Talented and Gifted
Welcome to Beaverton School District's Talented and Gifted home page. The purpose of this page is to inform students and parents about resources and opportunities available for high achieving students.
Talented & Gifted Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)
Kathy Foulger tag@beaverton.k12.or.us
Resources
General Information
General Information
ACCORDING TO OREGON LAW:
Talented and Gifted Education is “needs-based” instructional programming for which a student should be identified to receive services.
This population of students demonstrates exceptional performance when compared to applicable development or learning progressions with consideration given for variations in student’s opportunities to learn and to culturally relevant indicators of ability.
- Oregon TAG Law
As of Spring of 2023, the Oregon Department of Education requires every district to have a district TAG Plan. This is the Beaverton School District TAG Plan 2023.
Currently, because of a transition of personnel, a lot of the links do not work. If you need specific information, use the tag@beaverton.k12.or.us email address to ask.
If you think your child is gifted, or want to learn more about it,
check out the resources for parents on the ODE's TAG page,
the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted
and the National Association for Gifted Children.
You Know Your Child is Gifted When......Book by Judy Galbraith, M.A.
Bright Child vs. Gifted Learner
Testing
Standardized, Nationally, State or District-normed testing is part of the TAG Identification process.
2023-24 General Testing Calendar
TAG Testing |
Timeline for 2023-24 Testing
- early October - CogAT Screener is given to virtually all 3rd graders and 5th graders who are referred (by parent or teacher).
- late October - November - CogAT PostScreener--rest of the test--is given to the screened students who score above a threshold. The full CogAT is given to students who were not referred by teachers in time to be screened.
- Spring 2023 - Oregon Statewide Assessments are given to all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.
Expected Testing for 2024-25
Expectations for Testing for 2024-25
- October - CogAT Screener for virtually all 3rd graders and 5th grade students referred by teacher observations or parent request. Parent will be welcomed to request testing for odd-grade-level years only.
(4th graders who did not take the screener as a 3rd grader for whatever reason can be tested.) - late October-November - CogAT PostScreener--rest of the test--is given to the screened students who score above a threshold. The full CogAT is given to students who were not referred by teachers in time to be screened.
- Spring 2023 -Oregon Statewide Assessments are given to all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders
New Panel
Summa
Summa is a Beaverton-school-district created program, designed for a subset of TAG-identified 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Summa is intended to provide a differentiated, challenging curriculum that meets the cognitive, emotional, and social needs of highly gifted students, while being sensitive to their developmental level.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the Summa program located?
- What is the size of the program?
- Do Summa classes have lower class sizes, or lower teacher : student ratios?
- What are the hours for the Summa program?
- Is the Summa program completely separate from the standard middle school? Will students have interaction with non-summa students?
- What is the Summa curriculum?
- Is the teaching style for Summa the same as regular class?
- How much more homework should Summa students expect?
- Is Summa having an open house? Is it possible to have a tour or talk to other Summa students?
- How does Summa impact high school classes and learning trajectory?
- When can I expect to be notified of my child's eligibility?
- How does Summa eligibility impact Option School opportunities?
- How can non-BSD enrolled students find out about their eligibility for Summa?
Where is the Summa program located?
- For eligible students from Cedar Park, Five Oaks and Meadow Park
-
Elementary Feeders: Barnes, Beaver Acres, Bethany, Elmonica, McKinley, Oak Hills (west of Bethany Blvd), Ridgewood, Rock Creek, West TV, William Walker
- For eligible students from Stoller
- Elementary Feeders: Jacob Wismer, Sato, Springville
- For eligible students from Conestoga, Highland Park, Mountain View and Whitford
- Elementary Feeders: Aloha Huber Park, Chehalem, Cooper Mountain, Errol Hassell, Fir Grove, Greenway, Hazeldale, Hiteon, Kinnaman, McKay, Montclair, Nancy Ryles, Raleigh Hills, Raleigh Park, Scholls Heights, Sexton Mountain, Vose
- For eligible students from Tumwater
- Elementary Feeders: Bonny Slope, Cedar Mill, Findley, Oak Hills (east of Bethany Blvd), Terra Linda
What is the size of the program?
Do Summa classes have lower class sizes, or lower teacher : student ratios?
What are the hours for the Summa program?
Is the Summa program completely separate from the standard middle school? Will students have interaction with non-summa students?
What is the Summa curriculum?
Summa classes have the same learning targets as their at-level classes, but Summa classes are expected to go deeper and into more complex topics or applications. Sometimes that also means that they are taught at a faster pace. Summa students may also be expected to complete extended projects or participate in certain events--for example, the Science Fair.
Is the teaching style for Summa the same as regular class?
How much more homework should Summa students expect?
Is Summa having an open house? Is it possible to have a tour or talk to other Summa students?
How does Summa impact high school classes and learning trajectory?
When can I expect to be notified of my child's eligibility?
Eligible 5th graders will be notified of their Summa eligibility in early October of their 5th grade year. The eligibility is sent out through Parent Square.
As other students are found eligible (after CogAT testing in the fall, and after OSAS testing in the spring) there will be other times when groups of students are notified of their eligibility. We try to communicate this as soon as we have validated the eligibilities. Thank you for your patience.
How does Summa eligibility impact Option School opportunities?
Summa-eligible 5th graders are not asked to commit to Summa program before the Option School lottery. Like all students, Summa-eligible students may apply for one Learning Option. In the spring after the Option Schools decisions have been communicated, parents and students will need to make their choice between an Option School or Summa.
How can non-BSD enrolled students find out about their eligibility for Summa?
Summa-eligible students are...
TAG-identified and either
score in the 99th percentile (age-based) on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
OR
TAG-identified and
score in the 99th percentile on the Oregon Statewide Assessment for Language Arts or Math (OSAS--also called "Smarter Balanced ELA or Math) AND a 97 or higher on the other portion of the test (ELA or Math), or a 97 or 98 on the CogAT.
* the OSAS tests are only given in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade. An ITBS test given in 3rd or 4th or 5th grade can be used as well.