Gifted and Talented Education - GATE
Effective January, 2026
The Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program in MSAD 44 is designed to serve students in grade 1 through grade 12 who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.
Students with gifts and talents require modifications to their educational experiences to learn and realize their potential. Participation in the GATE program provides students with opportunities to engage in a community of advanced learners and may include acceleration, enrichment, flexible grouping, creative and collaborative projects, social emotional guidance, problem-solving and/or critical thinking exercises designed to meet their unique learning profile.
Screening Process
Step 1: Identify target pool - teachers complete the Teacher's Class Screening Form for Nominating Students for Gifted Testing (April/May):
Classroom teachers and/or content area teachers (including art & music) name up to 3 students for each of 20 Gifted & Talented (GT) Characteristics
Repetitive names will be considered for Cognitive Abilities Testing (CogAT)
Minimum of 10/20 characteristics (elementary) & 8/20 characteristics (middle)
Step 2: Administer the CogAT in the Fall (September/October), if needed
Note: The CogAT is valid for 3 years.
Step 3: Collect i-Ready Math and reading level assessment data (September/October)
Step 4: Collect NWEA Math and NWEA Reading assessment data (October)
Step 5: GATE Team meets to review data and determine eligibility (November)
Step 6: Parents/guardians of students who are determined to be eligible for specialized services will be notified in writing. A permission form must be signed and returned by the parent/guardian to receive services. Parents retain the right to refuse programming.
Selection Process
Student meets either criteria 1 OR 2:
Student achieves a Composite Score on the CogAT that falls at or above the 95th percentile
Student meets three of the following eligibility criteria:
i-Ready Math Assessment: 95th percentile or above
Reading 5+ levels above grade level benchmark
NWEA Math Assessment: 95th percentile or above
NWEA Reading Assessment: 95th percentile or above
CogAT Assessment: At least one subtest (Verbal, Quantitative, or Nonverbal) 95th percentile or above
GT Characteristics: 15 or more identified characteristics from the teacher screening
If a student moves into MSAD #44 who had previously been receiving gifted and talented services within the past two years, this evidence will be considered as one of the three eligibility criteria above. The student will also be assessed with the CogAT, and the other criteria listed above will be considered.
What does the CogAT® measure?
The CogAT® measures learned reasoning and problem-solving skills in three different areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Reasoning skills develop gradually throughout a person's lifetime, and at different rates for different individuals. CogAT® does not measure such factors as effort, attention, motivation, and work habits, which contribute to school achievement as well.
The verbal battery measures a child's ability to remember and transform sequences of English words, to understand them, and to make inferences and judgements about them.
The quantitative battery tests the child's understanding of basic quantitative concepts and relationships that are essential for learning mathematics. Tasks measure both the understanding of relational concepts and the student's ability to discover relationships and figure out a rule or principle that explains them.
The nonverbal battery measures reasoning using pictures and geometric shapes. This reduces the impact of language on the student's score. The nonverbal battery also appraises the student's ability to use her/his cognitive resources in new situations.