Master Plan Section 1: Program Design

SECTION 1:  Program Design

GOAL:   Davis Joint Unified School District provides a comprehensive continuum of services and program options responsive to the needs, interests, and abilities of gifted students and is based on philosophical, theoretical, and empirical support. (EC 52205d and 52206a).

STANDARD 1.1

The plan for the district program has a written statement of philosophy, goals, and standards appropriate to the needs and abilities of gifted learners.

RATIONALE:  The process of writing a statement of philosophy requires all contributing members to develop a consensus of beliefs and purpose.  The stated goals and objectives provide the justification for decision-making and serve as standards by which the program can be measured.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Davis Joint Unified School District’s Gifted and Talented Education Program, in partnership with parents, community and post-secondary institutions, to provide a quality educational program for gifted and talented students in order to develop their knowledge, skills, abilities, and values.  The district’s GATE program serves three categories of gifted students:  1)  intellectually gifted—students with high potential in the areas of abstract thinking and reasoning ability as applied to school learning situations; 2)   high achieving—the student who scores two or more levels above grade level in two or more academic areas and/or maintains a 3.6 grade point average in college preparatory academic classes for a period of two consecutive years;  3) high achieving in a specific academic area—the student who  scores two or more levels above grade level or who maintains a 3.6 grade point average in a single academic area for a period of two or more years.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. District support and approval processes will be integrated to assist with alignment and support of the GATE Master Plan and district operations. 

2. The trained teachers in the self-contained GATE classes will articulate their programs and coordinate with grade-alike teachers among sites as well as across grade levels; this will develop continuity of program in grades 4-9.

3.  Periodic progress reports will be provided to the GATE Advisory Committee.

4.  An annual end-of-the-year report will be provided to the Board of Education and/or the Superintendent regarding the progress in achieving and/or maintaining the goals of the GATE Master Plan.  

STANDARD 1.1a  The plan includes an intellectual component with objectives that meet or exceed state academic standards.

RATIONALE:  Gifted students are often capable of work beyond the academic content standards for their grade level.  To ensure their continuous progress and intellectual growth, the academic objectives must include the grade level standards and allow for advanced and more complex differentiated study.

1. During GATE teacher articulation sessions, the California State Standards are evaluated and modified for appropriate depth and complexity, and—when necessary—acceleration to meet the needs of gifted students.
2. The California State Standards are discussed at GATE teacher articulation meetings and where appropriate, modifications to the standards are developed and implementation is discussed.
3. See Section 3, Curriculum and Instruction, for specific program structure and curriculum modifications.
4. District Standards’ Based Report Cards will include an addendum to reflect modifications made for students in self-contained GATE classes.

STANDARD 1.1b  The plan incorporates expert knowledge, is approved by the local Board of Education, and is easily accessible to parents and the community.

RATIONALE:  Incorporating current research into the district plan ensures that best practices for gifted students will be used.  A plan-writing committee--comprised of parents, teachers, support personnel, and administrators uses this information to write the district plan.  Each draft is posted on the district website, sent to each school site council and/or PTA for input, and reviewed at a public forum.  The Board of Education also reviews the preliminary plan and offers input.  Once the plan is evaluated by district administration, a finalized version is submitted to the Board of Education for approval, which gives authority to the plan and provides a foundation for continuing support by the district. Having the parents/guardians and the community well-informed about the GATE program in the district facilitates their cooperation and involvement and makes more resources and support available.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1.     Collected materials are available in the GATE library at the District Office to provide research resources for all educators and parents, including Gifted Child Today, Roeper Review, and California Association for the Gifted (CAG) publications, educational materials, etc.

2. District personnel attend conferences related to gifted education—including differentiation in the regular classroom—and provide professional development and workshops on current research in gifted education to colleagues and parents.

3.     Workshops conducted by the GATE Coordinator and/or the GATE teaching staff provides information to parents/guardians about the special needs of gifted learners.

4.     Information is disseminated in a variety of ways: school newsletters, The Davis Enterprise, site level staff meetings, district principals’ meetings, letters and e-mails.

