This page contains answers to common questions from students and parents.
- What is GATE?
- Is there a GATE program at Centralia School?
- What does GATE do for my child? What are the benefits of being in GATE?
- How do I know if my child is GATE or not?
- How can my child qualify for the GATE program?
- Can my child get into the GATE program during the school year?
- Is there anything my child can study for to pass 'The Test?'
- So when will the GATE program start?
- If my child is in a GATE class, is my child automatically GATE?
- What is a 'GATE SIT meeting?' What happens at a GATE SIT meeting?
- What about junior high options? What is Oxford Academy?
- What if I still have more questions about the GATE Program?
What is GATE?
GATE stands for 'Gifted and Talented Education.'
Is there a GATE program at Centralia School?
Yes there is a GATE program at Centralia School. All GATE identified
students will continue to receive services throughout the school year
in their regular classroom.
What does GATE do for my child? What are the benefits of being in GATE?
GATE is designed to help stimulate your child's innate academic and creative
processes. GATE certified teachers are trained to help your child look at
content more deeply, complexly, or with novelty. It's about making
connections to other concepts in the world or to what your child has already
learned. Your child's academics are differentiated in either the content
(what they learn), the process (how it's learned), or the product (the
demonstration of assessment). Some of the benefits is that your child is
grouped with like-minded peers, your child is with a teacher who has been
trained to use the Depth & Complexity Icons and the Content Imperatives, and
the teacher is trained on how to work with the Social/Emotional needs that
come with a GATE student.
How do I know if my child is GATE or not?
If your child was permanently identified GATE, you would have attended a
GATE SIT meeting that was attended by your child's teacher, the GATE Leader,
and the Principal. Another way to know if your child is in the GATE program
is having a copy of the IGP (Individualized GATE Plan)that is completed
during the Fall Parent-Teacher conferences. If you are still unsure, please
contact the GATE Lead Teacher, Mrs. Heidner, tracey_heidner@cesd.us or at
(714) 228-3210.
How can my child qualify for the GATE program?
First and foremost, let me make it clear that 'qualification' does not mean
placement.
There are several ways that a student can qualify for the GATE program. One
mehtod is by looking at a student's STAR test scores that are released in
the Fall. We look at the California Standards Test (CST) whereby the child
must score in the Advanced range in both Language Arts and Math AND their
score must be an average of 450. The other way to qualify for the GATE
program is to have your child cognitively tested. The testing usually is
done at the request of a teacher because he or she is seeing specific
characteristics that might indicate the child may be gifted. Parents can
also recommend that their child be tested for GATE, but that should be
discussed with a GATE Leader and/or the child's teacher first.
However, just because your child may qualify for GATE based on either CST
scores or a cognitive test, it does not mean that your child is
automatically GATE.
There is a process and a series of data that must be obtained before making
that decision. See "What is a GATE SIT" for further information.
Can my child get into the GATE program during the school year?
Yes, your child can enter the program at any time during the school year.
There are even some students who are placed in the program as late as in
May! However, if your child is not already in a GATE cluster classroom, and
he or she qualifies during the school year, parents must make the decision
to have their child be moved to a GATE cluster classroom or not. Either
way, your options are discussed with you during the GATE SIT meeting.
Is there anything my child can study for to pass 'The Test?'
No, there is nothing you or your child can do to pass the cognitive test.
Intelligence is not something that can be gained by studying. Intelligence
is inherent in the child from early-on. Some cognitive GATE tests measure
how much a child knows above their normed age-ability peers meaning, 'Do
they read and comprehend far above their grade level? Can they calculate
advanced or complex mathematical functions above their grade level by about
2 years or more?' GATE cognitive tests measure how you think, solve and
analyze problems.
So when will the GATE program start?
The mindset of most people is that GATE is what happened after school. But
in reality, that is not when your child becomes a 'GATE' student. GATE
instruction will occur through out the day in all subjects with a GATE
cluster teacher.
If my child is in a GATE class, is my child automatically GATE?
Your child is NOT automatically GATE even if he or she is in a GATE
classroom. Remember, a GATE teacher has only a cluster (a small group) of
students who are identified. It is possible that your child will receive
some of the same work as a GATE child due to each individual child's
educational needs and preparedness.
What is a 'GATE SIT meeting?' What happens at a GATE SIT meeting?
A GATE SIT meeting is defined as 'Gifted and Talented Education Student
Intervention Meeting.' This is the formal meeting for a child to enter or
exit the GATE program. At this important meeting, the parents, the child,
the child's teacher, the Principal, the GATE Leader, and sometimes the
Psychologist, discuss the results of all the data gathered on the child and
determine if placing the child into the GATE program is an appropriate
choice.
There may come a time that you or the teacher feels that the GATE program is
not benefiting your child for some reason. Your child is not dropped from
the program just because the parent or the teacher thinks so. There must be
another GATE SIT meeting to decide if it's the best decision to do or
determine other courses of actions. So if your child qualified for GATE
based on CST scores one year and your child entered into the GATE program,
then his or her test scores didn't meet the GATE requirements, your child is
NOT dropped from the program. We start looking at ways to improve those
scores. Remember that a student is dropped from GATE after having a GATE
SIT meeting and making that decision as a team; no one individual can make
that decision.
What about junior high options? What is Oxford Academy?
All of the local junior high schools, Orangeview, Walker, etc., are part of
the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), and each school has a GATE
program. Your child will go on and continue their GATE program at their
junior high school. Some time around December/January, the Centralia School
District has a spokesperson from the Anaheim Union High School District meet
with parents whose children are in the GATE program. AT this meeting,
program options and graduation requirements for all the junior highs and
high schools are discussed. There is usually an emphasis questioned about
Oxford Academy.
Oxford Academy is a public school whereby students qualify by taking an
entrance test (similar to the CST) and write an essay. Oxford is an
academically rigorous school. Some time in January, all 6th grade teachers
are given Oxford Academy applications and brochures. In order to
take the test, students must have scored at least Proficient in both areas
on the CSTs in 5th grade and have Bs or As on their 3rd trimester report
cards from 5th grade (maybe even 4th grade). Copies of that paperwork are
mandatory with the application. Oxford also requires a copy of the most
current report card from 6th grade. If entrance into this school is a
priority to you and your child, start early on in preparing them for
success. Discuss your desire for Oxford with your child's 6th grade teacher
or with Mrs. Heidner for things you can do to prepare for the test during
the Fall Parent-Teacher conferences.
What if I still have more questions about the GATE Program?
If you still have questions about the GATE program, please contact the
GATE Leader, Mrs. Heidner. Email me at tracey_heidner@cead.us or call me at(714)
228-3210.