Our Exceptional Saints Program offers support to our Saints across the academic spectrum. Our Learning Support Teachers provide push-in support within the classroom, collaborating closely with classroom teachers to meet student needs in an inclusive setting. Saints in grades 2-5 who are ready for a challenge are offered the opportunity to take part in the G.A.T.E. Program-a weekly pull out program that offers a bit more educational challenge to those students who fit the academic criteria.
G.A.T.E.
For qualified students, the GATE program will embed and accelerate the skills of the Diocesan Consensus Curriculum. The National Association of Gifted Children Programming Standards are also followed as they focus on the social, emotional, and academic needs of our GATE students. The goal of the GATE program is to address the learning needs of gifted and talented learners by differentiating the curriculum through academic challenge, extension, inquiry, creativity, interest, and inventive critical and higher-level thinking and questioning. Grades 2-5 GATE classes meet once a week for 90 minutes.
The eligibility process for Second Grade students occurs after the first quarter of second grade. This timing allows for students to be assessed on Fall MAP Growth and CogAT testing. The GATE Committee reviews the MAP and CogAT scores, in addition to First Quarter grades, and may then refer students for further information gathered from the administration of the Renzulli Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Students. Parents receive notification of their child’s acceptance to join our Grade 2 GATE program in the Second Quarter.
For new students to SGGS in Grades 2-5, if documentation is provided that their child has been identified as a gifted learner through a prior school system’s identification process or private psycho-educational testing, their student will be admitted to GATE. For new students to SGGS in Grades 2-5, if documentation is provided that their child has been identified as a gifted learner through a prior school system’s identification process or private psycho-educational testing, the student will be admitted to GATE.
Learner Support
The Learning Support Program is a support pull-out program for struggling learners with a focus on student ability rather than learning differences. An ongoing partnership with the Pathways teacher, classroom teacher, and parent(s) is established to help a student succeed in both the Learning Support class and the classroom as well as individualized out-of-the-classroom support.
The program’s eligibility requires the student to have a qualified complete battery of psycho-educational testing. In addition, recommendations by the classroom teacher and/or performance below grade level will also be considered in student placement.
Students are included, to the maximum extent possible, excluding the language arts block, in the regular classroom setting. They are members of their age-appropriate homerooms and are incorporated fully with those classes for religion, core curriculum subjects, art, music, library, physical education, lunch, and recess.
Title 1
A reading/mathematics resource teacher is on staff at Saint Gregory the Great School to provide support to the classroom teachers. Students identified with a need will be able to receive extra support.
To learn more about equitable services for private school students, click here.