6F.

Interview a professional staff member responsible for gifted and talented (G&T)
education program. Discuss major requirements for, concerns about, and goals of the
program. Solicit recommendations that principals can employ to help meet the needs of
students served by the G&T program. Include a summary of the interview and discussion
in your portfolio. (ELCC 6.2; 6.3)
At Fountain Rock Elementary, our Gifted and Talented education (GATE)
program is a half time position. That means that our Lead Teacher is also responsible for
the GATE program. Being summer, I conducted this interview through email, as the
GATE teacher was unavailable for a face-to-face conversation.
The main goal of the program is to develop students into critical and creative
thinkers who are not afraid to step out the box and become problem solvers. Students
need to feel comfortable taking chances with creative
The Gate qualifications have changed over the last two years. Prior to the latest
requirements, the classroom teachers and the GATE teacher worked together to identify
the students that qualify for an accelerated curriculum. Since that time, the GATE
program has adapted to be a program that caters directly to advanced thinkers, not high
achievers.
In order to qualify for GATE at Fountain Rock the students performance in a few
areas is evaluated. First and foremost, students in 1st and 5th grade are administered the
Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT). This is a multiple-choice test that is
commonly used in the United States to identify gifted children. Teacher input is also
considered. In grades that do not use the OLSAT, teachers offer students who have been
performing at a GATE acceptable level in problem solving and critical thinking. We also
look at the students score on Northwest Evaluation Associations (NWEA) Measures of
Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. This is a norm-referenced test that scores student
on their ability to answer skills in isolation type questions.

When students are identified, they are invited to a GATE interview that includes
higher level thinking task completion. Students who perform well across all facets of
assessment are then invited to participate in the GATE class for each grade level.
The GATE teacher at Fountain Rock has a few concerns about her program. Her
first concern is using GATE as a class size reduction tool. Reducing class size in a
general education classroom is convenient for the general education teacher, but goes
against the vision of what GATE is. In years prior, the GATE teacher assisted the
classroom teacher by taking any student that performed above grade level. These
students are now not necessarily now considered GATE level students.
The second concern the GATE teacher has is the misidentification of students,
whether it be including students who shouldnt be included, or not including students
who should be included.
The last concern of the GATE teacher is the influence of parents on the GATE
program because of parental perception of the implications of inclusion or exemption
from the program.
At Fountain Rock, the GATE teacher just wants support from the principal in the
selection process. One of the concerns was that parental perception of their students
being exempted or included in the program. Sometimes parental pressures affect
decision making in the school. The GATE teacher just wants support when it comes time
to exempt or include students.