GATE
Gifted and Talented Education Introduction:
Ensuring that all students feel a sense of belonging and participate in rigorous and engaging learning is essential for student success. At OPA, students provide access to differentiated learning experiences in all grades.
Differentiation means tailoring learning experiences, or instruction, to meet the needs of all students. Teachers may differentiate the content, process, product, or learning environment to best serve small groups or individuals.
In addition to differentiated instruction, OPA's GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program is designed to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of advanced learners. Research tells us that gifted children demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or achievement in one or more domains while possessing unique and diverse learning characteristics. They often have creative abilities, strong memories, or other unique talents. Many gifted students love the learning process and crave knowledge and understanding across a spectrum of topics.
OPA's GATE Program is committed to providing a comprehensive educational model that meets the diverse and varied needs of each gifted student. OPA's GATE program serves students in grades 4 through 8 and is grounded in current research and best practices in the field of GIFTED Education.
GATE Parent Newsletter
Our GATE Teacher Leads are working on sharing information for the families of our gifted students. Please see the newsletters to reach out about tips for parents, enrichment opportunities, and more!
GATE Assessment:
Each Spring, OPA offers an assessment to all third grade students to assess verbal, non-verbal, figural, and quantitative reasoning questions. These assessments are designed to assess a child's performance across a wide variety of reasoning skill sets. All third grade students are included in the assessment, unless a parent or guardian chooses to opt out. Assessments are rotated each year, but may include the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) or the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT).
If parents or guardians of students in grades 4-8 have not been tested the previous year, and wish to participate in the assessment, they can reach out to our GATE Teacher-Leads at each school. Additionally, if a student enrolls at OPA with a previous GATE program listed in their records, they will not need to be assessed again.
GATE Teacher-Leads (click on name to email)