The Buzz

Do you have concerns about the amount of screen time your child is accessing each day during comprehensive distance learning? It used to be that doctors recommended strict guidelines on how much screen time was too much for a given age. New guidelines issued this year by the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes, especially with distance learning, that screen time can be useful and beneficial if balanced with non-screen time. When deciding how to develop your family’s screen time plan outside of distance learning it’s important to keep these tips in mind:

1. Modeling healthy limits and behaviors with screens is important. Create family non-screen times such as during meals, 30-60 minutes before bed, or other family times.

2. Make a point to engage in non-screen activities together such as reading, exercising, talking to each other, or playing games.

3. Engage with your child and their technology by asking questions about what they’re doing, why they enjoy it, what they’re learning, or maybe participate together in the electronic activity or game.

4. Media and content online can be positive and negative, use parental controls and know what your child is watching so that your child has a positive experience.

5. Create reasonable time limits for screen time as a family by encouraging your child to help determine how much daily screen time is enough, then stick to it.

6. Try not to let your children have unlimited screen time over the weekends or school breaks, continue to stick to your screen time plan even during unstructured times.

7. Social media can be an important way for adolescents to engage and interact with peers and our society. Having a conversation with them about healthy boundaries online, unrealistic norms, and how their feelings may be influenced by what they are seeing is a good way to connect and support your adolescent.

For more information about screen time effects, and resources for creating a screen time plan please visit:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

American Academy of Pediatrics: Create your family media plan

Greater Good Science Center: Risks of too much screen time for teens

Reference: Morin, A. (2020). How much should you limit kids’ screen time and electronics use: The American Academy of Pediatrics’ screen time guidelines. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/american-academy-pediatrics-screen-time-guidelines-1094883

Every year, students are considered for Talented and Gifted services in the Beaverton School District. These services are provided by your child's classroom teacher(s). Oregon law and District policy define gifted students as those who score at or above the 97th percentile on a standardized, nationally normed test of mental ability and/or academic achievement in reading and/or math. Behavioral, learning, and/or performance information is also considered before a student is identified for TAG services.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and our current reality of Comprehensive Distance Learning, our evaluation process will look different this year. We will administer in-person TAG testing after January 11, 2021. Until then, teachers will collect evidence on how your student responds to differentiation within their comprehensive learning classroom. This evaluation may include: file reviews, teacher and student observations, a collection of work samples, and/or individual or group assessments. This process may take some time, but every effort will be made to complete the evaluation in a timely manner. Parents will be notified of their school’s in-person testing dates in January.

If you think your child might qualify for TAG services, you may wish to complete the Parent Information Form that is available here and return it to the school office or your child's teacher. Completing this form gives our school TAG Committee more information about your child, but it is not required. All qualified students will be considered regardless of the form’s completion.