FAQs
What is GATE?
GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) is a program for academically high, capable students. Each district develops identification procedures and designs programs to meet the needs of their gifted and talented students K-12.
How does my child qualify for GATE?
Students are identified on the basis of a combination of factors: standardized ability test, standardized achievement test, student portfolio, gifted student characteristics, and impact factors. Students are currently identified beginning in third grade for program choices that begin in fourth grade. For more specific information see GATE identification.
Once my child is identified as gifted, does that identification stay with the child?
Students identified as gifted, with parent permission, remain identified while attending the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
In PYLUSD, if a child does not qualify for services by fourth grade, can they never qualify for services?
No. A student can continue to test and qualify for services through their seventh-grade year. A parent, teacher, or student may contact the GATE office to register to take the CogAT during the fall testing window (October through December).
If my child was identified in another school district, may he/she be identified in this district?
GATE is not a mandated program in California. Therefore, each district develops its own criteria for identification. The files of students identified as gifted in another state or district will be reviewed when the student enrolls. To be eligible for the GATE program in Placentia-Yorba Linda USD, students must meet the identification criteria established for the GATE program in Placentia-Yorba Linda.
Is private IQ testing accepted for GATE identification purposes?
Private assessments are not accepted as part of the identification process because the state of California requires that the identification of gifted students be equitable to all students in the district.
What is the magnet program and where are they?
The elementary and middle school magnet programs offer GATE-only classes beginning in fourth grade. For more information, see Program Design.
What magnet school will my child attend if they are on a choice transfer?
The GATE magnet site where your child may attend will be determined by your home address. This includes students on a choice transfer at a non-magnet elementary school. For more information, see Program Design.
If a family selects to attend an elementary GATE magnet site, do they automatically matriculate to Kraemer?
No. Families who select to attend an elementary GATE magnet follow the same process as all sixth-grade GATE families by returning their Choice/Permission form to the GATE office during their child’s sixth-grade year.
What is the International Baccalaureate program?
Pre-IB is the program taken during a student’s freshman and sophomore years in high school. Pre-IB courses are designed to prepare students for the IB program.
International Baccalaureate (IB) is an academic program taken during a student’s junior and senior years in high school. Students must complete an intense course of study that includes a course in Theory of Knowledge, requires a 4,000-word essay on a subject of each student’s special interest, and culminates in six internationally graded exams from the following subject areas: Language A1 (Language Arts), Language B (Foreign Language), Individuals and Societies (Social Science), Experimental Science (Biology, Chemistry, etc.), Mathematics, and Arts and Electives (Computer Science or any other course from Individuals and Societies or Experimental Sciences).
What is the class size of the magnet program sites?
Class size limits are set by the district and are the same district-wide.
What program option is available if my child does not attend the magnet program?
At the elementary level, GATE students attending their school of residence are grouped in clusters of five to nine students. At the middle and high school levels, honors classes challenge GATE and highly capable students. High school students also have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes for college credit.
If I elect to have my child stay at his/her home school, can my child enter the magnet program in another year?
Yes, students may enter the magnet program at any time beginning in the fourth grade on a space-available basis. Please know, that some schools have a waiting list, please contact your site and the GATE office for further information.
If I send my child to the magnet program, will my other children be able to attend the same school?
Efforts are made to accommodate in-district transfers, but such transfers are offered on a space-available basis through the Student Services Department. Contact the Student Services Department for application window deadlines.
Is transportation provided to the magnet school?
No, parents must provide transportation to the magnet school.
What is the homework policy for GATE students?
The homework policy for elementary GATE students is the same as for other students.
Please refer to District Homework Policy.
Does California mandate GATE services or programs?
No. In 2014, California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) legislation redistributed state funding from several categorical programs into the general funds provided to districts, allowing local governing boards to make decisions about how to allocate the funds to best meet the needs of their student populations. GATE was one of the categorical programs repealed through this legislation, prompting Senate Bill 971 to repeal EC sections 52200–52212 later in the year.
Does California have a state-level organization for GATE?
Yes. The state organization is California Association for the Gifted. CAG’s About statement, “Founded in 1961, the California Association for the Gifted (CAG) is an organization of educators, administrators, students, families, and community members who are the leading voices for gifted and talented education. We believe that giftedness is defined by diverse intellectual, academic, social, emotional, and creative traits, behaviors, and abilities within the Preschool-12th grade student populations in all California schools. CAG provides the resources to support multiple identification options, appropriate developmental and differentiated curriculum practices, and responsive services to promote equity and access for diverse gifted students who include historically underrepresented, underserved, and those from varying cultural, racial, ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
In PYLUSD, are GATE services available at every elementary site?
Yes. GATE services are available at every site in either a GATE cluster model or a GATE magnet model. The three GATE magnet-model schools are Golden, Tynes, and Woodsboro.
In PYLUSD, are GATE services available at every middle school site?
Yes. GATE services are available at every site in either a GATE cluster model or a GATE magnet model. The GATE magnet-model school is Kraemer.