>> Students in LAUSD may be designated Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) in 7 categories:
Intellectual Achievement (K+, tested by LAUSD psych, once during K-12. Outside tests may supplement but not supplant)
High Achievement (OLSAT in gr 2 and/or two consecutive years of high achievement in reading and/or math, gr 5 and above)
Specific Academic Ability (gr 5+, three consecutive years of high achievement in reading and/or math)
Creativity (gr 2+, portfolio showing extraordinary visionary inventions and innovations)
Leadership (gr 2+, portfolio showing exemplary leadership, problem-solving, purpose and direction)
Visual Arts (gr 2+, portfolio showing exemplary visual artistry)
Performing Arts (gr 2+ audition in the Spring)
>> Students may qualify in more than one category.
>> The process at Walgrove involves: All second-graders take the OLSAT test in the Spring, the results of which determine GATE designation in the category of High Achievement (though, not the only way to be designated in the category of High Achievement)
>> AND each year, each teacher marks any/all categories of potential GATE designation for each of their students on a school-wide roster. Dr. K (Walgrove's GATE coordinator) follows up to make sure those students are eventually referred in MiSIS and evaluated/approved by the SSPT (Student Support and Progress Team) and that their parents are informed so they have the opportunity to take the next steps, which may include participating (along with the school, in portfolio development).
PARENTS MAY ALSO REFER THEIR OWN CHILDREN FOR GATE. To do so, complete Attachment C of this document (for Intellectual Ability) or the equivalent form for one or more of the other categories:
High Achievement or Specific Ability
While all submissions are all year long on a rolling basis, the District does set deadlines in mid to late April for students who will need Intellectual Ability testing before the subsequent school year and students who have to audition/demo in late May for VAPA: drawing/painting, drama, dance or voice.
INFO REGARDING PORTFOLIOS AND AUDITIONS
>> The benefits of being designated GATE include, but are not limited to, having access to certain classes, such as honors classes (especially in middle and high school); certain programs, such as honors programs; and certain schools, such as magnet schools, Schools for Advanced Studies and schools for the Highly Gifted.
Magnet schools are typically schools with very particular foci, such as visual and performing arts, media studies, civic involvement, science, etc.
Schools for Advanced Studies are schools that have applied for that particular designation (the process happens every five years). As part of the application process, schools must show a consistent commitment to training their teachers in strategies designed to meet the needs of gifted students. (Walgrove intends to apply for the next five-year cycle. All our teachers are trained to teach gifted students.)
>> While students who are already designated GATE automatically qualify for magnet and SAS schools, students do NOT have to be designated GATE in order to attend such schools. Once a parent applies for such a school during during the E-Choices Unified Enrollment period, their child's name appears in a database. The current principal logs into that database by a specific deadline (usually in January) and places a "YES" or "NO" next to each applicant's name based on certain criteria -- see Section B #3. Many Walgrove students attend magnets and SAS middle schools this way. For all those within the Mark Twain footprint, I submit a list of qualified students (per the same criteria) to Mark Twain's Assistant Principal, Kerrie Egerton, and she places those students in SAS classes.
>>There is no need to attend a magnet or SAS school in order to enjoy a robust GATE education. All LAUSD schools (and all schools in the nation, actually) are required to meet the needs of Gifted and Talented students, and your neighborhood school might have much more to offer than a gifted magnet.
There are so many things to consider when choosing the right school.
For more GATE info, please attend Coffee and Diet Coke with the Principal, which happen weekly.
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