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Forwarding from the NAGC: The Cooke Young Scholars Program application will close on April 30. This five-year, pre-college scholarship for high-achieving 7th graders with financial need provides funding for academic and extracurricular activities, personalized educational advising, and the opportunity to join a community of motivated peers. To be eligible, applicants must Currently be in 7th grade and/or entering 8th grade in the fall of 2025. Have earned all or mostly As in core academic subjects since beginning of 6th grade. Currently attend middle school in the U.S. and plan to attend high school in the U.S. Demonstrate unmet financial need with a family adjusted gross income of $95,000 or less. Learn more and apply: https://www.jkcf.org/our-scholarships/young-scholars-program/how-to-apply/ Margaret

Friends: This is a follow up on our status this session: OATAG’s bills The Governor’s education “accountability” bills State budget hearings THREE TAG BILLS: TWO STILL ALIVE SB 934 allows anyone who knows a student to refer them for TAG assessment. The Oregon Education Association (OEA) expressed concerns that parents might repeatedly refer their children for fresh assessments if dissatisfied with the results. While we believe this scenario is unlikely, we agreed to an amendment removing the last eight words of the bill. Our administrative rules will still require Districts to screen students, and parents retain the right to appeal identification decisions. SB 933 is a complex bill designed to provide more coherent information about TAG and better achievement data for all students. It requires the Oregon Department of Education to create a report card that provides information on TAG programs. It also seeks to restore reports on student learning gains, which it discontinued during COVID. Previous reports were difficult to interpret and, unfortunately, incorporated the assumption that high-achieving students make smaller gains. While the Department has promised an improved reporting system, we have yet to see a draft. The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and the Oregon School Board Association (OSBA) opposed this bill, arguing that the reporting requirements are too burdensome. Senator Taylor’s office and OATAG worked on amendments to streamline the reporting while maintaining the bill’s integrity. On March 5, both bills passed the Senate Education Committee. SB 933 was referred to the Joint Ways and Means Committee; SB 934 passed the Senate Chamber on a vote of 27 to 1 and is still waiting for its public hearing in the House Education Committee. Representative Courtney Neron, the chair of that committee, sets the hearing schedule. House Bill 3420 would have been a game-changer for gifted education in Oregon but Representative Neron did not schedule a hearing in theHouse Education Committee by the deadline needed to keep bills alive. We are looking for other ways to find funding. THE GOVERNOR’S BILLS Governor Kotek sponsored two bills on “accountability” for school districts. They are HB 2009 and SB 141. The bills were filed as “placeholders” and were subsequently gutted and stuffed with new language. As of this week, the relevant language is in the “dash 2” amendments. As they seem to be identical, here is a link to the House version: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/ProposedAmendments/HB2009 I expect that both these bills will pass their respective committees and one of them will then be considered by the Education Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee as there is a fiscal impact statement attached. Although we strongly support increasing accountability, these bills are flawed. Both versions of the Governor’s bills rely on the “focal groups”, called out in the Student Success Act which omits TAG students, leaving districts unaccountable for ensuring that all students are learning. Here is the list of “groups” that are included in the bill From Senate Bill 141 -2 (the version with the current amendment) “(11) ‘Student group’ means the following student groups: “(a) Economically disadvantaged students, as determined based on rules adopted by the State Board of Education; “(b) Students from racial or ethnic groups that have historically experienced academic disparities, as determined under rules adopted by the State Board of Education; “(c) Students with disabilities; “(d) Students who are English language learners; “(e) Students who are foster children, as defined in ORS 30.297; “(f) Students who are homeless, as determined under rules adopted by the State Board of Education; and “(g) Any other student groups that have historically experienced academic disparities, as determined by the State Board of Education by rule. Note that the State Board of Education has the power to add additional groups to this list. We are asking them to do just that, and to rescind their declar

Thank you for the correction Judy! It is SB 934. I failed to edit my own message. As the amendment was adopted, it is now SB 934 A. And please, please do write Rep. Neron and ask her to schedule a hearing for HB 3420. It would revolutionize TAG services in Oregon. Margaret Margaret DeLacy, President Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted www.OATAG.org OATAG provides information at no cost to support Oregon students, educators and families. Your OATAG membership is essential for this to continue. https://www.oatag.org/

