Gifted students need to be challenged, say 91% in Oregon

High achievers need challenging classes, say more than 90 percent of Oregon voters in a Center for Educational Progress survey.

Two-thirds support a proposal to guarantee funding for gifted and talented programs in the state education budget. Democrats, Republicans and Independents are equally supportive of the idea.

"Oregon’s gifted students from rural, low-income, and racially diverse backgrounds are most likely to be overlooked,” said Margaret DeLacy, president of the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted. Half of the state's school districts do not offer services for Talented and Gifted (TAG) students.

A new Ohio bill automatically enrolls students who test as "advanced" in eighth-grade algebra, writes Jessica Poiner. But the bill was amended to make it hard for students who test at the next level, "accomplished," to get into the class. They'd need a recommendation from both the school principal and the student’s classroom teacher.

Using subjective measures, such as teacher recommendations, means fewer high-scoring minority and lower-income students will be placed into eighth-grade algebra, RAND reports. Tests scores are fairer.

"Delaying algebra until ninth grade denies high-achieving, low-income students the opportunity to take calculus or high-level statistics as juniors and seniors," writes Poiner. "Not only that, it likely forecloses advanced physics, chemistry, or computer science courses that require strong mathematical skills as a prerequisite."