Title: ALC WEST VALLEY

Mission: The mission of the Granite School District Advanced Learning Center (ALC) is to provide a differentiated learning environment which promotes academic, social, and emotional growth for students with outstanding academic and high abilities. Every effort is made to meet the needs of the students through acceleration, curriculum compacting, and increased complexity tasks. Students in the program receive instruction within the grade-level core curriculum but have access to additional district-wide programs that are research-based and specially designed for advanced learners. These incorporate usage of higher order thinking skills (like application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) in order to deepen their understanding of the state standards. Additionally, students in this program are engaging in more project-oriented assignments and independent research which are further explained below.

National History Day (NHD): August – October

During the months of August through October, students will engage in an 8-10 week historical research project. The project will focus on communication, project management, and historical thinking skills. Students will participate in school, district, and state-level fairs.

STEM Fair: November – January

During the months of November through January, students will create a leading question about a real-world problem. They will research and test their ideas. There is a handbook on the county website (CLICK HERE). Students who excel will advance from the school fair to the district fair.

Debate: December – March

During the months of December through March, students will participate in the Granite District Debate Tournament. The program is designed to build confidence, critical thinking, and advanced competition skills. Parent volunteers are needed to help with practice in the spring.

Math Olympiads: Ongoing Throughout the Year

This is an ongoing program throughout the year. Students will engage in creative problem-solving and mathematical thinking. Practice problems will be sent home, and students will participate in several contests throughout the year.