Friends: I am very pleased to announce that SB 944, which permits anyone to refer a student for TAG screening, passed the Senate Chamber this morning. It does not have any fiscal impact statement so it will be sent next to the House Education Committee. The chair of that committee is Courtney Neron. Senate Bill 943, which collects and reports student data which also passed the Senate Education committee is going to the Education Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee instead of the Senate Chamber because it had a large (I think excessive) fiscal impact statement. Senator Kathleen Taylor, the chief sponsor of the bill, representing southeast Portland, the City of Milwaukie, and Oak Grove, gave a heartfelt introduction and defense of the bill on the Senate floor. Senator Chris Gorsek, who represents Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale and Wood Village also spoke in favor. Senator Janeen Sollman, who represents Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, and Rock Creek, was the lone vote against. You can see the testimony and vote here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/mediaplayer?clientID=4879615486&eventID=2025031212&stopStreamAt=4107 This bill would not have been scheduled or passed without support from Senator Lew Frederick, the Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Meanwhile, HB 3420 (1% for TAG) is still waiting for its first hearing in the House Education Committee. This would be an excellent time to contact Representative Neron and ask her to schedule both SB 944 AND HB 3420. It is urgent that she schedule HB 3420 or it will automatically die. She represents Wilsonville, including the Charbonneau Distric???t in Clackamas County; King City, Sherwood, and Tigard/Bull Mountain in Washington County; ??Parrett Mountain in Yamhill County. You CAN make the difference. Representative Courtney Neron Capitol Phone: 503-986-1426 Email: Rep.CourtneyNeron@... Please thank Senators Taylor, Gorsek, and Lew Frederick for supporting SB 944 and SB 943. It’s nice to have good news to share! Margaret

Friends: I did not expect to be writing this to you today. This week, two apparently inoffensive bills: HB 2009 and SB 141 were amended to strip out all the language in the existing bills and substitute amendments with language provided by the Governor. This is a bad way to develop legislation. Amendments don’t appear in the normal ways to scan bills or review committee agendas—they don’t exist until just before they are posted. You can be sure that the Governor did consult with lobbyists from some well-funded interest groups before these amendments were posted, but they represent end runs around the rest of us. Supposedly, both bills are intended to improve “accountability” by school districts. The Governor thinks this will improve the appalling achievement results posted by both the state and the NAEP earlier this year. It will not. And it perpetuates the neglect of our TAG students. The bills say that the state must report “metrics” for students in “disaggregated groups.” The list of “disaggregated groups” is taken straight from the Student Success Act (SSA) which provided funding for student groups experiencing “academic disparities”. Despite repeated recommendations from the task force that originated it, the SSA did not include gifted and/or high-achieving students in the list, but it did say that the State Board could designate other groups When we asked that TAG students be included, staff then at the Department instead prodded the State School Board to declare that: “Lack of access to programs for academically gifted and high-achieving students does not constitute facing academic disparities” This misguided declaration ensured that none of the huge chunk of new funding in the SSA would go to any group serving gifted OR high achieving students as such. Unfortunately, not only has this objectionable language survived, the list of “groups” from the SSA is copied in other state reports and studies, with the effect that TAG students are routinely left out. OATAG and TAG families are also systematically passed over when the Department commissions “public engagement” with “stakeholder groups” concerning various initiatives and proposed new rules. They are ignored in state reports including the report of the Quality Education Commission. This same list is now reproduced in the list of groups that the Governor thinks should be represented by “disaggregated” reports on student achievement. The bill also just tweaks the “metrics” that will be used for district accountability by adding “eighth grade math proficiency.” This set of measurements will not provide meaningful information about student learning. For the most part, it ratifies the undermining of state accountability systems that followed the Every Student Succeeds Act. We need student gains, disaggregated first by ability, to know whether high-achieving students from marginalized backgrounds are making appropriate progress. This focus on a single measure of “proficiency” conceals the progress of very low-achieving students. Moreover, research has shown that the highest-achieving students make the lowest learning gains. Because they are already far above grade level, even when they spend years learning nothing new, they are still “proficient.” Previous “growth” reports were incomprehensible and incorporated the expectation that high achieving students would make lower learning gains. Student progress reports should be produced with public involvement, should produce actionable information, and should be in a form that the public can easily understand. SB 933, which has passed the Senate Education Committee and is waiting for a hearing in the Senate Chamber, is a much better alternative. The Department of Education has attached an excessive “fiscal impact” (cost) to the bill, which means it would next be sent to the Joint Ways and Means Committee. SB 141-1 and HB 2009-1 also require appointment of an unknown “entity” to review the Division 22 standards. In the past, similar bills have enabled covert efforts to abolish the 3 rules that enact our TAG mandate —identific

