All Schools are operating on a regular schedule

Wicomico Magnet Program

Grades 3, 4, and 5 Website Information

Program Overview

Wicomico County’s Magnet Program has been developed to meet the needs of those elementary students identified as high achievers. This group of students requires teaching strategies that focus more on the higher levels of cognitive learning processes found in Bloom’s taxonomy in order to enhance students’ critical thinking skills and challenge them to perform at a level appropriate with their innate ability.
Fundamental to the program is product learning. Prior mastery of basic skills is essential to higher level learning processes. But more importantly the essence of the Magnet philosophy involves the process of learning. Students are guided in reading, math, and all content areas to explore beyond the literal acceptance of new information and concepts. Teachers act as facilitators helping students expand their knowledge in an atmosphere which fosters and encourages original thoughts, concepts, and individualized approaches to learning.
The Magnet Program adheres to the policies adopted by Maryland’s voluntary State Curriculum and the Wicomico Board of Education.

Typical Characteristics of Highly Able Students

The following are some of the behaviors and characteristics typical of the highly able learner:

  • Is a self-starter
  • Processes and retains large amounts of information
  • Exhibits curiosity
  • High desire to learn
  • Comprehends material at advanced levels to problems
  • Generates original ideas and solutions to problems
  • Prefers complex and challenging work
  • May prefer to work alone
  • May be an early reader
  • Exhibits high levels of language development and verbal ability
  • Assumes responsibility
  • Enjoys learning

Students may be highly able in different areas and there is no one prescribed set of behaviors. Therefore, it is important to recognize student diversity and realize that no student will exhibit all of these behaviors.
Behavioral Checklist for Grades 3, 4, and 5

  • Performs daily at a high academic level.
  • Has unusually good vocabulary.
  • Asks thoughtful questions.
  • Enjoys reading and reads fluently.
  • Enjoys self-expression through writing.
  • Masters classroom skills easily.
  • Is able to attend to and remain on task.
  • Accepts the challenge of difficult problems and assignments.
  • Is logical and applies understanding in new situations.
  • Strives for quality in completion of work.
  • Is self-directed; plans and organizes with a minimum if teacher direction.
  • Completes assignments on time.
  • Works independently.
  • Looks for similarities and differences in events, people, and things.
  • Demonstrates an understanding and mastery of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts (incoming grade 3, addition and subtraction only).

Transportation

Each magnet student must attend the Elementary Magnet Program site to which he/she is assigned based on residence /home school assignment. Transportation for magnet program students is provided by the county. School busses operate on the high school schedule with the school day beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m. Students ride with the neighborhood high school students to the middle school/high school designated for that area. At that site, magnet students are monitored until they board the shuttle to their assigned sites (North Salisbury School or Pemberton Elementary School). Delmar students will pick up the shuttle at Delmar Elementary School.

Feeder school assignments are as follows:

  • North Salisbury Elementary
  • Beaver Run
  • East Salisbury
  • Chipman
  • Glen Avenue
  • Delmar
  • Fruitland Primary/Intermediate
  • West Salisbury
  • North Salisbury
  • Willards
  • Pittsville
  • Pemberton Elementary
  • Northwestern
  • Pemberton
  • Pinehurst
  • Prince Street
  • Westside Primary
  • Westside Intermediate