October 22, 2015

Principal Peggy Grane

GATE Lead Susan Darragh
GATE DAC Reps Amy Hill &
Jennifer Andrews
Site School Psychologist (Name)

Stephanie Ceminsky, Manager

Michelle Crisci, Coordinator
Leslie Caporale, Administrative Assistant
April Dorman, GATE Programs

San Diego Unified School District

District 504/ADA/Title IX/GATE
Department
Education Center, 4100 Normal St., Rm 2129
Phone: (619) 725-7087

Where to Go for Information

At School:

At Central office:

o Your childs Teacher

o Your GATE-DAC
Representative
o GATE Team Leader
o Administrator in
charge of GATE (at
elementary site this will
likely be your principal)
oSite School Psychologist

oGATE Office
(619) 725-7087
www.sandiegounified.org
oRelated/Specialized
Services-School
Psychology Services
(858) 573-5941

www.sandiegounified.org/
gifted-and-talented-educationgate

Become familiar with this GATE website

(currently being redesigned)
Many resources posted there
Notices, meetings, articles

Area 6 Crawford, Hoover and Scripps Ranch

Cluster
The Scripps Ranch Cluster includes SR High School; Marshall
Middle; and E.B. Scripps, Dingeman, Jerabek and Mirarmar
Ranch elementary schools.
Area 6 Superintendent Fabiola Bagula
fbagula@sandi.net
Graciela Gutierrez, Administrative Assistant
Phone: (619) 725-7210
ggutierrez@sandi.net
Board of Education District B
Kevin Beiser
kevinbeiser@sandi.net

Testing protocol has recently changed

No longer using Raven test Board
decided in June 2015 to change the test
Incoming students in 2015-16 will now be
tested using CogAT (& re-tests)
Schools decide when but school choice
deadline is Feb 15!
All Grade 2 students are tested unless
parents opt out

Historical Context
(from Board presentation 23-June-2015 see BoardDocs tab
on SDUSD website)

September 2009. BOE approved elimination of initial GATE

testing after the 5th grade
August 2011. The five designated GATE Department school
psychologists were assigned back to the Related and Specialized
Services (RSS) program. RSS then determined a new process for
the 83 school psychologists who were now responsible for the
GATE testing of more than 13,000 students
November 2013. The Advanced Placement and School
Psychology offices merged to create a Workgroup consisting of
community and district stakeholders
Spring 2014. A sample multi-factor identification matrix was
presented to the GATE Workgroup
Fall 2014. Newcomer process was introduced to the Workgroup

Recommendations
Universal GATE screening

at Grade 2
GATE identification
process to include multiple
sources of data (e.g., tests,
teacher input, parent input,
etc.)
Adoption of a multi-factor
GATE eligibility matrix
(e.g., economic challenges,
transiency, disability,
English learner)
District policy revision

Further exploration of

GATE testing that is

aligned with CCSS
timelines
GATE Assessments/Tools

that are appropriately

normed and administered
Use of a computer-assisted
GATE identification tool
Ongoing examination of the
identification process to
align with SBAC

Immediate Next Steps

10

Board Action
Approve GATE
Identification Process
(multiple factors and
criteria)
Approve GATE
Assessment Tool
(Cognitive Abilities
Test/CogAT)
Supports and Services
Quarterly meetings of the
GATE Workgroup
Personal/Social support
(possible referral to
MHRC, SpEd, etc) for
some GATE identified
students

Supports and Services

cont.
Continued meetings

between GATE advisory

committee and senior
leadership
Ongoing program/
progress monitoring
and End of Year
evaluation
Focused GATE PD for
school psychologists
(e.g., during
distinguished lecture
series)

CogAT = Cognitive Abilities

Test
Developed by David F. Lohman
Consists of 3 parts:

Verbal
Quantitative
Non-Verbal

See Lohman, D. F. & J. L. Gambrell (2012)

J. Psychoeducational Assessment 30(1):25-44

Sample Grades K-2

12

Identification will be based upon a variety of inputs (including

CogAT test scores) as part of a multi-factor eligibility matrix
Psychologists are currently being trained to administer the
CogAT
CogAT is done via computer so IT services are still working
on rolling it out
As a result, the new testing may not be ready until the
Spring, after the Feb 15 School Choice deadline
If your child is identified as Seminar and your school doesnt
offer it, you may request to be placed into the next closest
school (geographically) that does

Cluster
At least 25% of each GATE Cluster Class
identified in PowerSchool is comprised of
students identified as GATE; the remainder of
the students in the class must reflect the
diversity of the schools population.

Seminar
A minimum 50% of each class identified as
Seminar in PowerSchool is comprised of
students identified as GATE Seminar; the
remainder of the students in the class are
identified as GATE Cluster.

The District has a GATE Advisory Committee

Meets monthly at Ballard Ctr (Old Town)
Schedule is posted on SDUSD GATE website
Your school DAC reps are: Amy Hill & Jennifer
Andrews
They attend these meetings on your behalf and
report back to parents

Monthly DAC Meetings are intended to:

Inform parents about important issues in the
district
Inform parents about what to expect from,
and ask for, at their schools
Give parents a chance to network with other
schools in their high school feeder pattern
Educate parent representatives and the
parents at their sites about gifted education
and timely issues

www.sandiegounified.org

The DAC is a volunteer organization

Led by parent coordinators (Katie Anderson

& Elizabeth Nagy)

Needs new leaders to join

Dec 14th Steering Committee Meeting

You Can Help Your Child by

Getting Involved!
o Participate in parent/ teacher
Conferences
oParticipate in GATE parent
meetings at your school site
oBecome involved in the GATE
District Advisory Committee
(DAC) - 2nd Mon monthly
oParticipate in your Site
Governance Committee/SSC
oAttend School Board Meetings
oConnect with other GATE parents

Parent involvement leads to

greater
student achievement!

Letters to the Board of

Education
Letters to Legislators
Help with/attend DAC meetings
Participate in SENG parent
support groups
Talk to your teacher!!!! They
need your support!

Questions you have for DAC? Send to your

DAC Reps!
Want to access other parents learning
about the social and emotional needs of
GATE students? We have info!
5th grade parents moving onto Marshall
with questions? Lets consolidate them!
Interested in organizing a GATE Open
House to showcase student work?!!?

 San

Diego Unified Schools GATE

Department www.sandiegounified.net
California Association for the Gifted
www.cagifted.org
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted
sengifted.org
National Association for Gifted Children
www.nagc.org
Hoagies Gifted Education
www.hoagiesgifted.org