Find out who represents you The links below will take you to contact information for legislators: Senate Education Committee House Education Committee Education Subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Joint Committee on Ways and Means Senate members and leaders: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/senate/Pages/SenatorsDemocrats.aspx House members and leaders: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/house Education Committees for 2025 Senate Committee On Education Chair Senator Lew Frederick Vice-Chair Senator Suzanne Weber Member Senator Sara Gelser Blouin Member Senator Noah Robinson Member Senator Janeen Sollman House committee on Education Chair Representative Courtney Neron Vice-Chair Representative April Dobson Vice-Chair Representative Emily McIntire Member Representative Darin Harbick Member Representative Zach Hudson Member Representative Hoa Nguyen Member Representative Ricki Ruiz Member Representative Boomer Wright Joint Subcommittee on Ways and Means: Education subcommittee Co-Chair Senator Janeen Sollman Co-Chair Representative Ricki Ruiz Member Senator Lew Frederick Member Senator Suzanne Weber Member Representative Susan McLain Member Representative Hoa Nguyen Member Representative Boomer Wright Member Representative Dwayne Yunker Joint Committe on Ways and Means Co-Chair Senator Kate Lieber Co-Chair Representative Tawna Sanchez Co-Vice Chair Senator Fred Girod Co-Vice Chair Representative David Gomberg Co-Vice Chair Representative Greg Smith Member Senator Dick Anderson Member Senator Daniel Bonham Member Senator Anthony Broadman Member Senator Wlnsvey Campos Member Senator Lew Frederick Member Senator Mike McLane Member Senator David Brock Smith Member Senator Janeen Sollman Member Senator Aaron Woods Member Representative Ben Bowman Member Representative Vikki Breese-Iverson Member Representative Jami Cate Member Representative Christine Drazan Member Representative Paul Evans Member Representative Emerson Levy Member Representative Mark Owens Member Representative Ricki Ruiz Member Representative Andrea Valderrama

Join Us for the Nurturing Gifted Children: Parent Social! From: Oregon Association for Talented And Gifted <President@...> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 10:30 AM To: Margaret DeLacy <margaretdelacy@...> Subject: Join Us for the Nurturing Gifted Children: Parent Social! View this email in your browser A Note From Our President ? Join Us for the Nurturing Gifted Children: Parent Social! Dear OATAG Members, I’m excited to invite you to our upcoming event, Nurturing Gifted Children: Parent Social, happening on Saturday, April 12th, from 4-6 PM at Syndicate Wine Bar in Beaverton. Hosted by Gifted Coaching NW and proudly sponsored by OATAG, this gathering offers a valuable opportunity to connect with other parents who understand the unique joys and challenges of raising gifted children. Why Attend? ? Build Connections: Meet like-minded parents who “get it” and understand your journey. ? Gain Insights: Discover practical strategies for supporting your child’s educational and emotional needs. ? Feel Empowered: Walk away with ideas, resources, and a renewed sense of confidence in your parenting. Parenting a gifted child can sometimes feel isolating — but you’re not alone. This event is designed to foster meaningful conversations, shared insights, and lasting connections. ? Register here I’ve also made available a Poster with event details — please feel free to share it with any parents who may benefit. I would love to see you there! ? Poster If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Warmly, Candice Guertin-Carey, MA Gifted Coaching NW candice@... You are receiving this email because you are on our OATAG Member Information List. OATAG provides information at no cost to support Oregon students, educators and families. Your OATAG membership is essential for this to continue Join OATAG Copyright ? 2025 Oregon Association for Talented And Gifted, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for OATAG Newsletters at our web site. Our mailing address is: Oregon Association for Talented And Gifted P.O. Box 1703 Beaverton, OR 97075 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??

