Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
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Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) provides qualitatively differentiated learning experiences for students with unique abilities, interests, and talents 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 regular basis, yield higher academic performance, as well as improved social and emotional well-being.Do you have a newly identified GATE student and wonder what this new world is all about? Our GATE parent presentation can offer some insights into what GATE is/means and how we work to meet the needs of our gifted students in CVUSD. If you have any questions, please email Stefanie Caswell.
Upcoming Events
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District GATE Activities
We are excited to continue our district-wide GATE enrichment events and activities..."After Class Enrichment Series" (ACES) with a blend of in-person and virtual opportunities for students. Information will be emailed to GATE students/families one week prior to the activity to complete the lottery/interest form for possible participation.
April ACES Activities:
- Secondary GATE students are invited to join us for an immersive afternoon diving into the fascinating industry of commercial art and product design on Tuesday, April 8th.
- Elementary GATE students have an opportunity to join us for a fun/collaborative/interactive scavenger hunt on Tuesday, April 29th.
May ACES Activity:
- ALL GATE students are invited to celebrate "National Drawing Day" on Friday, May 16th to have a "hand" to create and submit an original GATE "Banner" image/design to be included at the top of our GATE web pages and future ACES activity announcements!
GATE Sponsored Events
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Tri-County GATE Council Colloquium (faculty/staff/parents/families/community)
Saturday, April 5th, from 9:00 to 3:00
Teen Tech Convention (6th grade students)
Thursday, May 29th, from 12:00 to 3:00
Community Events
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Please note that CVUSD provides these resources for your reference, but that does not constitute affiliation with or recommendation of the organizations or practices listed within.
Family Fun
California Science and Engineering Fair at California Lutheran University on April 13thPlanning for College
CA.Gov - Find a Cash for College Workshop
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Interested in Getting Involved?
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Would you like to connect with other GATE families and get involved in GATE activities and events in CVUSD?
Check out our GATE-DAC 2024-2025 Calendar to see when the next district GATE District Advisory Council (GATE-DAC) parent meeting will take place. For detailed meeting information, visit Board Docs to access the agenda 72 hours prior to our Friday morning meeting.
Learn More About GATE:
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Program Information
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.
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Parent Involvement
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.
The best way to understand what is happening in your child's education is to get involved with the people who make it happen.Each school has a GATE Teacher Facilitator who organizes and leads enrichment activities and a parent representative who attends monthly meetings with the GATE District Advisory Council (GATE-DAC). The purpose of the monthly GATE-DAC meetings is to provide information about gifted students and the District's GATE program, review general student progress, plan special events during the year, and make recommendations to enhance the program. These meetings are also open to the public. Attending GATE-DAC meetings and sponsored activities provides you with additional understanding of the District's program and services available to your child. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other parents who have similar interests.
The GATE-DAC 2024-2025 Calendar can show you when our next GATE District Advisory Council parent meeting will take place. To access the agenda, visit Board Docs for more detailed meeting information.
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.
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Is your GATE identified student new to CVUSD?
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 91362or via email to Stefanie Caswell
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Interested in having your student screened for GATE?
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)
The Student Support Services Department will screen referred students between December 2, 2025, and January 14, 2026.GATE identification in CVUSD does not begin until 2nd grade. -
Universal Screening for Rising Third Graders
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 2025.
- Universal GATE Screening Dates - Spring 2025
- 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 2025.
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.
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Forms
