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, their student will be admitted to GATE.