Talented, gifted, neglected?

Staff writer Elizabeth McBride reports on the challenges confronting Talented and Gifted (TAG) students within the Madison school district. She tells the story of Sangona Oriedo, who thrived under advanced-reading placement at Lincoln Elementary, but then was demoted to the lowest reading group when she transferred to a new school. "The assumption was because I was black I didn't have reading skills," says Oriedo, who encountered similar difficulties in sixth grade, when she was placed with students of all abilities, a move she felt hindered her advancement. Oriedo's story, parents say, is emblematic of how Madison schools scorn gifted students. School superintendent James Travis says he's asked the school board to budget $541,000 for 33 additional resource teachers but admits, "I don't think it's our highest priority right now." Frustration over the district's approach persists, with a group of 50 parents filing a complaint with the state this fall while others fret that more TAG resources may broaden the achievement gap.