Recognize Uniqueness
                                                                                  
Too often Christian education is a limited ministry - limited to those who are capable of conforming to pre-determined academic standards, without regard to students who either surpass those standards or are unable to meet them. 

A desire to meet the needs of these students gave rise in 1984 to the establishment of Talent Development, a ministry to the student who, for one reason or another, does not perform well in a traditional classroom environment. 

They are usually identified as frustrated, discouraged, and possibly failing in one or more subjects.  Yet, many times, testing reveals them to be extremely bright, capable of working beyond their grade level!  How do we reach them?  How can we prevent despair and mental resignation?  Talent Development has been designed with such a student in mind. 

The Bible teaches that our accountability to God is a very personal one (Romans 14:12).  Believers will not be judged according to the actions of others; rather, we will be judged based upon what we have done with what He has given us.  This, of course, includes our abilities and talents.  In Talent Development, this principle is taken into the classroom, where students are evaluated according to their own abilities, rather than comparatively rated against other students.  Furthermore, in the realm of stewardship, poor management of that which God has given us may result in our losing that resource.  At Hilltop we are concerned when a student fails to achieve his academic potential. We believe that we are obligated to discover the reasons behind his dilemma, and then minister to him, as we seek to bridge whatever learning gaps may exist.  God’s principles simply cannot be ignored.

Due to the nature of the program, both curriculum and instruction is highly individualized, with a student to teacher ratio of approximately 8:1.  With a computer-facilitated curriculum, tradition is all but abandoned, as we endeavor to meet the educational needs of these young people.