GATE: Gifted and Talented Education Program

As part of our ongoing commitment to actualizing the unlimited potential of every learner, EUSD provides a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program.

GATE flyer - English (accessible PDF) | GATE flyer - Spanish (accessible PDF)

GATE Screening

The Escondido Union School District is pleased to continue to offer the Gifted and Talented Education program. For GATE identification, all 2nd-grade students will participate in universal screening in November.

For students in grades 3 through 8 who have not been screened for GATE, parents may request an assessment by submitting the Parent Background and Input Form to their school by Friday, October 13. The forms will be available in the front office of every school beginning Monday, September 25. A school team will review requests and determine which students will be eligible for GATE screening in November. For more information, contact your school principal or visit your school office.

How are GATE students identified?

Yes. If there are students in grades 3 through 8 who are possible candidates for screening, a process has been established at the school sites to allow for screening of those select students:

  1. A parent can request that their child be considered for testing by completing the GATE Parent Background Form located in the school office and returning it to the school.

  2. After reviewing pertinent data and teacher/parent feedback, if the site team concludes the student should be assessed, the student will be given the universal screener.

  3. Sites then will make a recommendation and eligibility determination will be made at the district level.

The principal at your child’s school can provide further information about GATE and the identification process.

Can I request for my child to be GATE screened in grades 3 through 8?

Every school year, all 2nd-graders will be given the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This universal screening tool is a digital, non-reading assessment designed to measure the cognitive abilities of students. The results of this assessment will be one piece of information used in the GATE screening process.

Parents of students who have met the established referral criteria, based on the results of the universal screening tool, will receive a parent background and input form to be used as an additional piece of information to determine eligibility.

Qualifying students then will be referred to a school team that will review all screening data and other pertinent information. Sites then will make a recommendation, and eligibility determination will be confirmed at the district level.

Questions?

Please start by reviewing our frequently asked questions page. If you have any additional questions, please contact the principal at your child’s school; Rick Oser, Director of Extended Learning and Enrichment, at roser@eusd.org or at 760-432-2400 ext. 10221; or Dr. Lisa Umekubo, Coordinator of Data and Assessment, lumekubo@eusd.org or ext. 18911.

GATE Programming

2024 7th/8th Grade GATE SEACAMP

EUSD is offering a 5-day/4-night camp experience for 7th and 8th grade GATE identified and provisional students during Spring Break (March 25-29, 2024). This camp opportunity is SEACAMP San Diego. SEACAMP includes a week of exciting marine exploration and learning.  Students will engage in highly physical, interactive activities, such as marine labs, snorkeling, kayaking, boogie boarding, walking to beaches and among tide pools, and even a boat trip. Through these activities students will learn concepts in the fields of oceanography, marine biology, ecology, and physiology. Campers will also learn about careers in these various fields. This will undoubtedly be an amazing opportunity for your GATE student. 


If your child is interested in attending, the SEACAMP Interest Form (Google Form) opens on 10/9/23 and closes on 10/18/23. A parent information night will be held on Zoom on 10/16/23 from 4:30pm-5:30pm. Details about the parent information night will be sent to the parents of all GATE identified or provisional 7th and 8th graders.

We hosted a parent information night on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Here is the recording from that meeting: Video Recording Link

GATE Summer Camp

EUSD offers a robust summer field experience for elementary GATE students. In 2023, we partnered with The Escondido Creek Conservancy and Nature Collective to host a 2-week seminar where students had the opportunity to explore via daily field trips the wonders of nature through science, art, and the outdoors. Students visited the Elfin Forest, San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center, plus daily adventures to habitats native to San Diego. Our partners provide experiences that include nature hikes, collecting water samples, studying animal adaptations and live wildlife encounters, and encourage a deep connection with the living world.

Summer 2024 programs will be announced in the spring through family communications via email, etc. Make sure your child’s school has your family’s current email so you don’t miss a thing!

GATE Professional Development

EUSD is proud to offer ongoing GATE professional development.  Recent professional development topics include:

  • Creating a Curious Classroom Culture presented by Chia Grossmann

  • Project Based Learning presented by Jo-Ann Fox

  • Differentiation: What do we do if students already “know it”? Presented by Chia Grossmann

  • Learning in the Zone: 7 Habits of Meta-Learners with Dr. Sonny Magana from Magana Education 

Eduprotocol: Student-Centered Lesson Frames for Infinite Learning Possibilities presented Jon Corippo

GATE Collaborative

The GATE Collaborative is a group of parents, teachers, administrators and board members who meet throughout the year to learn and collaborate about the EUSD GATE program. The meetings for the 2023-24 school year will take place on the following dates:

  • 10/24/23 (4:00 - 5:30 p.m.)

  • 2/6/24 (4:00 - 5:30 p.m.)

  • 4/25/24 (4:00 - 5:30 p.m.)

If you would like to attend a GATE Collaborative meeting, please reach out to Rick Oser at roser@eusd.org or at 760-432-2400.