Gifted & Talented Education (GATE)
The GATE program serves students in grades 1st - 5th who have been identified as gifted in accordance with the GDOE’s multiple criteria process. All students identified for gifted services will be served using the cluster model. Warren T. Jackson is an International Baccalaureate school and is required to move from the pull-out resource model to the cluster model. All elementary schools in the North Atlanta Cluster are also following this same plan, as they are all IB schools. All general education teachers at Jackson are gifted endorsed.
This supplemental instructional program inspires students to go beyond the common thresholds of learning and feel comfortable doing so. They strive and they achieve, thanks to an innovative program designed by specially certified GATE teachers. The GATE teachers also collaborate with a child’s primary teacher to ensure each student receives ample support to meet expectations in both arenas.
Jackson Elementary serves its gifted students through the Cluster Grouping Model.
The GATE program serves students in grades 1st - 5th who have been identified as gifted in accordance with the GDOE’s multiple criteria process. All students identified for gifted services will be served using the cluster model. The Cluster Grouping Model serves gifted students daily in a homeroom where the teacher is content certified and gifted endorsed. All elementary schools in the North Atlanta Cluster follow the gifted cluster model.
95% of Jackson Teachers are Gifted Certified, teachers who join our staff and do not have the certification have one year to begin the program. It is our goal to maintain 100% certification.
Elementary gifted content is enrichment based, it is not designed to advance or accelerate the core content areas. Enrichment content supplements the on grade level core curriculum. Enrichment instruction is designed to enhance students' academic experience and challenge them academically by extending their experiences in alignment with the level's current standards. It is not a replacement for the core curriculum, but rather an addition to it.
Eligibility for the GATE program is based on multiple criteria. To begin understanding the Gifted Eligibility Process, please watch the provided informatonal video as it will answer most of your questions regarding the qualifying process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiGR9vuGfC4
Mental Ability:
The NNAT is a mental ability test that provides a non-verbal, culturally neutral assessment of general mental ability. It is designed to assess the reasoning ability of students in kindergarten through grade 12.
NNAT is a nationally normed assessment research-proven to be reliable and valid. The NNAT is administered to students in one test session using the computer. The resulting score is reported to parents as a national
percentile rank in the mental ability section on the gifted eligibility report. The national percentile rank allows you to compare your child's results to others of the same age across the nation. The 96th percentile is
the minimum qualifying score for gifted eligibility.
Achievement:
NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a group-administered achievement test given to students in grades K-11 and completed on the computer. Both the reading and math sections are administered in approximately one-hour sessions each. The resulting score is reported as a national percentile rank to parents in the achievement section on the gifted eligibility report. The 90th percentile is the minimum qualifying score.
Creativity or Motivation:
Gifted evaluation scales are norm-referenced teacher rating scale for motivation or creativity. Such scales
are based on current theories of giftedness; their use meets state guidelines regarding the definition of gifted and talented students for grades K-8. GES is a nationally normed instrument research-proven to be reliable and valid. The rating scale is completed by certified teachers and based upon that child's motivational and creative behaviors exhibited to that teacher in class. The local school's Gifted Eligibility Team will invite two teachers who have known the child for at least thirty days to complete the scales. The highest score of the two will be reported as a national percentile rank to parents in the motivation OR creativity section of the gifted eligibility report. The 90th percentile is the minimum qualifying score for each gifted eligibility.
*Creativity:
Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT)– The TTCT is administered in one test session, lasting approximately one hour. The resulting score is reported as a national percentile rank to parents in the creativity section on the gifted eligibility report. The 90th percentile is the minimum qualifying score.