What is GATE?

GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Education. The purpose of GATE is to provide qualitatively differentiated learning experiences for students with unique abilities and talents in all academic areas and/or visual and performing arts with the expectation that students will be successful learners capable of performing at high levels of ability. Research has shown that specialized instructional strategies, along with opportunities for gifted students to interact with each other on a daily basis, yield higher academic performance, as well as improved social and emotional well being. For more information check out the district website or this informative presentation on social emotional needs.

GATE at Lang Ranch

Strategies for teaching Gifted and Talented students are integrated into the curriculum through differentiated instruction. Identified students are clustered in classes where supplementation through differentiation can be more effectively delivered. GATE students are challenged and encouraged through the expansion of the curriculum. The goals of the program are to provide advanced and more complex differentiated experiences to students; Accelerated learning option, as appropriate, for the learner; The development of critical thinking, research and creative problem solving skills; and alternative interventions for students who are underachieving. Faculty GATE facilitators coordinate staff development, implement programs and curriculum, and mentor other teachers in the implementation of the GATE plan.

Students that are identified in gifted and talented education should have their needs met all day long. Conejo Valley Unified school district has done away with the one-day a week pull-out programs and has designed a program that ensures these services. One way teachers ensure that gifted students receive the services they need is through curriculum differentiation. It is essential for gifted students to continue to be taught the core curriculum required for that grade level. However, the method of how the curriculum is presented to the gifted students should be differentiated and the way this is done at Lang Ranch is through the use of depth and complexity.