Ignite is a program for gifted and talented young people in South Australia, created in 1997 and formerly known as SHIP (Students with High Intellectual Potential). It is administered by the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services.
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How the program works
At the beginning of the school year in South Australia (i.e. January), DECD (Department of Education and Child Development)advertises for Year 6 or Year 7 applicants to take part in the program in the following year. The applicants are charged $100 and take a test made up of reading comprehension, written literacy, mathematics and an Abstract Reasoning test. Students are ranked on their performance and an aggregate is determined. The test is designed by ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research). Students who are eligible for school card do not pay the $100.
The best of the students who completed the test are notified later in the year and are then interviewed by Ignite staff from the schools. Applicants are then allocated according to residence to the three participating schools, either Aberfoyle Park High School, Glenunga International High School, or The Heights School.
The following year participants start at this school and complete a vastly accelerated and enriching Year 8 course that is immediately followed by Year 10 (i.e. Year 9 is "skipped"). This is Ignite Accelerated.
Programs
As well as the Ignite accelerated, there is also co-Ignite, which is similar to Ignite accelerated, except that children in co-Ignite do not "skip" year nine.