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    Birdville ISD offers a continuum of GATE services for 3rd-5th grade students to help match the level of service to the student's identified educational needs

    continuum of gate services  

    GATE Elementary Program Services-3rd-5th Grade

      According to TEA mandates, programming options must enable identified gifted and talented students to work together, work with other students, and to work independently throughout the entire school year.

    Level I Services include teacher supported differentiation for appropriate growth.   Level I services are appropriate for students whose data indicate they are an above-average learner or for students who have a strength in a particular content area.  Level I Services may include: 

    • clustering of gifted/high ability students in groups of five (5) or more in the general education classroom with a teacher who has completed required GT training
    • instructional materials that help enhance, enrich, and extend the grade level curriculum are provided by the GT Department and used by classroom teachers based on the educational needs of each student
    • participation in extracurricular enrichment activities such as Destination Imagination, Battle of the Books, and Camp Invention.  Students who receive Level I services only are NOT formally identified GT by Birdville ISD

    Level II Services involve more complex instruction and faster pacing for appropriate growth.  Level II services are appropriate for students whose data reflect high general intellectual ability and evidence of gifted behaviors and traits displayed by the student.  Students receive Level II services by:

    • actively participating in weekly GATE pull-out classes.  GATE pull-out classes offer the students the opportunity to spend an extended period of time working with other identified GT students under the guidance of a GATE teacher who has received extensive training in working with gifted learners.  The curriculum used in GATE classrooms is designed around the GATE standards of independent learning, critical & creative thinking strategies, guided & independent research, social and emotional needs, and elements of depth & complexity.  Third-Fifth Grade students attend GATE pull-out classes for approximately 5 hours each week at centalized HUB sites based on middle & high school feeder patterns.  Students who receive Level II services are formally identified GT by Birdville ISD.  Students who receive Level II services should also receive Level I Services while in the general education classroom.

    Level III Services involve acceleration for appropriate growth.  Level III services are appropriate for students whose data reflect advanced knowledge of the next grade level's curriculum prior to formal instruction.  Students must demonstrate advanced learning by getting a recommended score on a Credit by Exam (CBE) as well as be recommended by a district representative for the acceleration placement to occur.  Because Credit by Exam (CBE) testing must occur prior to instruction, most elementary students complete CBE testing during the months of June & July.

    Read more about Credit by Exam testing