Friends: Mark your calendars and plan to turn up! And ask them to support categorical TAG funding. Our experience has been that increasing state school funding alone does not necessarily result in increased TAG funding. Just remember that the key to success really is just showing up and using your voice. JOINT COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS The Joint Committee on Ways and Means will tour the state for six public hearings to hear directly from Oregonians regarding the 2025-2027 budget SALEM, Ore. – Today, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means announced the dates and locations of the 2025 community budget hearings and are encouraging Oregonians to sign up to testify about which projects and programs the state should prioritize this budget cycle. Members of the committee and legislative leadership will attend six public hearings across the state over the next two months as the upcoming 2025-2027 biennial state budget begins to take shape. Individuals interested in testifying before the committee should sign up in advance for the hearing they plan to attend. This year will be the first time since at least 2005 a community budget hearing has occurred on tribal lands when the committee visits Warm Springs on April 4. The April 16 public hearing will prioritize virtual testimony so everyone in the state has an opportunity to testify on their budget priorities. In the days before the first community budget hearing on March 22, the co-chairs will release their budget framework, which will outline the state's budgetary outlook and what resources might be available to use. Legislators are constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget every two years. ASL and Spanish language interpretation will be available at the public hearing. Habrá interpretación de ASL y espa?ol en la audiencia pública. To access links to a livestream or recordings of legislative meetings: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Pages/Legislative-Video.aspx PLEASE NOTE ? Testimony may be limited to 2-3 minutes. ? Those attending this community hearing in person will be given preference to present public comment by pre-registering to testify. ? The public hearing scheduled on April 16th at the State Capitol in Salem will prioritize remote public testimony for those who wish to participate by video link or phone. ? Written comment may be submitted online up to 48 hours after the meeting start time. The dates and locations of the community budget hearings are: Gresham | Saturday, March 22 (10:00am – 12:00pm) Mt. Hood Community College, College Theater 26000 S.E. Stark Street, Gresham, OR 97030 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/JWM/2025-03-22-10-00/Agenda Astoria | Friday, March 28 (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Liberty Theatre Astoria 1203 Commercial Street, Astoria, OR 97103 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/JWM/2025-03-28-17-00/Agenda Warm Springs | Friday, April 4 (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Old Warm Springs Elementary School 1112 Wasco Street, Warm Springs, OR 97761 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/JWM/2025-04-04-17-00/Agenda La Grande | Friday, April 11 (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Eastern Oregon University, Hoke Union Building #339 1 University Boulevard, La Grande, OR 97850 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/JWM/2025-04-11-17-00/Agenda Salem, Statewide Virtual Testimony Prioritized | Wednesday, April 16 (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Oregon State Capitol Building, Hearing Room F 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/JWM/2025-04-16-17-00/Agenda Klamath Falls | Friday, April 25 (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Klamath Community College, Building 4 Commons 7390 South 6th Street, Klamath Falls, OR 97603 Members of the public can register to testify here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R

Friends, Supporting Emotional Needs of the The Gifted (SENG) is offering two webinars in March. On March 18th at 4pm Pacific Time the topic is: Transforming Your Relationship with Your Child: How to Move from Conflict to Connection. The presenters are Dr. Chase & Mitra Cummins. They are Introspective Coaches who support parents of neurodiverse and neurotypical kids on effective communcation skills. On March 25th at 4pm Pacific Time the topic is: Building Brain Capital and 21st Century Skills with Creativity. The presenter is Genein Letford, M.Ed. an award winning educator and author. For more information see the SENG website https://www.sengifted.org/. SENG has a new registration and membership system. Discounts are available at some membership levels.

