Through a conceptually advanced curriculum, Multi Age Cluster Classes (MACC) provides academic enrichment and social-emotional support for grade 4-7 students. MACC students leave their catchment school for the school year to attend the classes. There are three MACC classes on the west side of Vancouver and one on the east side of Vancouver.  

Students must have a Ministry of Education gifted designation within the special education umbrella to attend MACC, this means passing a psychoeducational assessment with an IQ higher than 130. There are about 600 students in the District with gifted designations, and a total of 80 spaces available in MACC with no waitlist to attend. For the 2021-2022 school year, 73 students applied and met the criteria to enroll in MACC.

Revisioning MACC

The MACC program model was introduced over 30 years ago and the program has remained largely unchanged since its inception. The District is revisioning the structure of MACC, and evolving it to meet today’s education. Instead of segregating students, the District aims to integrate MACC students into the mainstream classroom to help them develop to their full potential.  

From January to February 2022, the District invites Vancouver students, their families, staff, stakeholders and related associations to participate in the engagement process, Revisioning MACC, to help the District reimagine the structure of MACC. As part of this work the District is proposing to rename the program to Gifted Enrichment Centre. The community’s feedback will be used to inform the new program design. 

Until this process takes place, no changes impact the MACC program. In addition, changes to MACC will be phased-in. No current MACC student will be asked to leave the program. Every student currently enrolled in MACC will be able to finish future grades they have left in the program.