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GATE News from Mrs. Moir 

Every spring we ask students and parents to evaluate our GATE program and the parent evaluations I received back indicated frustration at not being better informed about what their child was doing that was differentiated from other students.  I hope this section of my web site will address that. 

I have been working with GATE students for over many years.  As a student, I participated in “A classes,” the GATE program of the time and both my children were in GATE classes in San Diego – one in the seminar program, the other in cluster classes (at that time, 12 -16 identified GATE students and the rest were high achievers).  I’ve been teaching and advocating for GATE students during my 15-year tenure at Twin Peaks Middle School and have served as GATE coordinator twice. 

 As a result of my experiences, I know that one can no more generalize about a GATE student than any other person. Individual skills and needs differ greatly but certain similarities exist.  In developing a quick profile of GATE students I borrowed from the Black Mountain Middle School GATE page.  The GATE coordinator there is Susan Tracy.  The page states that GATE students “should be encouraged and supported to demonstrate the following: 

Skills

• Perform at or above grade level in all basic skills areas, including technology and research skills,
• Use critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Develop strong communication skills
• Utilize strong organization, time management (I disagree with this one -- some GATE students are perfectionists and take a greater deal of time to complete work to their satisfaction) , and study skills

Knowledge

• Apply skills and knowledge in area(s) of expertise
• Acknowledge and accept areas of giftedness and weaknesses
• Expand exploration in all content areas
• Be prepared for advanced instruction at the secondary level

Attitudes

• Possess an enthusiasm for learning
• Display academic independence (self-directed, resourceful, and confident)
• Be willing to take risks
• Be tolerant
• Demonstrate leadership skills, particularly in the area of personal expertise”

(Susan Tracy, Black Mountain Middle School. Some of the bullets have been paraphrased.)

 The homogeneous GATE class will have a more rigorous curriculum than a cluster class.  Differentiation occurs in three areas: content, process, and product, and in the homogeneous classes all students will be provided with more sophisticated content, asked to use more higher-order thinking skills in processing information, and expected to produce more complex products.  Readiness is always considered and even in a homogeneous class, the range of abilities is great and not everyone will be at the same level. 

In a heterogeneous GATE cluster, other challenges exist.  Many of the students who opt for this placement would like to keep their GATE identification a secret and I try hard to honor this.  They will still receive differentiated curriculum but it won’t always be obvious.  In group work, frequently I will place the GATE and high-achieving students together so that the assigned task can be more complex and students will have a chance for true collaboration. Sometimes these students will use different materials and other times their product will be expected to be more complex. 

I also expect GATE students to do some self-monitoring. When selecting books to read for monthly book reports, I expect them to choose titles that are appropriate for them.  This does not mean they should be reading adult books but neither should they select books more appropriate for a fifth- or sixth-grader. 

Many terrific resources exist about GATE children.  The SENG  organization is wonderful and ERIC has many resources as well.  Hoagies also has fabulous data. I have a new computer since my old one contracted a serious virus and I'm not as proficient with it as I was with the old one.  When I figure it out, I'll give you links but until then, be sure to "surf the net" to learn more.

Parents of gifted children are interested in their social and emotional needs, as well as characteristics, terminology,  and how best their needs can be met.  More information is available from the California Association for the Gifted (CAG) and the National Association for the Gifted Children (NAGC).