Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
Annie Brookshire
Senior GATE Coordinator
At Tucson Unified, we recognize that gifted students have special educational needs that should be met within the context of educating the whole child through a variety of services and options. The role of the Gifted Education program is to:
- Identify the particular abilities and needs of these students.
- Challenge students functioning at the highest level of ability.
- Encourage underachieving students who are capable of the highest performance.
- Promote higher level creative and critical thinking skills throughout the district.
- Promote creative or productive achievement.
The district is committed to providing all students enrolled with equal access to the district’s Gifted and Talented Education program.
Our GATE Schools, Programs, and Services
Tucson Unified recognizes that gifted students have unique educational needs that should be met within the context of educating the whole child through a variety of services and options.
In our Tucson Unified GATE Self-Contained programs, students receive instruction from a gifted-endorsed teacher full time, five days per week.
In our Tucson Unified GATE Self-Contained programs, students receive instruction from a gifted-endorsed teacher full time, five days per week.
- Specialized teaching strategies
- Critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving skills
- Learning environments that promote gifted instruction and learning practices
- Authentic and culturally relevant instruction
- An understanding of broad-based issues and themes within interdisciplinary and multicultural contexts
- Independence, self-direction, and collaborative skills
- Critical and higher level thinking skills
- Risk-taking, curiosity, imagination, and enjoyment of complex challenges
- An appreciation of human differences
Students must qualify to be offered a seat in our GATE Self-Contained Program. Placement offers are determined based on a student's qualification scores, space availability, as well as their GATE feeder pattern based on their home address. For more information, email GATE Program or call 520-225-3605.
Our Self-Contained Elementary Schools:
Kellond Elementary | Lineweaver Elementary | Wheeler Elementary | White Elementary | Roberts-Naylor K8
Our Self-Contained Middle Schools:
Tucson Unified's Dual Language Self-Contained GATE program provides a student-centered, rigorous learning opportunity in a dual language family environment. Students are able to develop their full potential and become highly successful bilingual members of our community. The daily focus for Hollinger students is to think critically, be innovative and creative, and have opportunities to help become the leaders of tomorrow!
In our Tucson Unified Dual Language Self-Contained GATE program, students receive instruction from a teacher who is both gifted-endorsed and dual language endorsed, full time, five days per week. Instruction is provided in both English & Spanish. To learn more about the our Two-Way Dual Language Program(s) please feel free to visit our Two-Way Dual Language Website by clicking the image below:
In our Tucson Unified Dual Language Self-Contained GATE program, students receive instruction from a teacher who is both gifted-endorsed and dual language endorsed, full time, five days per week. Instruction is provided in both English & Spanish. To learn more about the our Two-Way Dual Language Program(s) please feel free to visit our Two-Way Dual Language Website by clicking the image below:
Students must qualify to be offered a seat in our GATE Self-Contained Program. Placement offers are determined based on a student's qualification scores, and space availability. Any student in our district can attend our Dual Language Self-Contained Program as long as they meet both the GATE Self-Contained and Dual Language program criteria.
Students in grades K-1 automatically qualify for dual language services. Qualifying GATE students, not in a dual language classroom, in grades 2-8 are required to pass a language screener in order to qualify for the program. To schedule a time to complete the language screener, parents should contact Hollinger K-8 at (520) 225-1700.
For more information, email GATE Program or call 520-225-3605.
Our Dual Language Self-Contained School:
Tucson Unified recognizes gifted students have unique educational needs that should be met within the context of educating the whole child through a variety of services and options. All students benefit from gifted instructional strategies. Cluster programs provide instruction by a gifted endorsed teacher with students “clustered” together in classrooms with GATE identified and open access students. In our GATE Cluster classrooms, available at select sites from 1st - 5th grade, gifted instruction is provided full time, five days per week.
- Specialized teaching strategies
- Expanded content, critical and creative thinking skills
- Learning environments that promote gifted instruction and learning practices
- Authentic and culturally relevant instruction
- Independence, self-direction, and collaborative skills
- An understanding of broad-based issues and themes within interdisciplinary and multicultural contexts
- Critical and higher level thinking skills
- Risk-taking, curiosity, imagination, and enjoyment of complex challenges
- An appreciation of human differences
Pre-GATE Kindergarten is an Open Access program intended to create an opportunity to experience and engage in Gifted and Talented Education Programs strategies prior to program qualification. Students receive instruction from a gifted-endorsed teacher full time, five days per week. Students in the Pre-GATE Kindergarten program are automatically assessed during the school year to determine their qualifications and eligibility for GATE Programs for the following academic year.
For more information about the program, email GATE Program or call 520-225-3605.
If you would like your current kindergarten student evaluated for GATE please email out GATE Testing and Placement Office or call 520-225-1310.
Our Pre GATE Kindergarten Schools:
Blenman Elementary | Cavett Elementary | Dunham Elementary | Fruchthendler Elementary | Grijalva Elementary | Howell Elementary |Kellond Elementary | Lineweaver Elementary |Maldonado Elementary | Myers Ganoung Elementary | Sewell Elementary | Steele Elementary | Wheeler Elementary | White Elementary |Wright Elementary Drachman K8 | Hollinger K8 |Roberts-Naylor K8 | Robins K8| Rose K8
For more information about the program, email GATE Program or call 520-225-3605.
