Gifted and Talented Education Program
GATE/HIGH ACHIEVERS CAMP 2024
All high achievers, and of course, GATE students, are invited. Please check our GATE website to learn more about the camps.
GATE PARENTS!
Does your 3rd - 6th grade GATE student love writing? If yes, please consider having your child participate in our Science Essay Writing Contest on April 11, 2024 at Olympus JHS. Contest starts at 4:00 PM. Room is TBD.
Ready to join? Email jgarofalo@eurekausd.org
ANNOUNCEMENT: TESTING IN 2024
Dear Families,
We will send out testing invites on December 5, 2023. You will be asked to complete a Testing Registration Form and sign (electronically) a Testing Consent Form. Testing dates are in February. See table below. NOTE: If transportation is a problem for your student, please let us know (email gmyers@eurekausd.org )
Thank you!
GATE & High Achieving Students
EUSD recognizes that gifted and/or high-achieving students have unique learning needs that demand a different type of academic intervention, one that matches their capacity for more advanced and complex work. Our vision is to continue to improve our program for GATE/High-Achievers Program providing them multiple opportunities to learn and interact with each other. This may included pull out programs, special projects, cluster grouping as well as full time ability grouping, and afterschool learning opportunities as well as summer camps designed for the gifted and advanced learner.
100%!
In English Language Arts, 100% of our GATE students MET/EXCEEDED standards in CAASPP 2022.
98%!
In Math, 98% of our GATE students MET/EXCEEDED standards in CAASPP 2022.
94%
In Science, 5th and 8th Grade GATE students MET/EXCEEDED standards in CAAPP 2022.
SAVE THE DATE! GATE PARENT NIGHT FOR 2024:
MARCH 20, 2024 AT ECC
(WHITE BUILDING BEHIND DISTRICT OFFICE)
ANNOUNCEMENT
The 2022-23 testing cycle for GATE is CLOSED. Testing ends on February 11, 2023. Please understand that if you did not (1) register your child for testing, and (2) submit a completed/signed Testing Consent Form, your child will not be administered the test.
EUSD lacks the funding and resources that will allow us to have an extended testing period and hence, we must follow deadlines. We are sorry if we cannot accommodate any late registrants.
My child missed testing...
Here are two options for 2024:
Have your child test next year! EUSD offers annual testing for free (two opportunities).
GATE Testing Option - We partner with CSUS for testing through their Counseling and Diagnostic Services. Please follow this LINK for more information and to complete the Interest Form.
How many GATE students are there in EUSD?
Approximately 227 students (Grades 3 -8) gifted students attend EUSD schools! This number is for the 2022-23 academic year. GATE students constitute 7% of the total student population of 3,163 (TK - 8th).
If only the testing population is considered, gifted students constitute 10% of our entire district population.
How many high-achieving students are there in EUSD?
From 2020-21 CAASPP data, 40% of EUSD students are exceeding standards in ELA and 36% in Math. Approximately 1/3 to almost 1/2 of our student population is exceeding standards in a pandemic-affected, chaotic school year. Prior to the pandemic, 2019, 43% (ELA) and 42% (Math) of our students are exceeding grade-level standards!
We want to have our child qualify for the GATE Program!
Please watch out for a letter of invitation to be sent from our office before the winter break (~ approximately December 9). You MUST register your student to participate in testing. To complete your registration, you must submit a signed and completed TESTING CONSENT FORM by the end of January 20, 2023. Testing will be conducted at all TK-3 sites. Additional testing sites will be scheduled.
Who is eligible to test?
We welcome all 2nd graders! An invitation to participate in the testing is emailed to all 2nd - 7th grade students annually, before school closes for the winter break.
All students get a 2nd opportunity for a FREE test. Unfortunately, EUSD does not have the resources (funding, staffing, and time) to test all students every year.
We have partnered with CSUS for NNAT-3 testing. Our district uses the Naglieri Non-Verbal Test of Ability, 3rd edition.
🏫 Each site implements a GATE delivery model that serves its unique demographics.
Excelsior Elementary School
At Excelsior Elementary and all TK-3 sites, GATE students are grouped in clusters and placed in a GATE Certified Teacher's classroom. This class is heterogeneous by nature, but placement protocols aim to not place at-risk and high needs students in this class to allow the teacher to differentiate without such a wide diversity in learning needs, and support the needs of all groups. EUSD is fortunate to have many teachers who are GATE-certified and able to differentiate not only for GATE students, but also for high-achieving students. View the various programs for GATE students at Excelsior HERE.
Ridgeview Elementary School
At Ridgeview Elementary School, GATE students are placed in more homogeneous classrooms with a GATE Certified Teacher. A BIG Cluster grouping is implemented for AY 23-24 . High performing students (CAASPP scores and teacher referrals are utilized) are often also placed in GATE classrooms. In such classrooms, teachers differentiate instruction by increasing depth and complexity of learning tasks assigned (this is also done in cluster-grouped classrooms). Options for specialized pull outs may exist.
For the most updated information about class placements, please contact your site principal.
GATE Certification for Teachers
EUSD provides multiple opportunities for teachers to learn about ways to differentiate instruction for gifted (and high achieving) students. These differentiation strategies include varying levels of complexity and depth for any lesson. Teachers learn, collaborate, and discuss research on effective instruction for gifted students. A total of 18 hours of course work and 9 hours of developing differentiated lessons is required to be GATE-certified at EUSD.
GATE/High Achievers' Camp
Every summer, EUSD offers inquiry-based learning opportunities for GATE/HA students focused on the thinking skills under STEAM: reasoning, design thinking, creativity, and critical thinking. EUSD uses the award winning Engineering is Elementary curriculum for its GATE/HA Camps.
For 2023, EUSD is accepting donations to fund our camps!
brochure and the class matrix/schedule HERE.
GATE/High Achiever Camps
At this point, we have no capacity to serve students in Grades K and 1. Our camps are vey limited in space as we cannot charge families. If you have a GATE-eligible student, you should have received an invitation for your 2nd-8th grade student.
Thank you for understanding.