San Diego Unified School District logo
Curriculum and Instruction Programs

Seminar Program
The GATE Seminar Program serves GATE Seminar identified students in grades 3-12 who score three standard deviations above the mean or 99.9%ile on a district-approved, mental ability test. Factors may be applied to identify in the 99.6-99.8%ile range in accordance with School Board policies and procedures. Factors include environmental, economic, language, and emotional/health problems that may depress the scores or negatively influence academic achievement.

Modifications of depth, complexity, acceleration and novelty are applied to the core curriculum at levels commensurate with student ability. The Seminar Program is restricted to 20 students per classroom in a self-contained full day class at the elementary level and selected courses at the secondary level.

GATE Seminar Program Booklet Adobe PDF
GATE Seminar Program Descriptions Adobe PDF
2006/2007 Seminar Task Force Committee Information


News About The Seminar Application Process

On August 7, 2007, the Board of Education voted to approve the recommendation of the Staff Reponse to Seminar Task Force Committee Recommendations, which states:

"By establishing a quality Seminar program in every cluster, school choice for Seminar students can be limited to Seminar schools within a student's cluster [feeder pattern]. The program application process can also be eliminated. When a student is identified as a Seminar student, he/she should immediately be offered admission into a program within the residential cluster without any additional criteria." Staff Response to Seminar Task Force Committee Recommendations, pg. 2 (http://www.sandi.net/board/reports/2007/0807/7b3.pdf ) Letters (English Adobe PDF and Spanish Adobe PDF) were mailed before the Winter Break to parents of all Seminar identified students, grades 3 through 11, outlining the options for placement and a chart of feeder patterns.

Starting in 2007/2008, there will be no Seminar application process nor Seminar priority through the Enrollment Options/CHOICE Office for Seminar students wishing to change to a different feeder pattern.


>>Seminar Identification

TOP



Cluster Program
The GATE Cluster Program provides GATE Cluster identified students at grades 3-12 with curricular options that modify depth, complexity, acceleration and novelty of the core curriculum. To meet the educational needs of their students, school sites use four district-approved models Adobe PDF.

Cluster students score in the very superior range (98th percentile or above) on a district-approved, mental ability test administered by a GATE school psychologist or score in the 95-97th percentile range on a district-approved ability test with the application of factors. Factors include environmental, economic, language, emotional and health problems that may depress test scores or negatively influence academic achievement. See the Cluster Identification Criteria

On August 9, 2005, the Board of Education had the first reading of the staff response to the Cluster Task Force report which was presented on May 24, 2005. Below please find the link for this report of the Staff Response to the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Cluster Advisory Task Force and Program Governance Team Recommendations:
http://www.sandi.net/board/reports/2005/0809/index.html

It is important to review the original report from the GATE Cluster Task Force and GATE Governance Team to the Board of Education in order to understand the implications of the response. The following is the link to this report:
http://www.sandi.net/board/reports/2005/0524/index.html

TOP



Advanced Placement (AP) Program
The Advanced Placement Program consists of college-level courses and rigorous end-of-course exams for senior high school students developed by the CollegeBoard out of Princeton, New Jersey. Over 90% of the colleges that most AP candidates attend give credit and/or advanced placement at many of the nation's colleges and universities to students whose examination grades are considered acceptable. In addition, college admissions officers view a candidate taking AP courses and the College Board exams favorably whether or not the student scored well enough to receive credit at their institution. AP classes—when compared to other high school courses—go into greater depth, often take more time, require more work, and give greater opportunity for individual progress and accomplishment. The end-of-course exams, an important part of each course, allow for the assessment-driven curriculum, ensuring adherence to higher expectations and standards that are common throughout the country, and produce measurable results.

The San Diego Unified School District has an extensive AP Program; district high schools offered 35 different AP courses in 2006-07. AP courses train students in close reading, vocabulary, problem solving, essay writing, and reasoning and analysis. In AP courses students experience a universe of knowledge that might otherwise be unexplored in high school.

The GATE Department sponsors Advanced Placement Teacher Workshops during the summer and during the school year. These workshops are conducted by reknown speakers from CollegeBoard.com and train teachers to deal better and more effectively with the challenges of the AP classroom and curriculum.

Resources from the College Board:

Professional Development Resources: Additional Resources
TOP



International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is a rigorous, pre-university, two-year course of study for highly motivated eleventh and twelfth grade students. The program is offered locally at both San Diego High School/School of International Studies and Mission Bay High School. Students in this program are actively engaged in a liberal arts curriculum that includes such features as an interdisciplinary Theory of Knowledge course, community service activities, foreign language study, and an original research project. This program trains the student to think critically about learning, to question what is being taught, and to strive to improve in all academic areas. Universities and colleges often recognize IB through granting advanced course standing and college credit. IB final exams are based on two years' coursework in each course for the student. IB exams require student to participate in written exams in most subject areas, oral exams in other areas, and turning in lab books, project, papers, and other coursework.

The current director of the program at SDHS/IS is Karen deLaurier kdelaurier@sandi.net (619) 525-7455. For more information about the program, visit http://is.sdhs.sandi.net/IBprogram.html. The current director of the program at Mission Bay High School is Melissa Romero, mromero@sandi.net (858) 273-1313. For more information about the program, visit http://www.missionbayhigh.com/ib/intbaccalaureate.html.

Both AP and IB students take end-of-course exams to receive weighted credit as outlined in District Administrative Procedure 4705. Federal and state AP exam fee assistance is available.

A middle school International Baccalaureate Program is currently in place at both Roosevelt Middle School and Pacific Beach Middle School. The current director of the program at Roosevelt is Ernie Remillard, eremillard@sandi.net, (619) 293-4318. For more information on the program, visit http://rooseveltmiddle.org. The current director of the program at Pacific Beach is Jenny Sims, jsims@sandi.net, (858) 273-9070. For more information of the program, go to http://pbmiddle.sandi.net/~ibweb

There are several elementary schools that are currently in the candidate process of becoming part of the elementary school International Baccalaureate Program. These schools are Florence, McKinley, Birney, and Jefferson (feeding into Roosevelt Middle and San Diego High/IS), and Crown Point and Kate Sessions (feeding into Pacific Beach Middle and Mission Bay High).


Resources:
TOP



Academic League
Every year the brightest and the best students from public and private schools throughout San Diego County compete in a televised event called "Academic League." Answering a series of questions from all core subjects, the contestants try to outwit and outmanuever their opponents in a set of matches to reach the finals. These final fascinating and whirlwind matches are televised and broadcast by the ITV studios at the San Diego County Office of Education before a studio audience of over 200 parents, staff, and friends, cheering their students on to victory.

For participating schools only:
Participation and Invoice information for 2007/2008 Adobe PDF
TOP