Why TAG?
As an educator, TAG Coordinator and mother of two TAG students, I am asked this question often. However, before I can answer that question, I want to begin by defining what TAG means.
Across the country you may also hear the terms such as TAG, Talented and Gifted; GATE, Gifted and Talented Education; or AAS, Advanced Academic Services. In the state of Oregon, we use the acronym TAG so I will often use this to refer to accelerated education.
TAG serves to enrich the needs of students who are in the top 5% of students academically and/or intellectually. Gifted students may also be defined as those who have ability that exceeds grade or age level expectations by two or more years. Therefore, by this definition, grade level expectations and standards can not possibly be challenging for them.
So, why TAG? TAG students need the opportunity to learn and grow each year, just as every other student is provided with this opportunity. Often I hear, “They will be just fine, they already know the material.” However, there is a difference between knowing the materials and providing them with an equitable opportunity for growth academically and socially.
According to Susan Winebrenner in “Teaching Gifted Children in Today’s Classroom”, in order to show growth, advanced students need the following:
Compacted curriculum that condenses the learning into a shorter amount of time.
Differentiated Curriculum that provides students with different materials, tasks, and activities than their age peers which will lead to authentic learning for them.
Work Load equity with assurance they won’t have to do more than their classmates; the work they complete will be “instead of” not “on top of” their classroom work.
Knowledge that academic challenge is for ALL students who want to try along an understanding that high expectations are held for every student in the classroom.
In essence, we need to banish the “B” word, BORING, for these students and give them a joy for learning, grit and determination to do hard things, and the knowledge that failure leads to perseverance and further growth. Without the opportunity to experience a challenge, these students will miss out on these key features that are the building block of a successful future.