Persistence of Vision is an film education program of the Hollywood Theatre designed for 10th, 11th and 12th grade girls of all identities including gender-nonconforming youth to explore our connection to film, both as an art form and as a means of interacting with the world. By creating a dedicated safe space for an often under-appreciated demographic, our aim is to engage in meaningful guided discussions on relevant themes explored in the film and how they transfer to the day-to-day. PLEASE NOTE: This program is designed to spark conversation about important issues. Because of that, some of the films that will be screened will contain adult situations, profanity, drug/alcohol use, nudity, sexual situations, and violence. COST: Free – though participation is by application only. APPLY HERE

Friends: I’m pleased to report that both Senate Bill 933 and Senate Bill 934 cleared their first hurdle this morning! Both bills were sponsored by Senator Kathleen Taylor, with significant support from her legislative aide, Alex Blosser, who worked diligently to guide them through the process. Senator Frederick acknowledged their efforts during the hearing. SB 933: Progress and Challenges Unfortunately, SB 933 received what I believe is an excessively large fiscal impact statement: Fiscal Impact Statement. This bill will now be sent to the Education Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, where it will need strong support to move forward. There is no way to appeal or revise a fiscal impact statement, so advocacy is crucial. The next step is to ask the co-chairs of the Ways and Means Committee to schedule a public hearing for the bill. Key Amendments and Votes The committee adopted the “Dash 3” amendments, which were designed to remove difficult-to-obtain data requests, thereby reducing the time and cost of providing information. Voting in favor: Senator Frederick, Senator Gelser Blouin, and Senator Sollman Voting against: Senator Robinson (concerned about the scope of data collection, including racial data) Not present: Senator Weber During the discussion, Senators Frederick and Gelser Blouin responded to Senator Robinson that Black and Brown students continue to face disadvantages in our public school system. If racially disaggregated data did show these students are receiving TAG services at equitable rates and achieving similar learning gains, that would be great news. Current data shows disparities in both areas. For reference, here is the original bill: SB 933 Overview. Due to its length and extensive amendments, I want to highlight the most critical section: Key Provision – Section (2)(O), Page 3: The Department must report annual achievement test score gains in mathematics and language arts for students who took the statewide summative assessments in both the previous and current school years. This data must be disaggregated by: Subject matter and grade Proficiency level Demographics (including gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, economic disadvantage, and eligibility for special education) This provision would greatly enhance our ability to track student progress across Oregon. If you have any questions about this section or others, please reach out to me. SB 934: Key Update The committee also adopted the “Dash 1” amendment for SB 934, removing the requirement that districts must “provide screenings as needed throughout the school year.” This change was made in response to OEA’s opposition, which argued that parents might refer their children for screening over and over, and districts would then have to screen them multiple times a year. The TAG identification process and parents’ appeal rights remain unchanged. Administrative rules ensuring that identification teams are trained and follow clear criteria will not be affected. Votes: In favor: Senator Frederick, Senator Gelser Blouin, Senator Richardson, and Senator Weber (who joined the committee later) Against: Senator Sollman SB 934 now moves to the Senate Chamber, where every senator present must vote. If it passes, it will proceed to the House Education Committee, where the entire process will repeat. The Road Ahead: HB 3420 The easiest part of the process is over—the hardest part is still ahead. We urgently need to request a public hearing for HB 3420, which would provide PERMANENT, CATEGORICAL funding for TAG programs and services. HB 3420 Overview: View Bill The most important committee at this stage is the House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Courtney Neron. Below is a list of key legislative committee members. Thank you for your continued support! Margaret SB 934: SECTION 1. ORS 343.407 is amended to read: 343.407. School districts shall identify talented and gifted [students] children enrolled in public schools under rules adopted by the State Board of Education. The rules must require school districts to: (1) Allow any

Friends: Senate Bills 933 and 934 are scheduled for a work session (vote) in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday morning. No testimony is taken at work sessions. If you go to the committee's agenda, and click the little circle next to the date, you will also find a recording once the meeting is over. I think it leads to a livestream during the meeting, but I'm not sure. According to the agenda, neither bill currently has a subsequent referral to Ways and Means. Please thank Senator Frederick, the chair of the Education Committee, for scheduling these bills and Senator Taylor for sponsoring them. https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/SED/2025-03-05-08-00/Agenda Margaret

