gr. 6, 7, and 1st half of 8th grade)= >3.667
- Teacher or other education professional recommendation
- Applicants with the highest cumulative scores are placed first. District students are given priority.
Nobel
The Nobel high school pathway serves academically talented students who also have outstanding leadership and/or creative abilities. Students are grouped together in a cohort for Nobel English 9, have the opportunity to participate in accelerated arts classes, and are placed in a 9-12 Advisory focused on nurturing and further developing their creative talents to be future ready. Nobel is located at Kennedy High School.
- Nobel 9 English
- Interdisciplinary 10: AP World History & Honors 10 English with dual enrollment credit
- Interdisciplinary 11: AP US History & AP Language & Composition
- AP Literature & Composition
Many electives are also available. Students are grouped in a Nobel cohort for advisory.
- MAP reading score of 85 percent or higher. Placement points awarded as follows:
- 85-89 percent = 1 point
- 90 percent and higher = 2 points
- Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Students are scored on eleven verbal and figural categories of creativity. Placement points are awarded as follows on each category:
- 51-69 percent = 1 point
- 70-89 percent = 2 points
- 90 percent and higher = 3 points
- Strong teacher and parent recommendations
- Applicants with the highest cumulative scores are placed first. District students are given priority.
Students who complete the Nobel program at Valley View Middle School will automatically be placed in the Kennedy High School cohort. However, it is not a requirement that a student attended VVMS Nobel or other Bloomington middle school to be placed in the high school Nobel cohort.
For all Learners
In addition to the Dimensions Academy High School and Nobel programs, Gifted and Talented staff work with our high schools to support staff in differentiated instruction and support students with options for advanced learning and enrichment.