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GATE

Meeting the needs of students is fundamental to the purpose of Laguna Beach Unified School District’s GATE Program. The program is comprehensive and is designed to provide differentiated curriculum in accordance with the intent of the law and spans elementary, middle and secondary students. Accommodations are made for individual student needs.

GATE Parent Handbook

Program Options

At El Morro and Top of the World Elementary Schools and Thurston Middle School, programs are in place to meet the needs of GATE students in grades 4-8. The GATE Program consists of the following options:

  • Cluster groupings
  • Differentiation of curriculum to include opportunities for complexity, depth, acceleration and novelty
  • Enrichment activities

District Guiding Principles

  • Beginning at the third grade level, students will be identified “GATE” based on the District’s identification procedure outlined in this handbook.
  • Laguna Beach Unified School District clusters fourth through eighth grade students heterogeneously while maintaining academically balanced grade level classrooms.
  • The 9th-12th grade is rich in Honors, Advanced Placement and enrichment courses that provide differentiation for GATE students. Athletics, drama/music opportunities, and various clubs also provide enrichment.
  • The District will continue to provide in-service opportunities related to differentiating instruction for teachers. Differentiated curriculum is not limited to GATE students but is open to all students. For this reason, in-services on differentiation will be open to all staff.

*Each elementary and middle school has a site plan describing the program purpose and goals.