Introduction:

The GATE Program is an alternative pathway to education and workforce opportunities for students who have withdrawn from high school prior to graduation. The program aims to re-engage students who have withdrawn from high school by providing a pathway to earn valuable career education credentials while also completing a standard high school diploma or its equivalent. The GATE Program is designed for students aged 16 to 21 who have withdrawn from high school and wish to enroll in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program while working toward obtaining their high school diploma or its equivalent. In this program, eligible students will enroll concurrently in a CTE course and either an Adult Basic Education Program, Adult High School, or GED Preparation course. The student must work towards earning both a career certificate or applied technology diploma on the Master List (https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20670/urlt/32-3.pdf) and a high school diploma or its equivalent at the same time. The program exempts students enrolled in the GATE program from paying tuition, specified fees and the costs of instructional materials. Students have three years to complete the program. :

Eligibility Requirements:

• Have not earned a standard high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma before enrolling in the GATE Program
• Have been withdrawn from high school
• Be a state of Florida resident
• Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial enrollment (Parental consent is required for a student under 18 years of age to withdraw from high school prior to graduation.)
• Select the adult secondary education program and career education program of his or her choice at the time of admission to the GATE Program. (The student may not change the requested pathway after enrollment, except that, if necessary for the student, the student may enroll in an adult basic education program prior to enrolling in the adult secondary education program.)
• Maintain a 2.0 GPA for career and technical education coursework
• Complete the programs within 3 years after his or her initial enrollment

Next Steps:

At the time of withdrawal from a traditional high school, the student must meet with their guidance counselor to obtain information about the GATE Program. Students who are eligible for the GATE program, may access the student application and enrollment form at https://api.dadeschools.net/wmsfiles/61/pdfs/3999.pdf. Upon receipt of the student application and enrollment form, the M-DCPS Postsecondary Institution will review the application against the GATE program eligibility criteria and collaborate with the student to identify and select an eligible CTE program. The GATE student will receive correspondence pertaining to programs for which eligibility was not met.