Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)

Introduction

Children are gifted when their ability is significantly above the norm for their age.  

Giftedness may manifest in one or more domains such as; intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or in a specific academic field such as language arts, mathematics or science.

It is difficult to estimate the absolute number of gifted children in the U.S. and the world because the calculation is dependent on the number of areas, or domains, being measured and the method used to identify gifted children. However, many consider children who are within the top 10 percent in relation to a national and/or local norm to be a good guide for identification and services.

Parents, educators, and the broader community have a responsibility to support all children as they reach for their personal best.  It is essential to support the growth and development of the whole gifted child including their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical domains.

Student Selection

Students are assessed for their eligibility in our Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, like many of our specialty education programs, based upon a multiple-measures system throughout the Beginning, Middle and End of the school year.   Similar to Basic Skills Instruction (BSI), there are two major points regarding the development of the student selection process.  One is the setting of a district standard/norm which will be used to determine the pool of educationally gifted and advantaged students, and the second is the setting of selection criteria to determine which students will be selected.  We have established district standards so that we assess all students equitably.  Multiple measures are used to select children based on the district norm and placement on the following:

• • • • CogAT - Cognitive Ability Test

      • LinkIt! Standards-Based Benchmarks

      • NJSLA ELA and Math Scores

      • Teacher Recommendations 

      • STAR Reading/Math Assessment (as needed)

• All second grade students will be screened for GATE to qualify for second and third grade.  All fourth grade students will be screened for GATE to qualify for fourth and fifth grade. 

  • • • This is designed to make sure that the students who truly need the services receive them.  Because we use multiple measures, things can changes between second and fourth grade and it is possible that the service will no longer be needed for some students while a student who did not qualify in second grade could need the service in fourth grade. 

• • Please see the matrix below for specific selection criteria.