The Wicomico County Board of Education acknowledges its responsibility to provide all students with appropriate educational programs. We are committed to identifying academically gifted students and to addressing their unique abilities and needs.

Magnet Program

Program Overview

Wicomico County's Magnet Program has been developed to meet the needs of those elementary students identified as high performing learners. This group of students is exposed to strategies that focus on the highest 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 to their innate ability. Fundamental to the program is project-based learning. Prior mastery of basic skills are essential to higher level learning processes. 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 Maryland's College and Career Ready Standards and the policies adopted by the Wicomico Board of Education. The Magnet Program is housed at North Salisbury Elementary School and serves students meeting the criteria for entry in grades three through five from all WCPS elementary schools. Transportation is provided utilizing a county mid-point and transfer routine on secondary school buses. The length of the student school day is shortened to accommodate the transportation requirements from the entire county to the centralized location. Students can arrive as early as 7:45 AM, however the instruction begins at 8:15 AM. and students are dismissed at 2:15 PM.

Thinking And Doing (T.A.D.)

T.A.D. (Thinking and Doing) is a differentiated instructional program for academically gifted students in the third through eighth grades. 

The TAD units of study focus on developing the following skills:

• critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and logic skills

• creative thinking skills

• communication skills

• personal growth and social development skills

• the ability to become an independent and self-directed learner

• the ability to use advanced technologies as a resource and communication tool

The student-centered activities that are embedded in each unit provide students with multiple opportunities to develop and strengthen creativity, problem-solving, research skills, communication skills, thinking skills and affective skills.

Successful T.A.D. students will develop the skills and attitudes necessary to become productive, independent learners and effective leaders.

Non-public school testing for students currently in Grade 2, Grade 3, and Grade 4

Non-public school students currently attending grade 2, grade 3, or grade 4 may register for the CogAT Assessment to determine qualification for the WCPS Magnet Program for High Achieving Students.  The CogAT Abilities Test (CogAT) assesses a student’s abilities in the areas of verbal, non-verbal, and quantitative reasoning. 

Testing Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Location:  The Schumaker Complex at Parkside High School

Address:  916 S. Schumaker Dr. Salisbury, MD  21804

Time:  8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Registration: February 17, 2025 to March 21, 2025

**Registration link will post on February 17, 2025

Details HERE!