If you would like your current kindergarten student evaluated for GATE please email out GATE Testing and Placement Office or call 520-225-1310.
Our Open Access programs provide opportunities to any student interested in learning through Gifted and Talented Education strategies. No qualification is required, Tucson Unified provides students with this opportunity from grades 1 - 8.
Our Elementary Open Access School:
Tully Elementary Magnet School
Open access, district-wide gifted magnet program. Students receive gifted instructions in all classrooms.
Our Middle School Open Access School:
Roberts-Naylor K8 School
Open access middle school strand feeder for Tully K-5 students interested in continuing a GATE open access educucation and also open to any other student looking to start GATE courses.
For more information, contact the school of interest directly, email GATE Program, or call 520-225-3605.
Tully Elementary Magnet School
Open access, district-wide gifted magnet program. Students receive gifted instructions in all classrooms.
Our Middle School Open Access School:
Roberts-Naylor K8 School
Open access middle school strand feeder for Tully K-5 students interested in continuing a GATE open access educucation and also open to any other student looking to start GATE courses.
For more information, contact the school of interest directly, email GATE Program, or call 520-225-3605.
Tucson Unified recognizes that gifted students have unique educational needs that should be met within the context of educating the whole child through a variety of services and options. Our GATE Pull-Out Program is offered at all Tucson Unified Elementary/K8 Schools in grades 1-5 district-wide. GATE-itinerant teachers are designated to each elementary school and provide enrichment instruction in a small group setting to qualifying students.
- Student-centered classroom
- 21st century learning skills
- Differentiation
- Critical thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving
- Inquiry-based, hands-on learning
- Project-based and problem-based learning
- Socratic seminar
- Interactive student notebooks
- Social emotional support
- 90 -minute pull-out program at all elementary schools
- Gifted-endorsed itinerant teachers work with qualified students for small group instruction
- Enrichment program focusing on interdisciplinary project-based learning
For more information, email GATE Program or call 520-225-3605.
At the Middle School and High School level, students start to receive a wider variety of advanced learning opportunities to meet their individual needs. Below are options available for students at each level.
- Open access, GATE Qualifications are NOT required
- Offered in core enrichment or content areas
- Course offerings vary depending on the site
- Accelerated Math
- Middle School classes for High School Credit
- Honors
- AVID Elective Classes (at select schools)
- Open access, GATE Qualifications are NOT required
- Offered in core enrichment or content areas.
- At least 1 GATE class is offered at all TUSD High Schools
- Honors
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- Dual Credit
- AVID Elective Classes (at select schools)
Testing (Screening and Evaluation) Information
Tucson Unified School District administers various exams to determine a student's Gifted Abilities. These exams include but are not limited to the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT3) and the Raven Progressive Matrices. To determine eligibility for Gifted Services, multiple measures are utilized to ensure we look at a student holistically. GATE evaluations are administered through our central GATE Testing and Placement Office at all TUSD elementary and middle schools with at least two additional Saturday make-up tests at a central location.
For more information please visit our GATE Testing & Placement website.
Please email GATE Testing & Placement about our testing schedules or for more information.
Tucson Unified School District administers various exams to determine a student's Gifted Abilities. These exams include but are not limited to the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT3) and the Raven Progressive Matrices. To determine eligibility for Gifted Services, multiple measures are utilized to ensure we look at a student holistically. GATE evaluations are administered through our central GATE Testing and Placement Office at all TUSD elementary and middle schools with at least two additional Saturday make-up tests at a central location.
For more information please visit our GATE Testing & Placement website.
Please email GATE Testing & Placement about our testing schedules or for more information.
GATE Announcements
District-Wide GATE Newsletter
GATE Pull-out Newsletter
Fall Family Enrichment Night
More Info
All GATE teachers throughout the district are encouraged to use these GATE standards to differentiate instruction and create interdisciplinary units of study.
The District provides transportation to self-contained students that live in the TUSD boundaries and beyond the walking distance that the district has established. Please ask about transportation when registering. Registration must be completed at the site by May 15 of the preceding year to receive transportation services by the beginning of the year.
Please see below links, which provide information about Transportation eligibility and Non-Eligible Rider Form.
Transportation Eligibility
According to Policy EEA, school bus transportation is provided for students attending their neighborhood schools as long as they live outside the walk boundary.
Non-Eligible Transportation Application (PDF)
Application is for the current school year only. Non-Eligible Rider Transportation Program does not guarantee transportation. The application is a request for transportation department to review availability of route and seats.
To submit a Placement Appeal on behalf of your student, please complete the appeal form found HERE.
To complete the form, you will need to sign in to your student's TUSD Account. Their account information can be attained by requesting the information from your student or their teacher.
TUSD Student Username:
[STUDENT'S MATRIC]@s.tusd1.org
To complete the form, you will need to sign in to your student's TUSD Account. Their account information can be attained by requesting the information from your student or their teacher.
TUSD Student Username:
[STUDENT'S MATRIC]@s.tusd1.org