Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Programs are designed to serve students who have special needs that might not be met in a regular educational setting. These students have special needs based on their high cognitive abilities, which often means that they need faster-paced instruction and higher level instruction. Multiple methods are used to accommodate these special needs, typically including differentiated instruction, pull-out programs, or GATE designated classes. In order to identify these special needs students, IQ and/or intellectual ability tests are used as the primary indicator. A secondary indicator is a district-approved achievement test. The Santa Barbara Unified School District uses a group-administered cognitive abilities test, the intellectual abilities test with a set point percentile of 95%. There are three ways to meet the identification criteria as described below.

GATE Testing Policy

The Santa Barbara Unified School District conducts testing for the  Elementary GATE Program annually following the winter break.  Referrals for GATE testing must be submitted to the classroom teacher by November 30. 

A student may test in 6th grade for the Secondary GATE Program whether or not he/she tested previously.

Any student who is enrolled in an elementary school in the Santa Barbara Unified School District may be referred for testing by the teacher or by the parent/guardian.

Any non-Santa Barbara Unified School District student who lives within the boundaries of the elementary district may be tested, provided he/she does not attend a school that administers GATE testing.  The parent/guardian may request a Parent Referral Form for testing.  This form should be completed and returned to the GATE Identification Coordinator who will schedule and conduct testing at a school where space is available.  If the student is identified GATE, he/she may attend the GATE program the following year after enrolling in the Santa Barbara Unified School District; or the parent/guardian may request that the child participate in the lottery for the District GATE Magnet School for the following year.

Students who do not live within the Santa Barbara Unified School District elementary school boundaries may not be tested for the GATE program except under special circumstances approved by the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and the GATE Identification Coordinator.

Students who obtain a district transfer to the District GATE Magnet School do not automatically transfer into the GATE classes.  These students must enter the lottery as if they were enrolled at another district school.

Students who transfer into the Santa Barbara Unified School District from a feeder school (i.e. Montecito Union, Cold Springs and Hope) who are already GATE identified and participating in a GATE program are accepted into the SBUSD GATE Program.  Prior to enrolling the student in the GATE program, the school must provide documentation of the students' GATE identification from the previous school and obtain authorization from the GATE Identification Coordinator.

 GATE Program Guidelines and Criteria

for the Elementary and Secondary GATE

Criteria for GATE Identification

To participate in the GATE program in the Santa Barbara Unified School District, students can qualify if they attain any of the following admission criteria. Placement guidelines into appropriate GATE classes/programs follow these admission criteria.

·         An overall (includes all subtests) composite score on a district-approved intellectual abilities test in the 95^th percentile or above.

OR

·         Two or more subscale scores, with one having to be a non-verbal, on a district-approved intellectual abilities test in the 95^th percentile or above.

Appeal Process to the GATE Identification Committee

In special circumstances a student who is close to qualification may be brought before the elementary or secondary GATE Identification Committee for further review, based on the following criteria. (Note: Secondary students will automatically be reviewed on the following criteria without submitting a portfolio, but if the following criteria were not met, may appeal by submitting a portfolio as directed below.)

·         An overall composite score on a district-approved cognitive abilities test in the 93^rd percentile AND two subscale scores in the 93^rd percentile or above, with one having to be a non-verbal score, AND advanced achievement scores equal to or above two standard deviations above the mean (about the 98^th percentile) or higher on either a district-approved English achievement test (e.g., for the 2011-12 ELA CST this was a score of 451) or a district-approved math achievement test (e.g., for the 2011-12 Math CST this was a score of  531) within two years of applying for the GATE program.

Students who have been selected for review by the GATE Identification Committee should submit a portfolio of their work. 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 Unified School District GATE Program.

The portfolio should consist of the following required components:

·         One piece of writing from the most recent school year. For Secondary GATE, the piece should represent outstanding work in literary analysis (not a book report). Note: Each piece of writing should include a draft with teacher's comments and a final copy showing revisions.

·         One example of the 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.

·         Portfolios will be evaluated by a committee consisting of at least the District GATE Coordinator, one school Site Coordinator, and for the secondary districts, a math and English GATE teacher.

