(1) Under existing law, the Gifted and Talented Pupil Program authorizes school districts that provided a mentally gifted minor program in the 1978–79 school year to participate in that program. Under existing law, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to apportion funds to eligible school districts in a specified manner that apportions funds to each participating school district based on a different dollar amount per pupil depending on the number of participating pupils in the program.
This bill would delete those provisions and add provisions that revise the method of apportioning funds for the gifted and talented program so that each participating school district receives a per-pupil amount based on average daily attendance, determined as specified. The bill would also remove certain restrictions on the use of funds for gifted and talented pupil programs.
(2) Under existing law, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to meet certain requirements in administering the Gifted and Talented Program, including giving priority in technical assistance to those districts receiving the greatest increase in funds.
This bill would delete that requirement.
(3) Under existing law, the governing boards of school districts that provide gifted and talented programs may establish programs consisting of special day classes, part-time grouping, enrichment activities, cluster grouping, independent study, acceleration, postsecondary education opportunities, and other program approaches authorized by the governing board of the school district. Existing law provides that if the school district provides any of these programs, it must provide them for a specified amount of time each week.
This bill would instead require that programs for gifted and talented pupils be planned and organized as an integrated differentiated learning experience within the regular school day, and may be augmented with other differentiated activities related to the core curriculum.
(4) Existing law requires the governing board of each school district providing gifted and talented programs to conduct an annual assessment of the program and to develop procedures that ensure the ongoing participation of parents of gifted and talented pupils in the planning and evaluation of those programs.
This bill would delete those provisions. The bill would instead require a school district, each time it submits an application for renewal of its GATE authorization, to submit a program assessment, in accordance with criteria adopted by the State Board of Education.