THE REFERRAL PROCESS

Children who display behaviors thought to be characteristic of extremely bright or gifted children should be referred.  Some of these behaviors may include task commitment, creativity, high academic success, fluent thinking, a high degree of curiosity, a preference for complexity, and a willingness to accept a challenge.  GATE is designed to help meet the needs of gifted children, not just to reward them.

1. Children who score 125 or above on a group intelligence test should be referred.
2. Children who score at or above the 90th percentile on the composite score of a nationally normed group achievement test should be referred.
3. These students will form a pool from which GATE students will be selected.

Referrals are generally made in the spring.  The referral  process begins with the classroom teacher.  GATE Referral Forms are given to teachers in March and due early in April.  This allows time for individual intelligence tests to be administered.  When possible, parents and students are notified of selection before the end of the school year.  A parent may request that a teacher refer a child for testing.  The teacher can make observations during the year and make a referral in the spring.  Students who are referred may be given an individual IQ test if a current (one to three years) score is not available.*  Students are not given an IQ score every year. Kindergarten students are eligible for an enrichment program to prepare for possible inclusion in the GATE program. Classroom teachers will recommend students for this enrichment that will be conducted by the GATE facilitator. Children who are new to the District may be referred in the fall.  Students who are transferees from a state-supported gifted program with criteria similar to the R-3 GATE program may be automatically included in the GATE program during their first year at
Hillsboro.  In subsequent years they must qualify for GATE like all other students.  State guidelines allow for this reciprocity even if it boosts our gifted enrollment beyond the five per cent limit. Private/parochial students must have had a nationally normed group achievement test prior to a referral being made.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GATE

1.  A score of 130 or above on an individual I.Q. test AND 2 of the following 3 items:

2.  A score at or above the 95th percentile on the composite score of a nationally-normed achievement test.  If a composite is not available three subtests at 95th percentile or above may be used.

3.  Qualifying score on a Creativity Assessment--

• Grades K-2:  40/50 on the GATE Creativity Scale (done by classroom and/or GATE teacher)
• Grades 3-12:  59+ on the Williams Exercise in Divergent Feeling (done by student)
  

4. Qualifying Rating on the GATE Rating Scale (done by classroom teacher)

All referrals will first be placed on a computer data base.  Those who do not meet the above criteria will be eliminated.  The scores for students who do meet the criteria will then be placed on a HILLSBORO R-3 GATE PLACEMENT MATRIX which determines a “Total Score Placement Number” by which these students are ranked.  In the event of a tie at the lower end of the ranking, the student(s) with the higher I.Q. score will prevail.