5.     Periodic reports to Board of Education occur.  The approval of the GATE Master Plan follows a timeline.  District administrators and board members receive timely information regarding the GATE program including the GATE Advisory Committee meetings and are invited to visit GATE classrooms.

6.     GATE information nights for parents/guardians are held on a regular basis.

STANDARD 1.1c  Participation in the program is not limited by other problems of logistics.

RATIONALE:  A program, to be fair, must ensure that eligible students are able to participate. All sites must provide access to services for GATE to eligible students. 

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

Testing and qualification for the GATE Program is covered in Section 2. That section discusses qualifying scores for students identified as intellectually gifted (evaluated for their achievement in relation to the talents they bring to school learning situations, as described in The Fourteenth Mental Measurement Yearbook, 2001), high achieving, or specific academic ability. (See appendix for specific student placement procedures, referral forms, etc.).

 Once a child is identified, several service options are available to parents:

1.       Elementary students:

a. Identified intellectually gifted students, those whose achievement in relation to the talents they bring to school learning situations has been evaluated, may apply for a place in the self-contained GATE classes or they may remain in the regular classroom and receive differentiation via cluster grouping, flexible grouping, and/or individualized plans.

b. Students qualified gifted as high achieving or specific academic ability receive a differentiated curriculum via cluster grouping, flexible grouping, and/or individualized plans.

2.       Junior high school students:

a.       Identified intellectually gifted students may select to enroll in the self-contained GATE Core classes at Holmes Junior High or Harper Junior High or the Honors/GATE Core at Emerson Junior High.

1.        Self-contained GATE core classes include:

a.             GATE English, Social Studies, and Science 7

b.             GATE English, Social Studies, and Science 8

c.             GATE English and World Geography/I Search 9

2.         High Achieving core classes – open to intellectually gifted, high achieving, and specific academic ability students who meet the criteria include:

a.             8^th grade American Studies

b.             9^th grade English 9 Classics Approach or English 9 Humanities

3.        Accelerated math, foreign language, and music are available at all sites.

b.       Identified high achieving or specific academic ability students have equal access to the high achieving     classes, such as American Studies, and English 9 Classics Approach or English 9 Humanities.

c.       GATE students demonstrating leadership characteristics may enroll in a leadership class available at all junior high school sites.

d.       Acceleration in mathematics or foreign language may result in students being concurrently enrolled at the high school or, occasionally, in college.

     3.   Senior high school students:

a.       Identified intellectually gifted students may select the self-contained GATE English 10 class and/or English 10 Honors and/or Advanced Placement and/or Honors classes available in mathematics, science, English, social studies, music, foreign language, and art.  A student may be concurrently enrolled in post-secondary programs such as the Accelerated College Entrance Program at California State University, Sacramento, local community colleges or University of California, Davis, as appropriate.

b.      Identified high achieving or specific academic ability students may enroll in honors classes, Advanced Placement classes, Accelerated College Entrance Program at CSUS, or local community colleges, or UC Davis, if they meet qualification requirements.

c.     GATE students wanting to develop leadership can be served with student government and peer helpers/health advocates.

ADDITIONAL ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. The implementation of universal testing during the 2002-2003 school year has better identified students   from underserved groups as demonstrated in district-wide evaluation as well as the Javits Grant.
2. Universal third grade GATE testing and makeup testing is administered within the school day by the GATE Coordinator, school psychologist, administrator, and/or teacher as necessary.
3. In an on-going attempt to reflect the demographic makeup of the Davis Joint Unified School District, special “Search and Serve” efforts are directed within the GATE Office using student records, test scores, etc., to locate at risk students and students new to the district to be screened for placement in the GATE Program.   Students demonstrating evidence of giftedness are not excluded from testing or placement in the program based on the need for services in other programs such as Title I, English Language Learners, or Special Education.

4.      Given the known achievement gap of underrepresented students in the nation, in California, and in Davis, support personnel will implement sound methods to increase students’ success in their program of choice.

5. GATE forms are translated into Spanish and other languages where appropriate and feasible.  If demand is large enough, translation into other languages may occur.

STANDARD 1.1d  A district GATE Advisory Committee representing all sites meets regularly to assist in program planning and assessment.

