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GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION
CATEGORIES FOR IDENTIFICATION Intellectual Ability A student demonstrates extraordinary or potential for extraordinary intellectual development. High Achievement A student consistently produces advanced ideas and products and/or attains exceptionally high scores on achievement tests. Specific Academic Achievement A student functions at highly advanced academic levels in particular subject areas. Visual and Performing Arts A student originates, performs, produces, or responds at extraordinarily high levels in the arts. - From AREAS OF IDENTIFICATION AND PROCEDURES INTELLECTUAL IDENTIFICATION All district second graders are given the opportunity to test for Intellectual identification when a parent signs and submits a Permission to Test form. A testing calendar is developed by the district Psychologist who administers the test at individual school sites. Students in grades other than second grade are tested twice a year. Assessment
3. Stanford Binet
Referral Any student in the Teachers complete a Teacher Indicator of Performance (TIP) Survey which includes:
High school students contact the school counselor or the GATE Department for self-referral. HIGH ACHIEVEMENT The Department of Accountability and Assessment provides the Gate department with the names of students with Advanced scores in both language arts and mathematics on the California Standards Test annually to identify students academically. Scores are matched with grades for identification. Assessment Students who are identified for high academic achievement consistently produce advanced ideas and products and attain exceptionally high scores on achievement tests. Results of standardized tests administered by the district in two areas tested for two consecutive years are used for identification.
SPECIFIC ACADEMIC ABILITY The Department of Accountability and Assessment rprovides the GATE department the names of students with Advanced scores language arts or mathematics on the California Standards Test annually to identify students academically. Scores are matched with grades for identification. Assessment Students who are identified for specific academic ability function at highly advanced academic levels in particular subject areas. Test results on standardized tests administered by the district in one of the areas tested for two consecutive years are used for identification.
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS (VAPA) VAPA auditions for potential talented students in the visual and performing arts are held once a year. Students who are identified for talent in the visual and performing arts score at extraordinarily high levels in the arts based on area-specific criteria in an audition or demonstration before a panel of judges. Areas of focus include dance, theatre arts, vocal music, instrumental music, and visual arts.
Referral Any student in the Teachers may also complete a Teacher Indicator of Performance (TIP) Survey for VAPA which includes characteristics from the Renzulli Checklist:
SERVICES AND INSTRUCTION INTELLECTUAL, HIGH ACHIEVEMENT AND SPECIFIC ACADEMIC ABILITY Grades 3–5 Elementary students are served in cluster or special day classes for special ed students. Grades 6–8 Middle school students are taught by a GATE team of teachers at each grade level. Grades 9–12 Students at comprehensive high schools enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. TALENT Middle and high school students enroll in classes that meet their identified area of talent. They may also participate in the spring Visual and Performing Arts after school program. Classes are open to all identified GATE/VAPA students in grades 3-12 in art, music (instrumental and vocal), dance and drama. For all gifted and talented students, individual schools may also offer after school and extracurricular activities. TEACHERS Teachers of GATE students provide instruction in the core content areas that is differentiated for depth and complexity. Instruction can also be accelerated or compacted to meet student needs. GATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION Elementary and middle school teachers currently assigned to GATE-designated classes are urged to complete a GATE Certificate within three years of the time they begin to teach GATE students. The district cooperates with the PARENT INVOLVEMENT NEW GATE PARENTS Parents of students who passed tests or auditions must submit a signed Parent Permission to Place form to the GATE Department. The form is required by the THE ROLE OF A GATE PARENT The GATE Parent Handbook provides information and resources to assist parents in assuming a critical role in the academic, social and emotional development of their student. Critical concepts include that they support student's needs, skills and interests. The special needs of gifted children at home are met by:
GATE PARENT STEERING COMMITTEE Parents are an important part of the district's Gifted and Talented Education Program. Parental and community involvement is encouraged through participation in the District GATE Parent Steering Committee. Contact your principal if you are interested in becoming a representative. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The following may assist in answering general questions you may have a bout the gifted and talented education program at Moreno Valley Unified School District. 1. Why is the GATE program using the Raven test for intellectual identification? 2. May my kindergartner or first grader be tested? 3. Does the Raven test only cognitive skills? What about a child with excellent verbal skills? 4. Why do I have to fill out and sign the Parent Survey at the time of testing? 5. How long does the test take? 6. What do I do to have my child tested? 7. How long does it take to get results after the test? 8. How many times may my child be tested for intellectual identification? 9. If my child is not identified, may he/she still participate in the GATE program? 10. Will my elementary school child need to be re-tested when entering middle school? 11. Is private intelligence testing accepted for identification? 12. If my child was identified in another district, may he/she be identified in this district? 13. What makes a GATE class different from a regular class? 