TAG Policies and Procedures

TAG Student Identification

Student referrals may be made by teachers, parents, other students, self, or others familiar with the student. Oregon State Assessment should be a key part however; no single test measure or score is to be used as sole criteria for identification. After a referral is made to the Principal or Child Development Specialist (CDS), a process is started that includes the following checklist. All of these are kept in the TAG folder within the students cumulative folder

TAG Student File Checklist

  1. Referral:
    1. Parent
    2. Teacher
    3. Oregon State Assessment
  2. Parent permission to test
  3. Individual testing
  4. Identification Team Evaluation Form including test results
  5. Identification Team meeting
  6. Letter to parent with Program Options (non-qualification, monitor, or acceptance)
  7. Yearly Services provided

The TAG Mandate in Brief

  1. Local policies and procedures to identify talented and gifted students must include behavioral, learning and/or performance information.
    1. For intellectually gifted, districts must use nationally standardized tests of mental ability; scores must be 97%ile or better.
    2. For academically gifted, districts must use nationally standardized test of academic achievement in reading or math, total reading or math scores must be 97th percentile or better.
    3. Must identify students who demonstrate potential to perform at 97th percentile.
  2. All identified students must be served.
    1. District must have written plan for programs and services.
    2. District must have written course statements describing programs and services to be provided.
    3. Instruction shall address assessed levels of learning and accelerated rates of learning in major academic areas.
  3. District must inform parent of identification and programs and services available. Parent must have opportunity to participate in selecting programs and services.
  4. District must provide guidance and counseling to support the educational and career development of students.
  5. District shall assist teachers in adopting instruction and curriculum to meet needs and learning rates of all students.

Program & Service Options

While a written individual plan is not required, appropriate services for individual rate and level are required. The following are some approved programs and services that we can provide for our TAG students. At the high school level student selected course choices often are used in place of an individual plan. Exceptions to this might include LD/gifted and exceptionally gifted students. At the end of each year the program(s) and service(s) provided along with a short narrative on “what worked”, or what “did not work”, for the TAG student will be put in his/her TAG folder and kept in the cumulative folder.

At the beginning of each year, previously identified students should be receiving TAG program(s) or service(s) within two weeks of the beginning of the school year. Prior to that time the new teacher should review the TAG folder and meet with the TAG team to come up with the service(s) to be provided for the new school year.

Program options for students in grades K-12 may include:

Cluster grouping in regular classes: Students are grouped according to ability or interest in the regular classroom. Groupings may be short-term or more extensive.

Continuous progress in subject area(s): Students are given individualized or group instruction based on their assessed learning level and rate. This option is most commonly used with pre-post testing or mastery learning models. Student may advance through materials regardless of grade placement.

Cross-grade grouping:Students may be ability-grouped with students in a higher grade level.

Performance grouped classes: Students are grouped for a period of time based on similar academic needs.

Early Entrance: Students advance to the next grade.

Independent enrichment activities:Student’s complete independent projects related to grade level curriculum or special student interests. Projects may involve the use of technology resources.

Un-graded/multi-age classes:This option is most frequently seen in an un-graded primary setting. It allows a student to proceed at the student’s individual pace.

Advanced Placement classes: A formal Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum is available for many subject areas. High school students can complete a course and then take the AP exam for college credit.

Distance learning courses: Students take classes offered through satellite communications.

Independent study: Student contracts to complete specific work or project with supervision and monitoring. May be used with entire courses in high school, or for short-term activities in specific areas of study in all grades.

Credit by examination: Student successfully completes an examination covering the course material and receives credit without taking the course.

Concurrent enrollment: Students attend the next higher school setting for credit in both settings. This most commonly involves high school students taking college classes.

Academic competitions: Students participate in academic contests and competitions in particular subject areas such as math, science, music, and speech.

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