The Roeper School is a pre-kindergarten through grade 12, co-educational day school for gifted children that was founded in 1941. Admission criteria include parent and student interviews, student observation, and individual testing by a psychologist. The current emphasis on accountability and outcome measurements may be more about what governments need from schools than it is about what children and families need from schools. This is especially true for gifted children. Some gifted children do not test well, even on I.Q. tests, nor do they always express themselves positively in all school settings. The "alternative" that The Roeper School has offered for over 60 years is an old idea. The idea is that smaller is better--smaller classes in a smaller school. Roeper's old idea is that customizing education to fit each child is better than standardizing education to fit all children. Roeper's Personalized Education Process (PEP) seeks to develop a relationship between the child, the parents, and the school that is facilitated by an adviser. The PEP adviser compiles a history of each student, looking for themes that emerge, trends that have been created, and conflicts to manage or resolve. Advisers use questionnaires that help uncover and share core values, needs, and perspectives. They employ learning style inventories to discover how each student best learns and is most able to effectively express that. They set goals for the next day, the next week, the next semester, the next year, and for the future. These goals are discussed as they are met or as they change. Thus, self-confidence is created and students are helped to develop and pursue their own expectations. The focus of PEP moves the student from being directed by others to self-awareness and purpose.