The school district has made strides in improving the GATE
testing program, but it needs to complete the circle with a focus
on its customers
A year ago, the Gilroy Unified School District improved its testing program for potential gifted and talented students, so-called GATE pupils, to great applause. The inclusive revisions directed that all students be tested and that families be made aware of the opportunities available within GUSD.
Furthermore, students are now tested using a new-and-improved Ravens test, which has increased identification of gifted students who are not fluent in English.
Students who scored 98 and above are GATE identified, and a 94 to 97 score can qualify a student if it accompanies recommendations from teachers and a review of performance on other tests. The new test and parameters doubled the identification of GATE students.
What it hasn’t improved is the district’s communication with parents whose children’s scores place them on waiting lists or those who appeal. This is not surprising. Communication from the district, which claims to place a high value on interaction with parents, is still substandard in a lot of areas.
We acknowledge that it is tough to come up with a process that takes into account individual needs and circumstances, yet is fair to all since the final decision can set a precedent, but that is not enough of an excuse to extend to August an answer a parent is sweating out for a test taken in March with appeals being made in April or May.
This lack of timely communication is “problematic,” as School Trustee Rhoda Bress stated, and we see it as a lack of consideration for parents and teachers.
One can argue whether a parent whose student has scored 93 should expect a positive result following an appeal and should plan around his attendance in the conventional school programs, rather than the other way around.
However, private schools with students on waiting lists regularly communicate with parents about their students’ status on the list and then give individual parents specific information about their own students when they call. GUSD should strive to do the same. Its stock answer of “wait until August” is simply unacceptable.
It comes down to a basic tenet of customer service, which public school districts don’t seem to grasp.
As difficult as it can be to have to say no to appeals, GUSD’s GATE administrators should get their process and communications act together to match the other improvements in the GATE program. Parents of students who score 93 are customers, and they deserve a specific and timely answer.
