Welcome Back TAG Educators!!

First, I want to extend gratitude and appreciation to all who have reached out to check in with me in terms of wellness. I hope all of you are healthy and are feeling supported in your work and effort in meeting the needs of all students, including those identified TAG.

Many districts are beginning this school year serving students through Comprehensive Distance Learning and have adapted procedures and rewritten policies to create a more equitable system of education where best practices are truly student and family- centered. Your commitment and dedication to equity as TAG educators is demonstrated routinely by continually reaching out in partnership to ask questions pertaining to instructional practices, TAG identification, and technical support.

In what has become an ever-changing environment where we pivot to meet the demands and create new pathways, I applaud so many who are using this exact time in education to create meaningful and sustainable changes for the betterment of all. I admire your perseverance as you navigate through incredible adversity to continue to serve your students, families, community, and our state. I am proud and honored to be a partner in your work. 

A Message from the Standards and Instructional Support Team

The Standards and Instructional Supports Team acknowledges the devastating impact the wildfires are having on many of the students, educators, and families in communities across Oregon. We recognize that many are starting back to school in ways that seem unimaginable. While there are incredible challenges and losses, we also know there is tremendous resilience, outreach and support. We recognize that professionally trained school personnel and community/agency support serve as vital resources in preventing, intervening and responding to crisis situations such as this. Please continue to take care of yourselves, access services as needed for yourself or others, and contact ODE if you would like additional information or support. 

For the most up-to-date information and resources, click the Oregon Wildfire Resource page, Oregon Health Authority-COVID-19, and Oregon Health Authority - Crisis and Trauma Resources.

ODE 2020-2021 School Year Guidance and Resources

The Designing Learning for 2020-21 document was developed to provide subject-specific instructional resources for Oregon schools for the 2020-2021 school year.

Over 300 participants attended the Oregon Open Learning Workshops. There is growing interest in both Open Education Resources and the Oregon Open Learning Hub.

If you weren’t able to join one of the live workshops, please watch and share this recording to learn more about Oregon Open Learning, OER, the different types of licensing for materials, as well as learn more about various ways to add resources to the Oregon Open Learning Hub. If you’re just getting started in the Hub, check out the Oregon Open Learning User Guide.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Oregon Open Learning Team if you have any additional questions.

For additional resources, please visit the Designing Learning for 2020-2021 or Ready Schools, Safe Learners webpages.

TAG Resources

TAG Distance Learning Resources was published in the spring and has a plethora of resources from state and national organizations. Topics include: curriculum compacting, extension menus, and social-emotional needs.

The most comprehensive resource for acceleration comes from my colleagues in Iowa. Acceleration practices are often overlooked or disregarded because of perceived or anecdotal evidence.  Acceleration is one of the most researched practice in education. Please visit the The Belin-Blank Center Acceleration Institute website, to dig into all the published research specific to acceleration. 

Division 22 Standards – TAG Oregon Administrative Rules … “TAG Rules”

While this school year may look and feel different, TAG OARs and expectations of compliance remains the same. Please continue with identification, communication with parents, instructional services/programs, and submitting your district TAG plans to ODE. Identification practices in your district this year will contrast other years, however, identification is still possible even if your district is serving students through Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL). I will be hosting a webinar to provide some ideas and conversation around identification in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned…

Potential to Perform OAR Revision

If there is one OAR that I hear the most about in terms of confusion, misinterpretation, and inequitable practices, it is the OAR specific to Potential to Perform identification. Now is the time to make changes and I need your collaboration and partnership more than ever. I want the revised rule to eliminate confusion and barriers while creating a more equitable pathway to identification with as much comprehensive voice from all regions around our state. Please take a few minutes to complete the Potential to Perform OAR survey