GILROY
– Students whose parents and teachers believe they are gifted
will need to pass a new and more accurate intelligence test when
trying to enter the popular Gifted And Talented Education
program.
GILROY – Students whose parents and teachers believe they are gifted will need to pass a new and more accurate intelligence test when trying to enter the popular Gifted And Talented Education program.
The new screening method consists of four sections of the Weschler Intelligence Test instead of the Structure of Intellect Test, which needed to be administered in groups over a half-day period. “It was just a very cumbersome process,” said Joe Guzicki, the district’s director of special education. “Performance on the test didn’t translate into classroom success very well. Our business is schools and (the Weschler sub-test) predicts school success very well.”
The GATE Parent Advisory gave the new screening method a nod of approval Tuesday night at the group’s monthly meeting. Gilroy Unified School District officials say the new format will allow for individual student testing, shorter and cheaper testing sessions and more accurate assessment of all students, especially English Language Learners.
“I really can’t think of any disadvantages,” Guzicki said.
The district will use the new screening method starting today. It will be accompanied by an increased effort to make parents and teachers aware that all gifted children from second-grade and up are eligible for testing.
GATE parents have been pushing the district for months to cast a wide net when it comes to recruiting students into the academic enrichment program. Parents last night complained that not enough GUSD principals are using newsletters and other forms of communication to remind all parents that children can be referred into the program.
Guzicki and Assistant Superintendent Jacki Horejs agreed Tuesday night to notify parents of potential GATE kids when the district sends standardized test results home.
The district uses the Measure of Academic Progress three times a year to determine a child’s ability level. Under the district’s new plan, a GATE referral letter will be sent home when students perform in the 90th percentile of that exam.
“By using the Weschler tests we’ll be more flexible to test kids at almost any time of the year,” Horejs said.
GUSD offers full-time GATE courses at Rucker Elementary School and extracurricular courses for students on other campuses. Parents and teachers both have the ability to refer a student to the programs, however Rucker has a waiting list of around a dozen children each year.
