PCCS : P-CCS Talented And Gifted Program Screening And Testing Process Begins!

Press release from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools:

11/19/2021 7:19 PM

P-CCS has started the process for identifying students who may be a good fit for the Talented and Gifted Program for the 2022-23 school year.  Please review this presentation to find out the details about the P-CCS TAG Screening and Qualification process.

To be considered for the TAG program, students MUST EITHER be currently attending a P-CCS school OR live within the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools attendance area.  Families of students who live within P-CCS boundaries but are attending charter or private schools must nominate their student for screening.  Families can review their current TAX statement to verify if they reside in Plymouth-Canton Schools District.  

Process:

• P-CCS Students: Students in grades 2-7 who are currently enrolled in P-CCS will be automatically screened during the NWEA assessment process.  Families of students currently enrolled in P-CCS will be notified if their students meet the screening criteria and be given the opportunity to opt their student into testing.

• Non-P-CCS Students: Students who live within P-CCS boundaries but are attending charter or private schools must complete THIS NOMINATION FORM to begin the eligibility process.  All nomination forms are due by Wednesday, December 8th at 11:59 p.m. 

Contact Information:

If you have specific questions about the Elementary Program (grades 3-5) please contact Aimee Bell, Principal of Gallimore Elementary.

If you have specific questions about the Middle School Program (grades 6-8) please contact Ted Younglas, Principal of East Middle.

If you have specific questions about testing or program eligibility requirements please contact Anthony Ruela, Executive Director of Middle Schools, Data, & School Improvement. 

Frequently Asked Questions about the P-CCS Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program

What is the TAG Program?  

The PCCS TAG Program provides highly motivated, academically gifted students with an opportunity to realize and develop their exceptional intellectual and creative abilities. The TAG Program provides acceleration in some areas while teaching grade level curricula in others.  The program emphases higher-order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive conversations and making connections to the world beyond the classroom. TAG students are provided with a qualitatively different school experience, which results from the gifted students’ interactions with each other in an engaging classroom. 

Currently, the TAG Program is in its 42nd year at elementary level at Gallimore Elementary School beginning with grade three through five.  5th grade students will move on to middle school in the fall after completing their elementary education.    The middle school TAG program is housed at East Middle School and is in its 41st year.    

How is the TAG classroom different from a same-grade classroom at the home school?

This is a difficult question to answer because there are many fine classrooms in our district with teachers that care about and work hard to provide the right challenge for each student. In many ways, the TAG classroom is the same. Children work, play and socialize within four walls. There are celebrations, specials classes such as art and music and recesses. Students break rules and make new friends like all other kids. TAG children are also achieving at different levels and have diverse learning styles and needs, even though they all have performed at top levels on standardized tests. For some academically gifted students, the TAG Program may be the first time they encounter peers who share similar interests, their love of learning and motivation for high-level academic work. The pace and depth of lessons in the TAG classroom often requires students to improve their time management and organizational skills.

Who is eligible for nomination to the TAG Program?

To be nominated for admission to the Plymouth-Canton TAG Program,  a student must reside within the P-CCS district boundaries or attend through the School of Choice program and currently be in grades 2-7.  There are certain neighborhoods in Canton whose children attend either Wayne-Westland or VanBuren schools but they are not eligible for the TAG program unless they attend a P-CCS school through the School of Choice program. 

How are students transported to the center-based TAG Program?

The transportation department has dedicated twelve buses to transport elementary TAG students to and from school. The district map is sectioned off into twelve quadrants and TAG students are assigned a bus route number with times for pick-up and drop-off.  This information is entered into each student' profile on MIStar and can be viewed by parents when logging in with their assigned username and password.

Middle school TAG students pick up a bus in their neighborhood and are transported to their home middle school where they will board another bus to transport them to East Middle School.  Likewise, students will be transported back to their home school to board a bus back to their neighborhood each afternoon.   

How can we be sure the TAG Program is right for our child? 

Families of elementary students who are offered placement are invited to an orientation meeting at Gallimore on an evening in late April or early May to learn more about the center-based elementary TAG program. Current TAG students and staff will be on hand to talk with parents and their students about the program. Parents must sign a one-year commitment form to finalize placement in the TAG Program.  

CHARACTERISTICS OF GIFTED CHILDREN

This press release was produced by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.