RATIONALE:  A separate committee that can devote concentrated time to the issues and problems of the GATE program and its students are able to pool ideas and expertise to strengthen the program, provide sources for materials and collectively find solutions to any problems that surface.  Including parents/guardians and community members gives a broader perspective and additional support to decisions and necessary actions.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. The district’s GATE Advisory Committee meets monthly from September to May, except in December or if there is no business to address in a given month.  Each school site is expected to send one parent/guardian representative and one teacher representative as voting members of GATE Advisory.  Representative administrators and support services often attend.  All parents/guardians and teachers are welcome to attend meetings.
2. The GATE Advisory Committee sometimes forms a subcommittee to investigate specific topics such as identification, placement of GATE students, program writing and differentiation in the regular classroom.

STANDARD 1.2  The program provides administrative groupings and structures appropriate for gifted education and available to all gifted learners.

RATIONALE:  Services to gifted students can be provided in a variety of settings, but some are more effective than others.  The most effective provide differentiation, flexible grouping, continuous progress, intellectual peer interaction, and continuity.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

The GATE Program is designed with a variety of options:

1.       Self-contained classes for intellectually gifted students in grades 4-10 

2.       Cluster grouping should occur in regular classrooms for students who are intellectually gifted, high achieving or have specific academic ability. It is a goal of the district to provide differentiated instruction, including cluster grouping and flexible grouping, as needed, for GATE identified students in each elementary school.

3.       Flexible grouping in general education classrooms for students who are intellectually gifted, high achieving or have specific academic ability

4.       Split-site enrollment between school of attendance and Davis School for Independent Study (DSIS) will be used to meet needs of GATE students who have specific academic ability and whose needs cannot be met at the school of residence.

5.       High-achieving/Honors/Advanced Placement classes at the three junior highs and the high school have

      differentiated assignments for intellectually gifted, high achieving, and specific academic ability students

      developed by classroom teachers.       

6.       Mentors may be provided when applicable.

7.       Concurrent enrollment may occur in accelerated classes among elementary/junior high, junior high/high school, and high school/college.

8.       Early college entrance is an option for some highly gifted students.

9. Continue support and training of K-3 teachers to differentiate instruction for high achieving and specific academic ability primary students and to utilize cluster and flexible grouping and cross-age mentoring.
10. Continue professional development on characteristics and needs of gifted students and techniques for differentiating curriculum.

Elementary School Program

1. K-3 students who demonstrate high achievement or specific academic ability should be provided a differentiated curriculum with depth and complexity and opportunities to work together by cluster grouping or flexible grouping for academic content areas.
2. In grades 4-6, intellectually gifted students may attend GATE self-contained classes at one of four magnet campuses; the number of classes offered is based on demand and available facilities.  Demand-driven refers to the district’s policy to provide the opportunity to add additional self-contained GATE classes in grades 4-6 when the following conditions are met: 
1. By March 1, at least 29 students are on the waiting list for a single grade level.
2. The families of at least 29 students are willing to accept GATE placement at an agreed upon site.
3. A classroom must be available at one of the existing GATE sites.
4. A qualified teacher must be assigned to this class without additional District funding.
3. Intellectually gifted[1] students in grades 4-6 who opt to remain in their neighborhood schools and students identified as high achieving and specific academic ability should be provided a differentiated curriculum that includes depth and complexity;  these students, if the opportunity is available, are well-served through cluster or flexible grouping for at least part of the day.  Teachers may also provide an individualized plan to meet specific needs.

