The purpose of the GATE program in the Byron Union School District is to enhance the quality of the educational programs for identified students in grades four through eight while meeting the educational needs of all students, kindergarten through eighth grade. The California Department of Education requires that schools provide GATE students with services that are planned and organized as integrated differentiated learning experiences within the regular school day.

Qualification for Services

Byron uses a Cognitive Abilities test (CogAT) to identify students who qualify for the GATE program. The CogAT measures verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal abilities. CogAT testing will initially take place in third grade in the second half of the year. There will be additional testing for students new to the district who have a parent request, have been recommended by a teacher who feels that student may qualify, or the student has qualified for GATE in another school district using an assessment other than the CogAT.  The CogAT test should not be readministered to a student who has taken it within the last two years.  Students must score a 95 or higher in either their age score or grade score on the full battery assessment to be identified as a GATE student.  

GATE Program Key Elements and Structure

The district GATE program supports identified students both within the regular classroom (integrated) and outside of the regular classroom (designated).  

The district integrated program (within the regular classroom) is focused on:

• Instructional strategies that differentiate instruction through the use of Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi Tiered Systems of Support  (MTSS) 

• Enrichment that ensures continuous academic growth 

• Clustering of students and flexibility grouping within the classroom – both heterogeneous and homogeneous

The district designated program (outside of the regular classroom) has the following optional components:

 • Wednesday after school GATE class: offered to GATE students on occasional Wednesday afternoons after school. Schedule to be determined by site GATE Coordinators.

 • District wide events might include a social event, field trips, or events connected to academic content.

GATE Site Coordinators:

• Discovery Bay Elementary: Denise Sneath

• Timber Point Elementary: TBD

• Excelsior Middle School: Dolores Long