Sisters schools identify the talented and gifted

Every school in the state must have a program for talented and gifted students. It's the law. Behind that simple statement, however, is a complex, sometimes emotional, process of identifying students with exceptional abilities and tailoring unique programs to help them rise to their potential.

The Sisters School District is now in the process of evaluating students from grades three through 12 and by sometime in March the district will have identified from 100 to 150 youngsters who have demonstrated exceptional abilities in one or more areas of academic and/or intellectual achievement.

These youngsters will, in most cases, but not all, be enrolled in some form of accelerated studies in the TAG program-- the district's program for the talented and gifted.

Evaluations are triggered by either teachers or parents. Often teachers can spot exceptional abilities before the parents, or vice versa, according to Tim Comfort, principal at Sisters Elementary School and head of the TAG program for the district.

These students are given a battery of tests set by state and national standards. They can reveal exceptional achievement across a number of topics or in one topic.

Once a student has shown achievements as great or better than 97 percent of students in his or her age group, he or she is a candidate for TAG.

This does not mean a youngster will be simply dropped into a heavy-workload TAG class. It means the student will be given a "personal education plan" which has been written jointly by the teacher and at least one parent. It could mean special studies at school, or additional studies at home with guidance from parents.

A student also may be pulled from regular class to take advantage of special studies at the "enrichment center" in the school library. Here a student can move ahead in reading, problem solving, research skills and other activities tailored to let special abilities evolve.

Moving a student ahead a grade sometimes is appropriate, but, Comfort said, it is done only after very careful evaluation, not only of the student's achievement skills, but also of the social and emotional implications. A student is a candidate for advancing a grade when he or she has demonstrated exceptional abilities in numerous areas of study.

Sometimes a student who has shown abilities in a specific area, such as math, may move ahead a grade in only that subject -- For example, a fourth grader could take fifth grade math.

The social implications of a student wearing the "TAG" label can be significant, Comfort said. That's why some parents want their children left among the rank and file with no special labels. They are afraid, he said, of their son or daughter becoming arrogant and taking on an elitist attitude because he or she has been dubbed "superior."

So, what happens if one of these students is not moved into the TAG program?

According to Comfort, not much. All students are involved in personal goal setting geared to developing their talents and strengths. Library resources are available to all and teachers work with individuals routinely to help them grow.

If parents suspect their child is a candidate for TAG and that child has not been selected for the program, they can call the school and, if their youngster is in the third grade or higher, they will be given materials for testing the student at home.

The test will give the parents an idea of how their child compares to other youngsters and the school can further evaluate the results.

There are some particular qualities parents should look for.

TAG kids show their skills in several ways. Advanced reading or math skills are readily identified --the student consistently turns in perfect work.

Sometimes the intellectual qualities of a youngster are not as readily observed. Highly developed vocabularies may be a result of environment -- the vocabularies of parents -- or a result of exceptional intellect. Powers of reasoning and high levels of consciousness sometimes can be astounding -- a grade schooler can pose complex questions or observations on world events.

Intellectual skills applied in a hobby, may not show up in school work.

Comfort said parents should check out a youngster who collects things, be it baseball cards or butterflies. How is the collection managed? Are items categorized? Does the child understand relationships of items in the collection? How deep is the child's understanding of the collection?

The fact that a youngster is not doing well in school work does not necessarily mean he or she is not a TAG candidate. Emotional difficulties ranging from low self-esteem to attention deficit disorder and other problems can complicate a youngster's education. Comfort said it is possible to a TAG student to also participate in the district's Special Education Program which helps youngsters with physical handicaps and learning difficulties.

Unlike the special education program, the program for talented and gifted youngsters receives no state or federal subsidy. The school district receives $8,600 in basic school support for each student in special education, double the standard allotment for other youngsters, including TAG kids.

Standard tests for TAG candidates are available to students from grade three through 12.

According to Comfort, this year, Sisters students in kindergarten to third grade are for the first time being observed and identified as potential TAG candidates. He said there are no tests, only teacher and parent observation and the students' own achievement.

If a student is consistently scoring 100 percent on a subject the teacher may send the student to the enrichment center for more challenging work, even though the student may not be officially part of the TAG program.

Children in kindergarten, first and second grades generally have not been tested because of an inconsistency in results, something attributed to early growth stage of these youngsters. Their minds and emotions have not grown to the point of producing the kind of results needed for accurate evaluations, according to Comfort. He believes, however, that these very early ages bear close observation.

For more information about the TAG program contact Counselors Amy Stranieri (elementary school), Debbie Newport (middle/high school), and special aide Isolde Hedemark (elementary school).