Program Options - Elementary

Once identified, students are clustered in at least one class at each grade level on every school site. Focus is placed on the development of critical thinking skills and problem-solving activities, and sustained academic success. Curriculum is modified to meet student needs. Accelerated or extended learning opportunities are provided as appropriate. Students are encouraged to participate in optional activities provided by the school (during lunch or after school), district "ACES" (After Class Enrichment Series), and local colleges and/or community events.

"Odyssey of the Mind" sponsored by the district promoting creative problem-solving and collaborative teamwork.

"Solve It Day" sponsored by the District at different school locations.

"Invention Convention" is a STEAM focused district program open to ALL students in 3rd - 5th grade.

Program Options - Secondary

Students have an opportunity to meet together for at least one period a day in an appropriate honors or advanced placement class. Participation in optional activities provided by the school [Lunch Lab and/or ACES (After Class Enrichment Series)], district ("Fun Fridays"), local colleges and/or community events is encouraged.

"Odyssey of the Mind" sponsored by the district promoting creative problem solving and collaborative teamwork.

"Teen Tech Convention" is a STEAM focused district program offered to 6th grade students at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center.

Program Content

Content of the GATE Program includes, but is not limited to:

• Qualitatively differentiated learning experiences in academic areas.
• Accelerated learning options.
• Development of critical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities.
• Development of ethical standards, realistic healthy self concepts, sensitivity, and responsibility.
• Alternative interventions for underachieving, economically disadvantaged or culturally and linguistically diverse GATE students. 

Our CVUSD family and community is full of experts that do amazing things...EVERY day! Do you have a special skill-set/gift or talent that you could share with our students? We would love to hear from you!!! Contact Stefanie Caswell for volunteer opportunities surrounding your child's home campus.

You can also check with the principal at your child's school to see how you can assist your student's home campus GATE activities. We look forward to your involvement.

If your child was identified as GATE in another district, we need the following information to determine GATE eligibility in CVUSD.

Eligibility letter or notice of previous district GATE placement.

Qualifying results from previous identification measures/assessments.

Please send this information to:

Conejo Valley Unified School District
Student Support Services
1400 East Janss Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

or via email to Stefanie Caswell

To initiate the GATE identification process for 4th - 12th grade students or 3rd graders that are NEW to CVUSD (and did not have an opportunity to participate in Universal GATE Screening in the spring of 2025), parents/guardians need to complete a parent referral (linked below) and return it to their student's home campus by November 3, 2025.

• 2024-2025 GATE Identification Timeline (English)
• Línea de Tiempo de GATE 2024-2025 (Español)
• Parent Referral (English)
• Referencia De Los Padres (Español)

Rising third-grade students will have the opportunity to be screened for the GATE program in the spring of their second-grade year, unless parents/guardians choose to opt their student out of screening. Opt-out information will come from school site staff prior to the GATE screening activity administration, which is scheduled to take place on each of our elementary campuses between late March and April. 

• Universal Screening Timeline (English)
• Línea de Tiempo de GATE Primavera (Español)
• Rising 3rd Grade GATE Screening Opt-Out Form (English)
• 3rd Grado Consentimiento y Plan De Evaluacion Para Educacion De Dotados y Talentosos (Español)

Make-up opportunities (for absent students that miss their regularly scheduled screening date) and follow-up measures (for students on the "cusp" of eligibility after the initial creative thinking activity) will be administered across the district between May and June.

Individual student letters and results of student scores will be mailed to the parents/guardians of all student participants upon the conclusion of our district-wide follow-up screening measures in the last week of school.

Have you received your student's GATE letter/scores from Universal Screening and need help interpreting/understanding the results? Click this link for additional information.

• Parent Referral - English
• Referencia De Los Padres - Español
• Teacher Referral (Parent Consent to accompany Teacher Referral: English/Español)
• 3rd -  5th Grade Individual Differentiated Learning Plan (IDLP) - English
• 3rd - 5th Grado Plan de Aprendizaje Diferenciado Individual (IDLP) - Español