English language learners may be admitted to the GATE program through distribution analysis and will automatically have their records reviewed by the appropriate (elementary or secondary) GATE Identification Committee for placement in the GATE program in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Placement in GATE English/Social Studies or Math/Science (Secondary GATE Only)

In the secondary district, students may be placed in GATE for either English/social studies OR math/science. Following are the criteria for GATE qualification for either English/social studies or math/science:

GATE English/Social Studies

·         A sub-scale score of 93^rd percentile or higher on the verbal section of a district-approved intellectual abilities test

OR

·         A sub-scale score of 91^st percentile or higher on the verbal section of a district-approved intellectual abilities test AND a district-approved verbal achievement score equal to or above two standard deviations above the mean. For the 5^th grade CST this is a scaled score of 451 or higher on the ELA section. We will only look at the latest achievement test that is available. For instance, for entering the 7^th grade the CST tests might not be available from 6^th grade, so the 5^th grade CST will be used, but we will not consider the 4^th grade test. If no recent acceptable achievement scores are available, only the 93^rd percentile for the Verbal section of the ability test will be considered.

GATE Math/Science

·         A sub-scale score of 93^rd percentile or higher on the quantitative section of a district-approved cognitive abilities test

OR

·         A sub-scale score of 91^st percentile or higher on the quantitative section of a district-approved intellectual abilities test AND a district approved quantitative achievement score equal to or above two standard deviations above the mean. For the 5^th grade math CST this is a scaled score of 531 or higher. We will only look at the latest achievement test that is available. For instance, for entering the 7^th grade the CST tests might not be available from 6^th grade, so the 5^th grade CST will be used, but we will not consider the 4^th grade test. If no recent acceptable achievement scores are available, only the 93^rd percentile for the quantitative section of the ability test will be considered.

Phase-In for the Revised GATE Identification Criteria

(Phase-In Began in 2008)

Realizing that the GATE Identification Criteria represent a change from the previous identification process, the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) will implement the criteria as follows:

·         2008-09 school year

o   All students in grades 3-6 already GATE identified by the Santa Barbara, Montecito, Cold Spring, Hope or Goleta districts will maintain their GATE status.

o   All students being promoted from grade 6 at the end of the 2008-09 school year to grade 7 in the SBUSD will have their GATE status transferred.

·         2009-10 school year

o   All students in grades 4-6 already GATE identified by the Santa Barbara, Montecito, Cold Spring, Hope or Goleta districts will maintain their GATE status.

o   All students in grade 3 already GATE identified by the Goleta Union School District and entering the SBUSD will be required to follow the current identification criteria as listed previously.

o   All students being promoted from grade 6 at the end of the 2009-10 school year to grade 7 in the SBUSD will have their GATE status transferred.

·         2010-11 school year

o   All students in grades 5-6 already GATE identified by the SBSD or by a feeder district (Santa Barbara, Montecito, Cold Spring, Hope or Goleta Union) will maintain their GATE status.

o   All students in grades 3-4 already GATE identified by the Goleta Union School District and entering the SBUSD will be required to follow the current identification criteria as listed previously.

o   All students being promoted from grade 6 at the end of the 2010-11 school year to grade 7 in the SBUSD will have their GATE status transferred.

·         2011-12 school year

o   All students in grade 6 already GATE identified by the SBSD or by a feeder district (Santa Barbara, Montecito, Cold Spring, Hope or Goleta Union) will maintain their GATE status.

o   All students in grades 3-5 already GATE identified by the Goleta Union School District and entering the SBUSD will be required to follow the current identification criteria as listed previously.

o   All students being promoted from grade 6 at the end of the 2011-12 school year to grade 7 in the SBUSD will have their GATE status transferred.

·         2012-13 school year

o   All students entering the SBUSD will be required to follow the current identification criteria as listed previously.

Protocol for the GATE Test

One of the criteria used to identify GATE students is an intellectual abilities test.  This type of test is not a measure of what has been learned in school. Rather, it is intended to help ascertain the child’s natural level of reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

To be valid, the test must be taken “cold,” meaning there should be no previous exposure to the questions. Previous exposure to the test or its type of problems would invalidate the results. Thus, the test is a protected test to be viewed only by students under the formal district testing environment.  Because of this we cannot share the test with parents or recommend practice materials or programs. 

Any student who practices for an intellectual abilities test invalidates his/her test score as a measurement tool for GATE identification in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Other Pertinent Information  

• Elementary GATE testing is conducted January-April. Deadline for enrollment is the end of November.
•  Secondary GATE testing is conducted January-May and in August.
• Students may test for GATE in 2^nd grade and again in 3^rd grade, but not in successive years from grades 3-5. A student may test in 6^th grade for the Secondary GATE Program whether or not he/she tested previously.
• Students from outside the SBUSD or any of its feeder districts who enter the SBUSD and wish to transfer their GATE identification must demonstrate eligibility from the transferring district. Eligible students must meet the GATE identification criteria established by the SBUSD, using a district-approved intellectual abilities test.
• The SBSD does not accept GATE testing results from private evaluators.
•  For more information about Secondary GATE in the SBUSD, please visit:
  http://sbsdk12.org/programs/gate/gatesecondary.shtml