Parents promote improved TAG program

Two parents urged the Sisters School Board at its December 13 meeting to improve the district's program for Talented and Gifted children.

Merry Ann Moore, the head of a volunteer organization called the Committee for Sisters School Children, made a brief presentation saying the district ought to hire a TAG coordinator, a "paid professional."

She sympathized with the board's lack of money for this purpose but suggested several possible sources of funds, including a foundation set up by Bill Gates of Microsoft dedicated to small schools and a special fund set aside by Governor Ted Kulongoski that might fit such a need.

A longer presentation was made by John Shepherd, who said he was the father of three sons in Sisters schools, all of whom have been identified as TAG students. He said a good program shouldn't really cost anything extra because it can be carried out in regular classrooms by regular teachers.

He said teachers can form "cluster groups" of TAG students and offer them special assignments, enabling them to do higher level work at a faster pace than other students. He said he used to do this in his own classes, explaining that he worked as a substitute teacher in Sisters for three years and for another three years was the district's only full-time teacher for the home school program.

"I don't want TAG kids swept under the carpet," Shepherd said.

Shepherd indicated dissatisfaction with "differentiated education" as it has been implemented in the past, arguing that too often it has simply meant added work to be done on the student's own, outside of class, without guidance from an instructor.

Shepherd asked the board to form a committee consisting of the TAG specialist from each of the district's three schools plus a concerned parent from each building, including himself and Moore.

The committee would meet weekly to review current operations and after eight weeks "make a recommendation to the board for specific changes that would better serve the TAG kids."

Board Chairman Glen Lasken said the board would be discussing the TAG program and promised Shepherd a written response within 10 days.

From the audience, one person volunteered that he had a different view and was quite happy with the TAG offerings in Sisters now. Middle School Principal Lora Nordquist said she thought it might be a good idea to form a committee, as Shepherd suggested.

"One of the things it should do," she said, "is assess the level of service (to TAG students) in the district today. Maybe it should ask the students" as well.