Oregonian story on OATAG Conference & TAG advocacy

Today's Oregonian has a nice piece by Amy Wang (who attended last week's TAGAC meeting). The article covers the OATAG conference as well as ideas for improving TAG instruction.

Click here to link.

Alameda Fall TAG Meeting - Oct. 16 at 6p

Alameda's fall TAG meeting for parents/guardians is October 16 in the Alameda library.

Time - 6:00-7:00 PM

The meeting will cover nomination & testing and Alameda's building TAG plan. 

---The building TAG plan outlines how Alameda will meet TAG students' instructional needs. It is a schoolwide document.

---The individual instructional plan (a.k.a. individual TAG plan or IIP) is something that you may request if you feel your child's learning needs will be met better with a customized plan. Please discuss this with your child's teacher. Click here to link to the elementary school individual plan document.

Mark your calendars!!

TAG enrichment budget options - Saturday Academy and OMSI

Here are some of the classes that schools can offer TAG students during the school day or during late starts.

Kimberly Matier worked hard over the summer to negotiate attractive rates for PPS schools. TAG-identified students and students working at the appropriate rate/level can participate. The goal here is to make it easier for schools to set up appropriate plans for the TAG budgets so that the money is not forfeited at the end of the year.
 

TAG Advisory Council Meeting Recap

We had lots of new faces at the TAGAC meeting last night. I'll post the minutes when they're approved, but here's a quick recap of Director of Instruction Kimberly Matier's presentation -

-The TAG Coordinator role will no longer be primarily clerical. Clerical responsibilities have been shifted away to other staff. The TAG Coordinator will attend five mandatory professional development meetings on how teachers are expected to meet TAG students' learning rate & level needs in the classroom. The meetings will be Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Jan. 23, Feb. 27 and April 24. The information will be shared with all teachers at staff meetings. The TAG Coordinator will also help teachers write individual instructional plans.

-Final approval of TAG enrichment budget items - which are now totally separate from the TAG Coordinator budget - now rests within the TAG department. Since these are TAG funds, schools are not supposed to use the funds for general schoolwide enrichment/clubs as they have in the past. If schools neglect to use the funds, which has been a problem over the past four years, they will lose control over how to direct the money.

-Schools have until Oct. 30 to plan how they will use their TAG enrichment budgets. Kimberly Matier has negotiated attractive group rates with Saturday Academy and OMSI for differentiated group instruction, which can happen during the school day. I'll post the menu of class choices as soon as I have a digital copy. TAG-identified students and students working at the appropriate rate/level & nominated by teachers can participate.

-The acceleration policy for math and for english language arts will be posted on the TAG website this Friday.

-TAGAC Communication head Brenda Ray Scott is now able to make changes to the PPS TAG website, which should result in a more user-friendly and updated site.

That's it for now - please email me or Virginia LaForte if you have any questions or ideas about TAGAC. Your child's teacher is the best point of contact for individual instructional rate/level and individual TAG plan questions. Thanks!

TAG Advisory Council Meeting & Committees

This year, the TAGAC (district parent TAG Advisory Council) is organizing around four committees - Differentiation, Curriculum, Equity and Communication.

If you can't attend the TAGAC meetings (6:30p. one Tuesday evening a month), you can still help out with committee work. The group is determined to build off of last year's survey findings with specific goals and requests for PPS. Please email chair Mark Feldman at ppsmark@feldmark.com if you would like to help with a committee.

The first meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30p. in the Mazama room of Blanchard Ed Services Center at 501 N. Dixon.  Mazama is on the second floor by the cafeteria.

Thanks!

Common Core and Gifted Education

Here's a good overview of how the new Common Core standards might affect gifted students and their teachers. Click here to read the NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children) summary.

And click here to read the NAGC's position paper on Common Core.

TAGAC meeting Tues., Sept. 17

Welcome back!

The schedule of TAG Advisory Council Meetings has been finalized, and the first meeting is Tues., Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mazama room of Blanchard Ed Services Center at 501 N. Dixon.  Virginia La Forte and Amy Mason Doan have volunteered to represent Alameda this year, but we would love to have help. Please email Amy if you are interested in working on talented & gifted issues at the PPS, school or state level.

At the Sept. 17 meeting, TAG director Kimberly Matier will talk about the new role of the TAG coordinator and the new options that principals have for using TAG budgets.

We need new members, especially representatives from middle and high schools and members who reflect the diversity of PPS.

Looking forward to working with many of you this year! And please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions about the TAGAC's work.