School officials focus on GATE program

Burbank school officials are looking closely at how to better support participants in the Gifted and Talented Education Program, otherwise known as GATE.

Burbank Unified has offered the program for more than two decades, but recent oversight has brought the program to the forefront and school officials approved spending $30,000 during this school year to provide training to GATE teachers as well as special events for the students.

Across the 11 elementary schools, there are 226 kids in the program and another 501 middle school students.

To be invited to join the program, students must score in the 90th percentile on the national Otis Lennon School Abilities Test.

“There’s much greater emphasis in providing higher level work that gets at the analysis of material and critical thinking skills and it’s not just about more work or more homework,” said Tom Kissinger, assistant superintendent of Burbank Unified.

While Kissinger said school officials want to put as many resources into the program as possible, a parent who addressed the school board encouraged officials to improve the program.

“It is hard to get people motivated about GATE because we live in a culture focused on test scores,” said parent Colleen Matlock. “Usually, GATE kids do fabulously on tests and even when they don’t do their best, their scores are usually still above average. What most people don’t do is look beyond grades and test scores and consider the potential of gifted students. When differentiated instruction is not provided for GATE students, this amazing potential gets squandered and school can become a very difficult and frustrating place for them to be.”

Also in question were the participation percentages. According to a district report, about 5% of William McKinley Elementary students belong in the GATE program, compared to 17% of Jefferson Elementary students.

“If you’re in a household where you have parent support and that parent support has started at a very early age, those kids are going to have an advantage,” said school board member Larry Applebaum. “We know what the socioeconomic patterns of this town are, and although we’d like to think that doesn’t matter, it does,” he said, adding that educators can help to engage parents.

Kissinger said GATE participation will grow with the increase of parent involvement.

“When you get parents actively involved in the governance of the school and involved in day-to-day activities… when you see that, you’re going to see GATE involvement go up, because you’re going to see parents naturally know what to do to help their children to support them. The school and the parents work together to do that.”