What Do Schools Usually Do for Their Gifted Students?

And gifted services vary by state and by district because few states have gifted requirements.

Young Gifted Man Wondering What He Can Do to Make a Difference

During the 1980s, ability grouping and tracking fell out of favor.[i] Americans educated prior to the early 1980’s cannot easily understand how radical a shift this has been.[ii] For more information on the origins of the demise of ability grouping and tracking, a change that made educating gifted students without much fanfare much easier, see these sources: Oakes, J. (1986), Kulik, J. & Kulik, C. (1992), and Rogers, K. (1991).

Since the 1980s, schools have generally taken one of two primary approaches to address the different academic needs of gifted students in a same-aged classroom, and they are:

1. Individualized, enriched instruction at grade level. In this approach, all children are grouped heterogeneously by age and the more advanced learners periodically receive enrichment. This method is popular but tends to be burdensome for the teacher and is often inconsistently delivered. For example, it requires considerable planning and can be frequently omitted from the day’s schedule. The approach does not usually accelerate instruction or learning; it adds more at a similar level.
2. Gifted Classes. Where special gifted programming exists, it usually places all gifted children in the same…