When the Student Success Act was passed in 2019, I applauded along with many other Oregonians (Opinion: Student Success Act offers state a model for effective, responsible education spending, Dec. 8).
Although it was short-lived, it offered our K–12 educational system a fresh start.
Unfortunately, for what may be the first time that any student group has been specifically singled out for neglect, the state Board of Education decided that one group of special-needs pupils should not be able to benefit fully from the act. Funding for pupils who face academic gaps was established by the measure. Nonetheless, the board determined that academic inequity does not exist when academically brilliant and high-achieving pupils are denied admission to programs.
The lack of resources for Talented and Gifted programs was a concern raised by numerous parents to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Student Success, which suggested categorical TAG funding, according to the report that served as the foundation for the legislation.
Currently, half of Oregon districts either do not identify TAG pupils or do not provide funding. Since 2016, Portland Public Schools has acknowledged that it has not been providing the required TAG services. While our tax dollars have been wasted educating tens of thousands of pupils things they already know, they have wasted a significant portion of their school time.
According to the opinion writers, we must set high standards for our children’s education and provide them with the support they require if we want them to pursue their most aspirational goals. High achievers are a part of any educational system that holds all pupils to high standards.
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