20 teachers received GATE certification over summer 

By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — This 2006-2007 school year already is showing promise for our GATE, Gifted and Talented Education, students, as the district’s GATE Committee has put into action a plan that they devised last year through hard work and long hours of discussion and research.
     Part of the plan was to increase the number of GATE certified teachers in our district. Over the summer, Bill Cudog, Assistant Superintendent, with the help of Susan Lancaster and Liz Meade, hosted a program that offered GATE certification.
     The hope for this past summer was that the district would find an increase of at least four or five teachers who are GATE certified. To the surprise and delight of the district, there was a great turnout of interested teachers, and approximately 20 teachers gained their GATE certification.
     This means that we have a greater number of teachers who are trained to not only teach the Gifted and Talented student, but they are also trained to recognize the traits that are often displayed by students who may not have been identified yet as GATE candidates.
     Also, the district GATE Committee, coordinated by Moana Miller, Principal of Creekside Early Learning Center, has planned visits to different districts, to gain insights on how other districts are handling their GATE population. Cudog is pleased with the upcoming visit to Fuerte Elementary, and the opportunity to learn some new ways of handling this unique population of students.
     It is the district GATE Committee’s job to provide a forum for teachers and parents to discuss topics and brainstorm ways to instruct and inspire the GATE students in our district. Miller says that the GATE website, posted on our district’s website, has the minutes of the GATE Committee meetings, as well as a list of resources for GATE instruction.
     GATE students are varied in the way they behave and learn. There is such a vast array of behaviors that are exhibited in these intelligent, quick-minded students, that it is a welcome lesson when districts find constructive and successful teaching strategies that restrict boredom, and encourage participation that will enhance a GATE student’s learning environment.
     Cudog said that the budget they receive to address the GATE students in the district are rather small. With this money, however, and the patience, persistence, and creative thinking of our qualified staff, AUSD has a great opportunity for this year. Cudog says, “We need to be creative but we also need to take advantage of what’s offered.”
As each school settles into their instruction time, Cudog will discuss strategies with school principals, and teachers. Also, he plans to explain more about how the schools are implementing these new strategies with the students, to parents.
     Differentiation, Socratic method, Literacy Circles and GATE Clustering are terms that he will share with parents after the first trimester, and by the second trimester he hopes to have definite examples of the student’s work to support and model the strategies that our district is implementing.
     Along with addressing the students that are already identified as GATE, Cudog is using our current STAR testing results to help further identify other students who may qualify as gifted and talented. By consistently assessing our students, Cudog is reaching out to find how to best serve their needs. Finding out whom these GATE students are and what they need to learn is part of the GATE challenge.

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