Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Instructional Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears parents’ concerns about GATE identification as staff describe shift to classroom differentiation
Summary
Trustees heard several parents and trustees press for clarity on the district’s GATE program after staff said the district stopped using the dated Coleman‑Anderson screener, favors classroom differentiation and STAR assessment data, and currently has no funded plan to restore a separate identification program.
Several trustees and parents raised concerns Dec. 11 about the district’s approach to gifted and talented education (GATE). Trustee Preeks said parents had received communications suggesting the program was canceled and sought clarification; parents urged the district to strengthen, not eliminate, support for academically advanced students.
Staff responded that the district did not cancel GATE services but discontinued use of the Coleman‑Anderson screener (a psychology instrument last normed in the early 1980s) because it is outdated and no longer valid for instructional purposes. Instead, staff said the district uses STAR assessment data, MTSS/RTI approaches and classroom differentiation to identify and serve high‑performing students and to inform instruction.
Staff supplied cost estimates for an identification program if the board chose to pursue one: roughly $75,000 in year‑one startup costs with ongoing annual costs in the range of $24,000. Staff also provided data showing about 119 students (approximately 8% of assessed upper‑grade students) had been identified under the Coleman‑Anderson approach in recent cohorts.
Trustees expressed interest in clearer communication to families, in assembling a joint parent‑teacher‑board review of advanced‑learner supports and in possibly convening a workshop to examine options — including whether a centralized program (e.g., a Bridges‑style pull‑together model) or enhanced classroom differentiation is the better path. Staff said they would collect additional questions and return with more recommendations.
