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MONTECITO
UNION SCHOOL
GATE IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA
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Montecito Union School
Mission Statement and Core Beliefs
Our mission is to challenge the hearts and the
minds of students and to provide them with an educational
experience that serves as a roadmap for future
success in an ever-changing society. We will accomplish
this as a partnership of children, parents, school
staff, and community, working together to ensure
that each student:
• Experiences success through a dynamic and
balanced curriculum
• Takes responsibility for meeting high academic and social standards
• Becomes a responsible, respectful citizen who contributes to society
• Develops a sense of pride in his/her accomplishments
• Values the life-long learning process
The Montecito Union School District is dedicated
to excellence in academic achievement and development
of the visual and performing arts. This commitment
includes providing specialized programs for students
with extraordinary learning needs resulting from
their advanced intellectual and academic ability
and/or their special talents in visual and performing
arts.
To address the challenge of educating this student population, MUS has a school
wide program for the gifted and talented. The gifted and talented program provides
learning experiences and opportunities that are commensurate with the academic
needs and abilities of these students, as well as their specific talents in
the visual and performing arts.
What is the GATE program?
The GATE program is the educational program designed
to address the learning styles of the students
who have been identified as gifted and talented.
The MUS GATE program is based on the most current
research in gifted education. The GATE program
goals are to
• meet students' intellectual needs,
• motivate students to reach their highest potential,
• increase the application of critical thinking skills,
• promote positive social-emotional skills.
These are in keeping with the State Education Code's directions for programs
for the gifted and talented. Differentiation of course content is achieved
through added depth, complexity, novelty, and acceleration. Teachers have received
staff development in differentiation of instruction. To assist teachers in
meeting the needs of the gifted and talented, professional development, resources,
and support services are provided.
Clusters of GATE students have been placed in
each classroom. In addition to differentiating
the instruction, GATE students, as well as other
high achieving students, may be placed in ability
leveled groupings to better meet their needs. Teachers
in grades 4-6 offer academic groupings in CHALLENGE
MATH classes as well as CHALLENGE BOOK CLUB. Students
have the opportunity to participate in rigorous,
enriched reading programs at each grade level.
At which grade levels do we have a GATE program?
For the purposes of funding, students in grades
4-6 can qualify for the GATE program if they meet
identification criteria. The faculty recognizes
that gifted students can be identified at earlier
ages, however, due to the nature of state funding
laws, it is fiscally more beneficial for Montecito
School District to identify fewer than 50 students.
Those 50 students can be identified in grades 4-6.
If we identified younger students, we would exceed
50 students and our allocation of funds would actually
be less than funding allocated for “smaller
school districts.”
Teachers in all grade levels are trained to recognize, identify and support
gifted students. They have been trained to differentiate instruction to meet
the needs of these students and students at all grade levels benefit from the
funding that GATE funds provide.
How can my child qualify for GATE?
For the purposes of funding, the Montecito Union
School is required to establish a process by which
students are identified for GATE. We have selected
grades 4, 5 and 6 to satisfy these requirements.
Fourth and fifth grade students are tested in February
each year, and qualification for GATE is based
on their performance on the Cognitive Abilities
Test (CogAT) as well as their scores on the spring
STAR achievement test. Testing for GATE is optional;
no student will be denied participation in any
activity because they have not qualified. Students
are placed in challenge math or reading groups
based on their abilities, regardless of whether
they have is qualified for the GATE program.
To find out more about the criteria used to qualify students as GATE, go to
the section termed “qualification criteria.”
What if my child does not qualify for
GATE?
If students do not qualify for GATE in fourth
grade, they can take the Cognitive Abilities Test
again in fifth grade. If they do not qualify in
fifth grade, they have an opportunity to retake
the test again in sixth grade. If a student wishes
to qualify for GATE in sixth grade, they are qualified
by Santa Barbara School District, to facilitate
the transfer as a GATE student into SBSD.
The GATE program is not a pull out program; it is not designed to exclude non-
GATE students from special programs. All students will have access to instruction
based on their abilities, regardless of whether they qualified for the GATE
program. GATE funds from the State are used for staff development, training
teachers to differentiate the instruction, to identify gifted students and
to provide programs like the Mini-Grant program, which are open to all students,
whether they are GATE identified or not.
MUS GATE Program Plan
In 2002, the district submitted and received
a two year approval for its gifted and talented
program. This year, we will be updating our district
plan for consideration by the state. The MUS GATE
Plan has been developed under the guidance of the
GATE coordinator and the district GATE advisory
committee. The plan is approved by the board of
education and will be submitted to the state of
California in June, 2005. The GATE Plan will be
available in the MUS library for public check out
after June, 2005.
GOALS OF THE MUS GATE PROGRAM
1. The MUS GATE program consists of clusters of
gifted students within homogeneous classrooms.
In addition, students have learning opportunities
that include advanced ability groupings, homogenous
small group instruction, teacher and student directed
learning and individualized learning opportunities.
2. All teachers are trained to differentiate instruction,
including depth and complexity, novelty and acceleration.
The structure of the differentiated curriculum
allows for continuity and comprehensiveness of
learning experiences in courses of study.
3. MUS is a “Habits of the Mind” School.
Students learn about successful strategies for
learning in an appropriately developmental manner,
and our school places high value on students who
use successful strategies.
4. The identification process for GATE is clearly
articulated to parents; students have the opportunity
to qualify for GATE on a yearly basis.
5. MUS teachers and administrators recognize that
students can be gifted intellectually, as well
as in the arts. Students who are recognized as
gifted in music, art, visual or performing arts
have instructional opportunities available to meet
their needs on a regular basis.
6. Teachers are trained and knowledgeable about
the social and emotional development of gifted
students and incorporate techniques to support
affective learning in the classroom.
7. Teachers at MUS have education and/or experience
in teaching gifted students or are insured opportunities
gain or continue such knowledge or experience.
8. The school provides parents of gifted students
with regular information and updates on the GATE
program and its implementation.
9. All components of the gifted program are evaluated
periodically by members of the GATE advisory program.
Teachers across grade levels use traditional and
non traditional strategies to assess student performance.
10. GATE funds are used for direct student services,
professional development, district level coordination
and the GATE student identification process.
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