Junior High Program

1. Intellectually gifted students at Holmes Jr. High and Harper Jr. High are served in GATE self-contained core classes in grades 7-9 that include English, social studies, and science.  Students are placed by readiness in mathematics.  Some other accelerated classes such as foreign language and music are available as well as concurrent enrollment at the high school.
2. At Holmes and at Harper, students who are high achieving or have specific academic ability enroll in Board approved high achieving classes such as American Studies, or English 9 Classics Approach or English 9 Humanities.  Intellectually gifted students who do not enroll in the self-contained GATE classes may enroll in the high achievement classes if they meet the criteria for high achieving. 
3. Emerson Junior High places intellectually gifted and high achieving students who meet the performance requirements in Honors/GATE Classes—as described above—which include Literature Around the World, American Studies, or English 9 Classics Approach or English 9 Humanities. The junior high GATE self-contained programs at Holmes and at Harper as well as the Honors/GATE Core at Emerson will remain demand-driven   Enrollment follows these guidelines: 

1. Any intellectually gifted student in the District may enroll in the Honors/GATE cores at Emerson.
2. Students in the Pioneer and Korematsu self-contained programs may move with their classes to Harper Jr. High—regardless of residence address; students in North Davis and Willett self-contained programs may move with their classes to Holmes Jr.—regardless of residence address.

4. Students enrolling in GATE Cores from the regular program apply to Harper or Holmes according to their residence address;   students in self-contained GATE classes may apply to their junior high according to their residence address rather than move with their self-contained 6^th grade class.
5. Demand-driven classes refers to the District policy providing the opportunity to add additional self-contained GATE core classes in grades 7-9 when the following conditions are met:   

a.       By March 1, at least 30 students are on the waiting list for a single grade level.

b.       Vacant classrooms needed for an additional core are available on the junior high campus.

c.       No additional cost would be incurred to fill the teaching position.

d.       To fulfill Title 5, Laws and Regulations, Section 3840.3, classes will be “taught by a teacher who has specific preparation, experience, personal attributes, and competencies in the teaching of gifted students.”  (See Section 5 for criteria)

High School Program

1. In grade 10, intellectually gifted students, those evaluated for their potential achievement in relation to school learning situations, may enroll in GATE English 10 or in English 10 Honors; intellectually gifted students may be excused from prerequisite requirements.
2. High achieving and specific academic ability students in grade 10 may enroll in English 10 Honors or English 10P—a college preparatory class.
3. An 11^th grade Honors American Literature and 12^th grade AP Literature and Composition are available to GATE identified students.
4. All qualified students—including gifted students—may enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement classes offered in many disciplines including mathematics, English, foreign languages, art, music, social science, and science.
5. Concurrent college enrollment, in accordance with Title 5, Section 3860.f and g, is an option for those identified gifted students who qualify.

STANDARD 1.3  The GATE program is articulated with the general education programs, is comprehensive, structured and sequenced between and across grade levels.

 RATIONALE:   The district has the responsibility to educate all students and to facilitate their mastery of the state content standards at the highest level of their ability.  The GATE program provides appropriate educational experiences that provide for continuous intellectual and academic growth. The configuration of the self-contained program facilitates GATE teacher collaboration.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. Students needing above-grade level math may be served in the regular classroom or move one or more grade levels ahead which may result in concurrent enrollment at a different site.
2. Students may be concurrently enrolled at two sites to provide for academic needs; this may be elementary/junior high, junior high/senior high, or senior high/college.  Some very exceptional children are enrolled in junior high/college.
3. When any two sites cannot meet a student’s need, split site enrollment through Davis School for Independent Study is sought.

STANDARD 1.3a The program provides continuity within the gifted program and with the general education program.

RATIONALE:  Gifted students may be advanced beyond the level of the curriculum for their age group.  Providing continuity of learning experiences within the gifted program and with the general education program from grade-to-grade from elementary through high school ensures appropriate learning experiences and educational progress for gifted students and prevents using their time to relearn previously mastered concepts and skills.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. Continue regular meetings for teacher collaboration across sites.
2. Articulation meetings with teachers of GATE students both in self-contained classes and in the regular classroom allow discussion of appropriate materials and continuity of student experiences within and across grade levels.
3. Grade-level and subject articulation meetings at the school sites on a regular basis address grade-level standards and differentiation for gifted students in both the self-contained and the regular classrooms.
4. District curriculum committees comprised of both self-contained and regular classroom teachers address appropriate materials for gifted students during textbook adoption cycles.
5. Forms and meetings, which pass on relevant information regarding a student’s skills and experiences, are used between grade levels so that teachers can better ensure appropriate progress through content and skills.
6. Students identified as intellectually gifted who wish to attend a self-contained GATE class are served at Korematsu, North Davis, Pioneer, and Willett. Magnet sites facilitate GATE teacher collaboration.
7. Strengthen GATE teacher collaboration time at magnet sites to provide continuity and awareness between and among teachers.
8. Provide for differentiation of instruction to be developed and expanded each year at each site, if possible; expansion of the self-contained program can occur only at sites currently hosting that program option.
9. Should continuing decline in enrollment result in reducing the number of self-contained GATE classes, the recommendation about which site to close will be made by a subgroup of the GATE Advisory Committee lead by the GATE Coordinator and approved for implementation by the Superintendent and the Board of Education.

