Glendale Schools are committed to offering all students the opportunity to achieve at their maximum potential. Students identified as "gifted and talented" receive rigorous educational challenges tailored to their needs. These services are provided through the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. Parent and family participation are an important component.

GATE students perform at remarkably high levels when assessed against others of similar age, experience, and/or background. Staff seeks to raise the achievement level of all students, including those already performing above grade level. There's never a limit on how much or how fast students learn. They are challenged with advanced courses and opportunities, and they are encouraged to meet these increased expectations.

Glendale's GATE program fully complies with state statutes that emphasize qualitatively different instruction for students. Teachers and other staff are well trained in providing the best possible services to gifted students and parents. Among the opportunities open to GATE students in the Glendale Schools are:

Invention Convention
An annual spring celebration of inventiveness and problem-solving where students exhibit an actual invention or Rube Goldberg-style drawing. Several hundred students from grades 4-12 display their creativity at this event.

Math Field Day
Teams from all 19 elementary schools compete in math competitions involving problem-solving, mental math calculations, estimating, and identifying spatial relationships. Teams of winners from this event compete in the annual elementary L.A. County Math Field Day. In addition, 7th grade and 8th grade teams have been organized to participate in the recently developed annual middle school L.A. County Math Field Day.

California Math League
Students in elementary and middle schools test their math skills for individual and school honors in a challenging written quiz.

Breakfast with a Guest from the Past
A popular family event, guests for breakfasts have included Abigail Adams, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Beatrix Potter, and Harriet Tubman. (The guests are actors, but they seem real!)

High School Scholastic Bowl
It's the district's premiere academic event of the year, and it always includes several GATE students. Well attended by students, parents, teachers, and community, the Scholastic Bowl features competition among teams from Crescenta Valley, Hoover, and Glendale highs. More than $3,000 in scholarship grants and prizes are awarded in partnership with local businesses and organizations.

National Current Events League
Middle school students are encouraged to keep up on U.S. and world issues. The four middle schools compete four times annually.

Saturday Arts Academy
Students in grades 4-8 combine learning with fun activities in the visual and performing arts.

District GATE Parent Advisory Committee
Composed of two representatives from each school, this group usually meets three times a year at the district's Professional Development Center. It is involved in the planning, evaluation, and implementation of the program. A speaker of special interest to parents of gifted youngsters attends each meeting. Any parent or community member is welcome and encouraged to attend.