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This page was last
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January 14, 2008.

Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) Program, Secondary Level

 

Proposed Fall 2009 Secondary GATE Qualification Criteria

GATE Testing Policy for Students Entering Seventh Grade

(Effective December 4, 2007)

GIFTED AND TALENTED (GATE) TESTING POLICY FOR STUDENTS ENTERING SEVENTH GRADE

In order to ensure that students entering the Santa Barbara High School District’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program are indeed qualified for the level of challenge presented in seventh grade and beyond. The following policies will guide testing of incoming seventh graders from the Santa Barbara Elementary, Montecito Union, Cold Spring, Hope, and Goleta Union school districts:

• A student who has not qualified for participation in another district’s elementary GATE Program AND who has a California Standards Test (CST) score in the “Advanced” range may test in their sixth-grade year. [The California Standards Test is part of the state’s STAR tests.]

• A GATE-identified student entering seventh grade in the fall of 2008 who has not achieved a 435 in English language arts and 450 in math on one of the fourth grade or fifth grade California standards tests is strongly recommended to retest, or strongly recommended to submit a Renzulli Scale for GATE identification.

A student entering the seventh grade in the fall of 2008 who has not met the criteria noted above, and who is re-testing,must take the entire test battery; it is not feasible to administer portions of the test in a group setting.

• A student whose CST score is not in the “Advanced” range but who is recommended by a teacher to be tested, or is requested by a parent to be tested, may test (this allows students with special needs to be accommodated when appropriate)

• Students who leave the Goleta, Hope, Montecito Union, or Cold Spring school districts for two years or more and then wish to enroll in the Santa Barbara High School District must re-test; however, only one testing session is allowed in sixth grade or beyond.

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Each year a search is conducted for potential GATE students. Students entering junior high schools from the Goleta Union, Hope, and Cold Spring, Montecito Union, and Santa Barbara Elementary school districts are offered testing at their individual elementary school sites during the regular school day. In addition, GATE testing is offered on Saturdays in October, November, January, February, March, April, May, and on a weekday in August.

Students may register for GATE testing by completing the registration form (available on the GATE web site, through their school’s counseling office, or from the GATE Office) and providing the required information (see registration form). Once a student is identified, appropriate GATE classes will be recommended for their junior and senior high school schedules.

Students may be identified in one of three categories. In each of the categories, identification is made using a combination of test scores and other pertinent data, such as achievement test scores, teacher completion of the Renzulli Scale, report cards, a student portfolio, and/or quality of previously completed courses.

Category 1: Intellectual Ability

The student has a score in the 95th percentile or above on at least one area of the Cognitive Abilities Test and at least a 90th percentile in two areas (National Percentile Score: total reading or math) of acceptable nationally-normed achievement test OR a scaled score of 435 in English language arts and a 450 in math on the California Achievement Test over the past two years.

Category 2: Specific Academic

The student has at least a 95th percentile in two areas (National Percentile Score: total reading or math) of acceptable nationally-normed achievement test OR a scaled score of 435 in English language arts and a 450 in math on the California Achievement Test over the past two years, and a score of 90th percentile in the Cognitive Abilities Test in either verbal, quantitative, or non-verbal sections.

Category 3: Other High Potential

A limited number of students are identified in this category. Students in this category have not qualified in Categories 1 or 2; however, superior range test scores (at least an 88 percent on two of the test areas on the Cognitive Abilities Test, one of which must be the non-verbal section) make the student a strong candidate for placement. A teacher-completed Renzulli Scale and a portfolio of student work will be required for consideration for placement in the GATE Program. The student’s success in the GATE Program will be evaluated at the end of the year to determine continued participation.

COMPLETING A RENZULLI SCALE AND SUBMITTING A PORTFOLIO FOR GATE QUALIFICATION

To be eligible for consideration based on a Renzulli Scale, a student needs to have scored at least an 88 percent in two of the four areas on the Cognitive Abilities Test, one of which must be the non-verbal section. The Renzulli Scale is used to determine a student’s characteristics in the areas of learning, motivation, mathematics and/or reading. It is a valid and reliable instrument, developed from comprehensive reviews of the literature on the traits of gifted and talented youth, input from experts in gifted education, and feedback from school personnel regarding item clarity and observability. Inter-judge reliability is high.

If a student does not qualify for participation in the GATE program based on the Cognitive Abilities Test or achievement test scores, parents and students can request that a teacher(s) complete the Renzulli Scale in the areas of a student’s strength. The completed scale should be submitted directly to the GATE Office, where it is kept confidential. It will be reviewed (along with the portfolio) by a committee that will make a determination for GATE qualification.

A portfolio of exemplary work, illustrative of a student’s outstanding achievement in two areas, should be submitted to the GATE Office as part of the process for determining eligibility for participation in Santa Barbara High School District’s GATE Program.

Portfolio

The portfolio should consist of the following required components:

• One piece of writing from the most recent school year. The piece should represent outstanding work in literary analysis (NOT a book report)*.

• One example of a student’s outstanding ability in math should be included. The piece could be a work sample (test or homework) from a high-level math class*.

*Each piece of writing should include a draft copy with the teacher’s comments and a final copy showing revisions.

Portfolios will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the district GATE coordinator, one school site coordinator, and a math and English GATE teacher from the district’s secondary schools.

Portfolios are due in the GATE Office three weeks after parent receipt of a qualification letter. Further information can be obtained by calling the GATE Office at (805) 730-7775 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.