14. What are cluster classes and after school programs? 15. What happens if my child has a learning disability or other handicapping condition? 16. What steps should be taken if my child is not performing well in GATE? 19. How can I tell if my child is receiving a differentiated curriculum? 1. Why is the GATE program using the Raven test for intellectual identification? The Moreno Valley Unified School District, in researching other districts with outstanding programs, adopted the Raven Progressive Matrices as its test of first choice. The district administers other tests when students have not performed well on the Raven and retesting is requested by a parent or when identifying for talent in the visual and performing arts. 2.May my kindergartner or first grader be tested? Moreno Valley begins the identification process by testing all second graders. Kindergartners are not tested. 3.Does the Raven test only cognitive skills? What about a child with excellent verbal skills? All tests used in the Gifted and Talented Education program require some measure of cognitive as well as verbal skill. The Raven, although considered a non-reading test, contains many elements of word usage, abstract reasoning skill, and language acquisition. Results have shown that with the Raven, gifted traits are recognized in students with both strong verbal skills and non-verbal skills. 4.Why do I have to fill out and sign the Parent Survey at the time of testing? The parent survey gives the district psychologist insight into the inner workings of your child's thought processes. Gifted students often take unusual approaches to normal childhood activities. The survey may also assist in identifying performance inhibitors that are helpful in identifying underachieving gifted students. 5.How long does the test take? The Raven is administered in an un-timed testing session. Some children work at a rapid pace while others like to take their time. The majority of students complete the test in 40-50 minutes. 6.What do I do to have my child tested? Parents may refer a child for screening to determine eligibility for testing through a teacher or through the GATE Department. If the student is eligible for testing, the GATE Department schedules an appointment. All second graders are tested throughout the year at each school site. 7.How long does it take to get results after the test? The district psychologist provides results to the GATE Department. A letter with the results is sent to parents when they are received. This usually happens within a three-week period. 8.How many times may my child be tested for intellectual identification? Any student, parent, or guardian may request re-testing after six months. A student may only be re-tested once. However, it is wise to remember, that many excellent students are not gifted nor need alternate assessments to make the identification. A student's self-esteem should be considered when requesting re-testing. 9.If my child is not identified, may he/she still participate in the GATE program? Schools determine which non-identified students are scheduled into a cluster class with identified GATE students. Non-GATE identified students enroll in GATE classes with the understanding that newly-identified students, or GATE students new to the district, will have priority for placement, even when they transfer in or are identified after the beginning of the year. 10.Will my elementary school child need to be re-tested when entering middle school? No. Once a child is GATE-identified, they are always identified, even if the parent does not place them in a GATE class. Identified students will be appropriately placed by the receiving school site. 11.Is private intelligence testing accepted for identification? The GATE Department will review the results of tests administered by an outside psychologist to determine if it can be accepted. 12.If my child was identified in another district, may he/she be identified in this district? Confidential GATE records provided by the other district are used to make a decision about identification criteria. If they are compatible, placement is made. If not, your student can use the testing procedure for identification in this district. 13.What makes a GATE class different from a regular class? Cluster classes have certified GATE teachers or teachers working toward certification in differentiated instruction and the social and emotional needs of gifted students. One can expect a GATE class to have challenging activities that extend the regular lesson to new and more difficult levels of understanding. 14.What are cluster classes and after school programs? Almost all elementary schools in the district have cluster classes that serve the needs of GATE students during the regular day of instruction. A cluster class is a class in which GATE identified students are often placed with high achieving students that have not been identified, as well as regular education students. After-school enrichment programs are available at some sites. 15.What happens if my child has a learning disability or other handicapping condition? It has been found that children with most learning disabilities do quite well on the Raven. Alternate assessments can be arranged if the handicapping condition prevents traditional assessment. Students can be identified as both gifted and with learning disabilities. Such students qualify for services from all appropriate programs and an individual program will be designed to meet his/her needs. 16.What steps should be taken if my child is not performing well in GATE? Schedule a conference with your child’s teacher. 17.If my child is identified as GATE in Performing Arts, will he/she automatically be put in an academic GATE group? No, not always. Placement in GATE programs is based on the specific identified abilities of the student. 18.If my child is identified as GATE in Language Arts, will he/she automatically be put in a math class? Not always. If a student is identified for specific academic ability in language arts, they might not be placed in a GATE math class. If a student is intellectually identified, however, he/she might be placed in a GATE math class based on prior academic performance. 19.How can I tell if my child is receiving a differentiated curriculum? Request a meeting with your student’s teacher. |
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