STANDARD 1.3b  A coordinator is designated and responsible for advising and coordinating all aspects of the program.  The program also provides support services including counselors and consultants.

 RATIONALE:  Research has found that a coordinator must be designated to ensure that the district GATE program plan is implemented and that the agreed upon services are delivered.  Research further shows that in districts in which the total time of at least one person is devoted to gifted education, far more students are adequately served.  Gifted students have more than just atypical academic needs.   Intensity, perfectionism, and feelings of difference need to be explored with professional counselors.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. The GATE Coordinator plans the overall structure of the district’s gifted program in consultation with the GATE Advisory Committee and site administrators, and implemented actions shall be conducted and assessed as to effectiveness.
2. The GATE Coordinator assesses all referred students and establishes profiles of identified students.  GATE maintains a database of all identified gifted students.
3. The GATE Coordinator completes all administrative paperwork inherent in the program, such as evaluating data, sending information to parents, and completing funding proposals under the supervision of the Superintendent.
4. The GATE Coordinator, in compliance with Title 5, Section 3831.7, conducts teacher inservice in gifted education for all staff members.  This will occur during a two-day inservice in August and a minimum of quarterly for the remainder of the school year.  Upon request, the coordinator also provides support and resources for teachers with gifted students in the regular program.  Attendance at these trainings is expected of GATE teachers.
5. The GATE Coordinator arranges articulation meetings of GATE teachers at least 4 times a year.
6. The GATE Coordinator, in compliance with Title 5, Section 3831.8, conducts parent meetings in gifted education to disseminate information about the district program and to address issues of concern to parents of gifted students.  The coordinator also encourages parents’ active participation in the district program and communicates with parents by phone and e-mail.
7. The GATE Coordinator serves on district committees with general education responsibilities to provide support for gifted learners.
8. The GATE Coordinator attends and/or participates in IEP, 504 Plan, and child study team meetings for identified twice-labeled, gifted students being served in district self-contained GATE classes.
9. The GATE Coordinator facilitates meetings between GATE teachers and general education program teachers to plan appropriate instruction for gifted students in the regular classroom and to develop plans for offering differentiated instruction for gifted students in the regular classroom at each site.  The coordinator also teaches demonstration lessons, as needed to support GATE teachers involved in differentiating instruction.

STANDARD 1.3c  The program involves the home and community.

 RATIONALE:    Parents/guardians and other community members have important information about their children that will affect educational decisions.  The program can benefit from the resources found within the home and community and derives strength from their continuing support.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION

1. Parents/guardians are invited to join the GATE Advisory Committee.
2. GATE orientation meetings communicate the district’s GATE options for parent/guardian participation.
3. The GATE Coordinator provides information to parents/guardians directly through conferences, meetings, and phone/email contact.  The coordinator also arranges visitations of GATE classrooms or meetings with GATE teachers for parents/guardians to discuss options for their gifted child.
4. The GATE Office will develop methods to effectively support students from underrepresented groups and their parents so that fully informed choices are made regarding available GATE options, so that these students successfully participate in the selected GATE program options if one is selected by the parent/guardian.  When necessary, the GATE Coordinator will seek assistance from the EL Coordinator for assistance with meetings, testing, and/or mailings to meet the needs of non-English speaking families.
5. The GATE Office will seek assistance from Special Education when necessary.
6. The GATE Office maintains a library, open to parents/guardians, with research and strategies related to gifted and talented education, including meeting the social and emotional needs of gifted students.