Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
What does it mean to be "gifted"?According to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC):
"Although interpretations of the word "gifted" seem limitless, there are a handful of foundational definitions that may be categorized from conservative (related to demonstrated high IQ) to liberal (a broadened conception that includes multiple criteria that might not be measured through an IQ test). "Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports). "The development of ability or talent is a lifelong process. It can be evident in young children as exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of ability or as a rapid rate of learning, compared to other students of the same age, or in actual achievement in a domain. As individuals mature through childhood to adolescence, however, achievement and high levels of motivation in the domain become the primary characteristics of their giftedness. Various factors can either enhance or inhibit the development and expression of abilities. To read the NAGC position paper, Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigm click here. "A person's giftedness should not be confused with the means by which giftedness is observed or assessed. Parent, teacher, or student recommendations, a high mark on an examination, or a high IQ score are not giftedness; they may be a signal that giftedness exists. Some of these indices of giftedness are more sensitive than others to differences in the person's environment." http://www.nagc.org/whatisgiftedness.aspx What is the difference between being "gifted" and being "bright"?How are students identified as being "gifted"?According to the current TTUSD GATE Plan, all students are tested in 3rd grade. The test being used is the OLSAT 8, which only tests for academic giftedness. All students who score in the 95th percentile or higher on the OLSAT 8 are "identified" as "GATE". Once a student is identified GATE, they retain this status throughout their TTUSD career. Students who are new to the district and have not been tested, can request to be tested. Currently, the testing window for GATE is at the end of February/beginning of March.
What are "multiple intelligences"?Howard Gardner, of Harvard, first proposed his Theory of Multiple Intelligences in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. According to Gardner, there are three overarching categories of intelligence:
Of these categories, Gardner holds that there are eight abilities that meet the criteria of an "intelligence":
The Theory of Multiple Intelligences argues that a person can be gifted in one or more of these intelligences, and that giftedness is not limited to academic giftedness, which is often measured by IQ tests. What unique social/emotional needs might a gifted student exhibit?Gifted students often have social-emotional needs that non-gifted students do not experience. Some of the most common social-emotional needs that gifted students may exhibit* include:
*Please Note: Not all students experience these needs, and many may experience them with differing intensity at different points in their lives. My child is "twice exceptional"--what does that mean?Twice exceptional, or 2E, refers to students who are both gifted and also have a diagnosed learning disability of some kind. Due to the fact that gifted students often learn very quickly, students that are twice exceptional are not always identified for further testing because their disabilities may seem to be characteristics of underachieving or "lazy" gifted students. If you feel that your student needs to be tested for a learning disability, please contact your student's teacher and counselor as soon as possible.
My student has been identified "GATE"--can you recommend some resources?GATE Planning UpdateThe current GATE Plan sunsets on June 30, 2014. We have been working tirelessly to update and revise the plan for the next three years. Below is a draft copy of the plan. The plan will no longer be going before the School Board on July 9th--we will keep you updated as soon as a date has been set. Please let me know if you have any feedback on the plan via email. I have also included a summary of the plan. Thank you for your help!
GATE GazetteThis year we are publishing a quarterly newsletter for our GATE students. Please download below:
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It's that time again! GATE testing time!!!Tahoe Truckee USD just finished the last round of GATE testing this year. Children identified for the GATE program by the OLSAT8 this spring will be eligible for gifted services in the fall. Unfortunately, it does take some time to get the test scores back, so please have patience (letters will be going home to families with students who have qualified by June). In the meantime, do you have some questions about TTUSD's identification procedures? Please see the attachment below for more information, or contact your site's GATE Coordinator with specific questions about your student or his/her scores.
GATE Pilot at GES and ACMSOn August 20, 2014, the TTUSD School Board unanimously approved the GATE Pilot program, which is scheduled to take place at Glenshire Elementary School (GES) and Alder Creek Middle School (ACMS). A copy of the pilot is attached below.
What is TTUSD's Role in Gifted Education?According to the current TTUSD GATE Plan:
"It is the mission of Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD), to educate all students in a safe and supportive learning environment, promoting academic excellence and ethical and responsible citizenship, while building community and parent partnerships. With regard especially to the education of students identified by the district as gifted, the district recognizes that students with exceptionally high level of ability and/or achievement have unique educational needs. The district also recognizes that these students have unique characteristics and social/emotional needs, and that gifted students come from all cultural and economic backgrounds. The district has high expectations that all of its students will achieve district and state grade level standards, and provides opportunities for students who have the ability to exeed the standard to receive differentiated curriculum. In accordance with the district's mission and philosophy, (Ed. Code Sec. 52200), the goals of the TTUSD GATE program are to:
What services are currently offered for "gifted" students in TTUSD?TTUSD offers many services for our gifted students, which include*:
*Please Note: Not all programs are offered at all sites
How can I get involved?We have several ways for you to get involved with the GATE program this year:
What is the G-DAC?The GATE District Advisory Committee (G-DAC), formerly known as the GATE Advisory Group, is a group that is made up of administrators, teachers, parents, students and community members who are dedicated to promoting the success of TTUSD’s gifted, high achieving and accelerated learners, and addressing the unique needs that these remarkable scholars have. All are welcome to attend the meetings, and we welcome your voice and opinions as we address the most pressing needs of our academically gifted scholars. G-DAC will meet at the district office in Truckee once a quarter to discuss programmatic
issues. Similarly, there will be one parent workshop a quarter to discuss relevant topics for families with gifted, high achieving or accelerated learners. Below are the schedules for the G-DAC meetings and parent workshops (Spanish translators will be available at all meetings): G-DAC Meetings:
. November 13, 2014 Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Board Room Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All GATE Stakeholders February 12, 2015 Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Board Room Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All GATE Stakeholders May 20, 2015 Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Room 8 Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All GATE Stakeholders Parent Workshops . October 30, 2014 Topic: Executive Function and Your Child Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Board Room Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All are welcome! January 22, 2015 Topic: Social-Emotional Characteristics of Gifted Children Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Board Room Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All are welcome! April 16, 2015 Topic: Depth and Complexity Icons Event Location: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office Room: Board Room Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm Who Is Invited: All are welcome!
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