Talented and Gifted Program
What is the Talented And Gifted (TAG) Program?
In Wisconsin, talented and gifted students are defined as, "Students enrolled in public schools who give evidence of high performance capability in intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or specific academic areas and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided in a regular school program in order to fully develop such capabilities."
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: https://dpi.wi.gov/families-students/programs-initiatives/gifted-talented
Wisconsin Statute 118.35: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/118/35
T.A.G. Talented and Gifted Program
SDJ Vision Statements - Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program
The School District of Janesville strives to:
- provide a coordinated Pre-K through Grade 12 Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program that ensures continuity of objectives and curriculum
- provide talented and gifted students access to a support system, which meets their social, emotional, and academic needs
- identify, support, and serve talented and gifted students from diverse populations
- provide talented and gifted students with a differentiated curriculum that includes enrichment, acceleration and rigor, which will replace and extend portions of established curricula
- provide a nurturing environment for talented and gifted students that encourage problem solving, critical and creative thinking, innovation and affective education
- provide talented and gifted students with multiple resources and experiences that go beyond the structures of the institution
The Challenge (Magnet Program) is an academic pathway in the School District of Janesville that provides challenging and accelerated coursework for students who are identified as intellectually gifted.
The School District of Janesville believes that the Challenge Program is an important part of the district’s range of services for intellectually gifted students.
It is specifically designed for students with needs identified at the top of the Pyramid Model of Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Integrated Programming Model (top 5% of students selected through a strategic process based on need - Intellectual TAG Identification). Magnet school program in grades 3 - 8; identified students from the district attend Challenge site/s. It is currently housed at Roosevelt Elementary (*Washington and Franklin) and Edison Middle School.
Mission of the program: to provide qualified students with a unique opportunity to address growth in both the cognitive and affective domains. The Challenge Program responds effectively to these domains by offering the district’s most advanced students an opportunity to learn with their same age, intellectual peers for extended periods of time.
The Challenge Program expands that opportunity with curriculum that is varied in content, process, and products allowing the student to explore learning in depth, with acceleration (at least one grade level above) and in relation to self.
The Challenge Program is staffed by well-trained staff dedicated to providing an integrated theme-based curriculum and cohesive classroom environment tailored to the academic and social-emotional needs of intellectually advanced learners.
- *Open enrollment occurs specifically for the Challenge Program.
- *Challenge participation and acceptance to magnet program is parental choice.
- *All 2nd and 5th grade students are assessed with the CogAT tool for an equity lens at student identification for Challenge.
The SDJ TAG program is supported in each building by TAG Advocates: The mission of advocates is to develop and grow talents and abilities by meeting student’s needs.
Each building is being served by at least two Talented & Gifted (TAG) Advocates
(full-time teachers appointed by principals).
TAG Advocates lead the identification process and facilitate parent communication, and provide teachers in their buildings support in implementing enrichment.
- Each school and grade level provides opportunities for their students based on the needs of the student.
- The majority of students are serviced through the regular education classroom.
- Qualifying students may be invited to participate in the district magnet program for talented and gifted students.
