Rogers Parents' Mtg. Today on GATE vs. Accelerated

An after-school meeting will be held today at Rogers Middle School to explain to parents the meaning and approach of classes termed ''accelerated" versus ''GATE.'' The meeting will start at 3:45 p.m. in the school library and is open to all parents of students at the school.

It was set up as an informational about the district's curriculum and how it is being employed for students identified in the district-conducted GATE test as either ''gifted learners" or very high-achieving learners. Some parents with students who have previously been in a GATE class have expressed concern that their kids will not, or have not, been academically challenged enough by their coursework since school began about a month ago.

There are no GATE-only classes at Rogers, as are typical at many elementary schools in the district--although not all. Naples Bayside Academy, for instance, has no GATE classes. (It has the highest test scores in Long Beach Unified).