This article identifies the arguments for and against the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Although the standards need to be differentiated for gifted students, the author suggests that these standards may offer a way to transform education in the classroom, so that all students are able to fulfill their…

Research suggests that inquiry-based strategies are the most effective modes of delivery in working with the gifted students. The characteristics of the gifted reveal a strong basis for understanding the power of question-asking as a part of differentiating curriculum. This article describes three different models of questioning--Guilford, Bloom,…

Performance-based assessment clearly represents an indispensable approach for assessing gifted student learning. Challenging performance tasks allow gifted learners to reveal their considerable intellectual capacity and energy. Through performance tasks, teachers gain insights into a gifted student's true level of capability in a domain of…

In this column the author discusses several major works that came out in the 50-year period from the 1920s to the 1960s, as well as real-world examples that show that differentiated curriculum works and can make a difference in the lives of gifted learners. In the 1920s, Leta Hollingworth's work advocated a specialized curriculum for gifted…

Instructional strategies have always been underestimated for their role in enhancing gifted student learning. The use of deliberate questions is a critical strategy for getting gifted students to learn about their world in more complex and in-depth ways. It provides multiple pathways for challenging the gifted through their content learning. It…

The use of a classroom observation tool to monitor differentiation strategies is described, and relevant research findings using the form are reported. The advantages for using this approach to document differentiation are discussed as are the reasons teachers may question its intent. Applications for practice include its use as a self-assessment…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the most successful attempt to gain consensus across states for 21st century standards in language arts and mathematics. So far, 46 states have accepted these standards, with two consortia organized to translate them into resources and sample activities. A consultant firm has been hired to develop the…

The history of the world could be told through countless biographies, as Carlyle said, and these biographies undoubtedly would represent gifted individuals and their contributions at different times in different cultures of the world. The Greeks and Romans recognized the value of talent, as did the tribes of the Bible, responding to the parables…

Urban gifted children encounter many forces that derail the development of their full potential. A report by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and Civic Enterprises found that more than a million children in poverty rank in the top quartile academically, but few of these children will find adequate opportunities to fulfill such potential in urban…

This article describes Project Athena, a Javits program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and developed through the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary. Project Athena seeks to find ways to help impoverished children develop advanced skills in reading comprehension, literary analysis, and persuasive writing. Its…

In developing a gifted education curriculum, the match between learner and curriculum must be considered, and a strategy for preparing the scope-and-sequence curriculum product should be determined. In the curriculum development process in Gary, Indiana, goals and sequential learning objectives were generated for each subject area by grade level…

To develop scope and sequence in the gifted curriculum in Gary (Indiana) Community Schools, a curriculum needs assessment was conducted. A curriculum framework was then developed by identifying desired educational outcomes, examining the gifted programs across levels and content disciplines, and linking the outcome statements to curriculum…

A comprehensive curriculum-development program which covers grades K-12 can ensure a meaningful scope and sequence of experiences for gifted learners. The experience of the Gary Community School Corporation and other Indiana communities with such an approach is described. Eight steps from needs assessment to implementing the model are presented.…

The article looks at issues of implementing the curriculum development process for gifted learners as it has been implemented in Gary, Indiana. Implementation is seen as an ongoing part of staff development, monitoring, and evaluation. Elements of success such as teacher involvement in decision making are identified. (DB)

The article describes a model program which provided a two-week summer seminar on East Asia for gifted high school learners at William and Mary College in Virginia. In addition to learning about East Asian culture and history, participants developed plans for sharing their new knowledge with local communities. (DB)