GATE PROGRAM GOALS

The Garvey School District GATE program’s goal is to identify gifted and talented students, including those from diverse racial, socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, and provide high-quality differentiated learning opportunities that meet the student’s particular abilities and talents.

Gifted and Talented

Education Program

Mrs. Virginia Peterson

Superintendent

Mrs. Katharine Apel

Supervisor GATE/Media/Library

KEY DIMENSIONS

1.To ensure that all educational programs are based on high and challenging standards and are accompanied by a process of monitoring and determining effectiveness.

2.To ensure that all students are provided with integrated and coordinated programs based on needs and educationally sound and legally acceptable educational practice.

3.To ensure that all students have equitable access to and opportunity to participate in and benefit from high quality curricular and extracurricular activities.

4.To ensure that all students have access to qualified teachers, administrators, and other staff members and that all educators have access to high quality professional growth opportunities.

5. To ensure that parents and members of the community have an opportunity to assist in and support the creation of educational partnerships.

6.To ensure that financial plans and practices meet legal requirements and programs operate to achieve priorities and goals for student success.

GarveySchool District

GATE Program

“Following State guidelines, the District considers multiple measures in determining eligibility.”

Students may be nominated by teachers, parents or self referred in any one of three categories:

INTELLECTUAL ABILITY:

All students in grades 3-8 have the opportunity to take the district’s designated examinations to determine eligibility for the category of intellectually gifted.

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT:

Students must score at or above the 95th percentile on the CAT-6 in at least two out of three academic areas for two years in a row, and the School Site and GATE Coordinator must support the recommendation.

SPECIFIC ACADEMIC ABILITY:

Same guidelines as above except in one academic area for two consecutive years.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE:

Students may be nominated by teachers or parents. Following State guidelines, the District considers multiple measures (i.e. standardized tests, report cards, teacher referral, observations, interviews, etc.) in determining eligibility. The nomination process begins at the site level where a portfolio of the child’s work, copies of test scores and report card grades, and at least two teacher recommendations are collected.

The school site GATE committee reviews the materials and makes a recommendation to the GATE coordinator for initial testing. All the materials and results are reviewed before final placement in the GATE program.

Characteristics of GATE students:

A gifted child could possess any of the following characteristics:

Is comfortable with abstract thinking.

Curious; asks questions.

Intense; may become absorbed in activities and thoughts.

May work in a careless manner.

May engage in self-initiated activities independently.

May demonstrate leadership qualities.

May have high developed sense of humor for peer group.

Prefers flexibility to routine.

Prefers complex and challenging tasks.

Catches on quickly but may resist doing routine work.

“A well thought out written educational plan helps parents and teachers ensure that a gifted child (with advanced development in one or more areas) will receive consistent curriculum and school instruction that is geared to his or her academic ability and potential…”

Parents of GATE students are invited to participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of all program activities through the District GATE Advisory Committee.

For more information contact:

Mrs. Katharine Apel

GATE Supervisor

(626) 307-3415

(626)927-5099, Ext.2401

GarveySchool District

Board Members:

Robert Bruesch

Irene Flores

Henry Lo

John Yuen

Felipe Agredano