Friends: This session we requested three bills: SB 933 and SB 934 which were sponsored in the Senate by Senator Kathleen Taylor and HB 3420, which was sponsored in the House by Representative Emily McIntire. SB 934 states that anyone who knows a student—parents, teachers, or community members—can refer them for TAG assessment. While most districts already allow this, state law is unclear, and at least one district now requires teachers to submit the referrals. Research show conclusively that this barrier causes gifted students, particularly students from underrepresented backgrounds, to be overlooked. It’s not surprising that the more hoops a family has to jump through, the more intimidating the process becomes for them. SB 934 would standardize best practices across the state and reduce unnecessary paperwork for teachers. After referral students would still be assessed for TAG services by a trained team. Some teachers who were interviewed about referring students by the Oregon Department of Education remarked that that early assessment is inappropriate or even that all students will “level out” by third grade. In fact, early identification is important to prevent disengagement from school and to ensure that students in lower-income schools retain their initial competencies. I was astonished when the OEA objected to SB 934 , claiming that it would open the floodgates and a huge crowd of parents would rush to refer their children because, “every parent thinks their child is gifted” (a claim contradicted by research). Moreover, they said, those parents would then KEEP referring the same children for assessment over and over again during a single school year. This scenario seems very unlikely to me. I don’t know many parents who want to have their children tested over and over. Moreover, if they are unhappy with the results of the initial assessment, they already have the right to appeal. We have agreed to an amendment that removes 8 words from the end of section 3 which says districts must “accept recommendations throughout the school year and … provide screenings as needed throughout the school year.” Last I heard, the ODE is planning withdraw its opposition. SB 933 is a more challenging project because it is likely to have a significant fiscal impact statement. If it passes the Senate Education Committee, it would go to the Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee and then the full Joint Ways and Means committee. That’s a lot of legislators to explain a complicated bill to. Constituent input would be very helpful, so if anyone wants to learn more, they are welcome to contact me. SB 933 calls the state Department of Education to create a report card compiling TAG information AND for the Department to report student learning gains broken down by ability on the OSAS, instead of reporting just scores. An achievement test score tells you (more or less) what a student has learned since the day they were born; an achievement test gain tells you what they have learned during one school year. If you want actionable information on ways to improve curriculum and instruction, you need data on gains. And it needs to be in a format that people can understand. SB 933 has been opposed by COSA and the OSBA. They assert that it places too big a burden on school districts because of all the extra reports. In fact, the Department of Education already has most of the data—I am just asking them to compile it differently and/or report it differently. Right now, I ask them for some of this data every year, and then I compile it by hand despite my own ineptitude. Although this bill is identical to a bill from the 2023 session that included a small fiscal impact statement (1 data clerk), this time, the Department of Education contacted Sen. Taylor’s office and said it would incur a very large fiscal impact. After that, Sen. Taylor’s staff and I met with the staff at the Department to see if we could find out what was causing the problem. Sen. Taylor’s staff and I have developed amendments that we hope will reduce the agitation at the Departmen

There's a TAG Advisory Council meeting coming up Thursday 6:30. The first hour is with PPS TAG staff, the second hour is for TAGAC members and guests. Co-chair Jenny will be posting about it soon here in this group, but you can also find information here: https://www.pps.net/Page/1548

NURTURING GIFTED CHILDREN: PARENT SOCIAL Gifted Coaching NW is excited to invite you to our upcoming parent social event, Nurturing Gifted Children: Parent Social. This casual gathering is designed to bring together parents and caregivers of gifted children for meaningful conversations, shared insights, and community building. Whether you’re seeking support, new friendships, or simply a space to connect with other parents, this event is for you! 4 PM - 6 PM APRIL 12 SYNDICATE WINE BAR & RESTAURANT 2620 SW FIRST STREET, BEAVERTON, OR 97005 Sponsored by: The Oregon Association for Talented & Gifted REGISTER HERE: https://www.oatag.org/social_event.html#!event-register/2025/4/12/nurturing-gifted-children-parent-social ? Space is limited—reserve your spot today! ? $10.00 per person | Financial assistance available through volunteer opportunities -- contact Candice Guertin-Garey at candice@...? for details.

