Director Tricia Clair of Student Services presented a report on the TAG Program to the School Board

The District goals for TAG are three-fold:

1) Enrichment activities — opportunities for new experiences and to interact with peers of similar interests and abilities.

2) Differentiated instruction — individualized learning plans and a personal understanding of oneself as a learner.

3) Extensions to the Common Core — foster inquiry, creativity, critical thinking, the depth and complexity of learning.

Enrichment activities are projected to occur at least once a month both during and after school. The purpose of enrichment activities is to provide TAG students intellectually stimulating activities that are unique from those in the classroom.

TAG specialists at the primary schools will take an active role in providing differentiated instruction to classes and TAG students. They will particularly emphasize writing and mathematics by developing material and using instructional strategies that they have been trained for. TAG specialists will be collaborating with teachers to assess areas of improvement and provide the needed flexibility to adapt to students’ needs. In addition, TAG specialists will be communicating with parents of TAG students to establish individualized plans for TAG students.

TAG specialists will assist teachers in the classroom to fulfill the Common Core standards and extend beyond them.

Director Clair stated that TAG is increasing communication efforts through monthly meetings with school principals, having TAG agenda items on secondary counselor meetings, distributing a bi-monthly parent/community newsletter, and maintaining a TAG website.

Most of the new changes, however, will only take place at the primary schools.

“There hasn’t been a big shift in the TAG model at the secondary schools”, said Director Tricia Clair.