GATE MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program is to provide appropriate, differentiated educational opportunities and auxiliary services for our K-12 students. The opportunities are designed to be commensurate with the students' unique capabilities, individual talents, and creative abilities. Our program will nurture each student's sense of personal worth, encourage students to develop and use their gifts and talents responsibility, and stimulate a love of learning, in an atmosphere of cooperation among students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
 
GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS

The CA Association for the Gifted in the Position Paper, Characteristics of Gifted Children (2005), describes the high levels of functioning exhibited by gifted children in the cognitive, intuitive, affective, and physical areas. A gifted student may exhibit some but not all of these characteristics in varying degrees. COGNITIVE AREA: involves logical and rational thought processes:

processes an extraordinary quantity of information
has a capacity for processing information at an accelerated pace
is persistent, goal-oriented
demonstrates flexibility
rapidly acquires a new language
INTUITIVE AREA: involves non-linear reasoning:

demonstrates creative and inventive approaches
insightfulness leads to leaps of understanding
is curious
sensitive to aesthetic qualities
shows an interest in the future
has the ability to predict
AFFECTIVE AREA: involves the social-emotional realm:

demonstrates unusual sensitivity to the environment
has empathy and awareness of the expectations and feelings of others
develops idealism and a sense of justice
displays emotional intensity
has high expectations of self and others
PHYSICAL AREA: involves the senses:

has heightened sensitivity to light, sound, touch, small, taste
demonstrates high energy that may be misdiagnosed as a hyperactivity disorder
displays asynchrony between physical and emotional development
avoids physical activity in favor of the intellectual
Some gifted students may also display behaviors that have acted as barriers to identification:

lack of organization
daydreaming
failure to complete work
argumentative
challenges authority
challenges assignments that seem repetitive and pointless
sense of humor
perfectionism
inability to prioritize
emotional intensity
assorted learning disabilities
English language learner