Friends, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is offering a webinar on Tuesday, Feb. 25th at 7PM EST. The topic is: Understanding Social Emotional Learning Through a Cultural Lens. Presenter Dr. Donna Ford is a nationally recognized author and educator. More information and registration is available at the SENG website http://www.sengifted.org. The SENG website has recently been updated. Judy Smith

Friends: The Educator Advancement Council has openings for two directors. One is for a middle school teacher and the other is for a representative of a philanthropic organization. The EAC directors provide guidance for the Education Advancement Council which coordinates networks of regional EACs providing professional development for teachers in the region. The EAC’s work is funded with grants from the state. Directors serve two-year terms. It would be great to have someone interested in professional development on talented and gifted instruction on the Council. Learn more here: https://eac.ode.state.or.us/page/director-recruitment Margaret

---------- Original Message ---------- From: Stacey Hilborn | Bridges 2e Center Date: 02/05/2025 11:11 AM PST Subject: ZOOM TOMORROW (Thursday): Free Mental Health Presentation Session for Parents of 2e Kids Mental Health Outcomes in Autistic and Other Neurodivergent Youth: Clinical Insights and Recommendations for Parents Bridges Community, Don't miss our chat tomorrow (Thursday, February 6) for an insightful talk with Dr. Jessica Schwartzman, hosted by the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development! Dr. Schwartzman will dive into the mental health outcomes of autistic and other neurodivergent youth, sharing valuable insights on recognizing warning signs and offering effective ways to provide support. Dr. Schwartzman also will share how families can be included in her research. The presentation will be followed by an engaging Q&A session, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and deepen your understanding. Don’t miss this chance to learn how to better support the well-being of neurodivergent youth in your community! Date: Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 Fee: Free to all Time: 12 p.m. PT Location: Zoom (link provided upon registration) We look forward to seeing you online for this exciting conversation. All the best, Stacey Hilborn Stacey Hilborn Manager of the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development/ Director of Enrichment and Talent Development REGISTER HERE About the presenter: Jessica M. Schwartzman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Director of the Training and Research to Empower NeuroDiversity (TREND) Lab at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As a clinical psychologist and researcher, Dr. Schwartzman's work focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults, with an emphasis on autistic and other neurodivergent people. She employs cognitive-behavioral approaches and adapts standard techniques to the unique needs of neurodivergent youth and adults. Dr. Schwartzman's lab uses multimethod approaches to understand risks for depression, suicide, anxiety, and other adverse mental health outcomes in neurodivergent youth, including EEG, clinical interviews, and surveys. Bridges Academy | 3921 Laurel Canyon Boulevard | Studio City, CA 91604 US

A big thank you to everyone who provided testimony for SB 933 and SB 934 yesterday. you can find it here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Testimony/SB933 and here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB934 The journey for these bills is just beginning. The next step is a "work session" (ie. committee vote) on the bills. The chair of the Senate Education Committee, Lew Frederick, is supportive, but he won't schedule a work session without support from his other committee members These bills were opposed by the Oregon Education Association, the Conference of Oregon School Administrators, and the Oregon School Board Association on the grounds that they would "open the floodgates" because "every parent thinks their children are gifted," because they would be new and burdensome mandates because there are "no resources" to pay for TAG . The first is a myth.... research has found that parents are a least as good at recognizing giftedness as untrained teachers (and most districts do allow parent referrals and aren’t flooded by requests) and the second just points to the fact that we currently don’t have any categorical TAG funding. I wish I thought they would also be supporting more TAG funding but that isn’t going to happen. SB 933 does call for additional reports from the Department of Education, but in most cases the Department already HAS the information—it just isn’t compiling and publishing it in a helpful way. My testimony on the value of using student GAINS instead of scores can be found here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Testimony/SB933 You can always find out about a bill’s text and progress on the relevant committee homepage: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Committees/SED/Overview Learn more about the bills, and how to communicate with your representatives here: https://tagpdx.org/advocacy.htm Margaret