Within the discipline of special education is academically gifted education, and this distinct area is not typically required as a topic of focus in traditional teacher preparation programs for regular education teachers. Therefore, it is essential that current research is conducted and published that provides educators, both general and special,…

With increasing numbers of students receiving gifted services every year, it is more important than ever to make certain we are meeting their unique learning needs in the classroom. Differentiated instruction for these learners must go beyond adjusting content levels, task complexity, or product choice--it must truly challenge and support learners…

Programs for gifted students are in great demand in secondary schools. An administrator can easily supervise the development of such a program by starting small, using existing resources, avoiding "ousidersism" and perfectionism, developing a working definition of giftedness, developing a sensible identification procedure, and publicizing the…

The article describes the role of teacher consultants in working with classroom teachers, school counselors, and parents at one high school for academically gifted students. Two examples of how a teacher consultant effectively altered the performance of two students with organizational and study skill problems are offered. (Author/DB)

Talent search programs for academically gifted students are described. Specific information is provided about four programs, along with discussion of the advantages and drawbacks for students. (MD)

Grade advancement is a legitimate and valuable method of meeting the needs of some academically gifted students and is available to every school system. Twelve practical guidelines (such as comprehensive psychological evaluation prior to placement and arranging all cases of grade advancement initially on a trial basis) are offered. (Author/DB)

Discusses major policy issues in gifted education in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly those of determining eligibility and of defining gifted education curriculum and its relationship with basic education. Recommends adopting an "ecological approach," in which available basic education programs and individual students' needs are considered in…

The Midwest Talent Search Project is an effort to identify and provide an appropriate accelerated curriculum for gifted secondary school students in the midwest. Many aspects of the project are discussed here, including testing, programming, benefits, and implications for curriculum reform. (Author/MCG)

This manual describes development and use of the revised "Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students" (SRBCSS-R), a teacher judgment instrument appropriate for use as one measure in the identification of gifted students. Part 1 explains the judgmental and empirical procedures used to revise the items on the original…

Educators can provide sound interventions for gifted students if they carefully consider their special needs, based on their characteristics. The learning needs of gifted students are delineated, based on their characteristics, and curriculum implications are derived. (TE)

This article identifies problems commonly attributed to acceleration for gifted students. Specific student concerns (such as friendships) and administrative concerns (such as difficulties in awarding course credits) are addressed. Five suggestions are made to help districts plan for providing accelerative options. (DB)

Admissions practices at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a residential high school for gifted students, were examined. Data from students applying in 1983 and 1984 (over 800 per year) were available, as were grades of students admitted in 1983. A series of multiple regression studies showed that selection and first year grades…

Offers suggestions for gifted education programs in rural school districts, based on practices used in some eastern Iowa districts. Discusses such considerations as program planning, program implementation, program staffing, expanding or supplementing the regular curriculum for gifted students, and facilitating interaction among participating…

This document, a first "theme" issue of a projected quarterly publication on developments in gifted education, focuses on theoretical principles and practical suggestions concerning student identification for gifted programs in Texas. The first article, "Developing Defensible Identification Procedures," is by Tommie Sue…

This pamphlet is designed to help parents lobby for state-level funding of gifted programs. Suggestions for making telephone calls and writing letters to representatives and senators are offered along with sample scripts for a telephone call and a letter. A description of the 15-step legislative process for gifted education bills in Illinois is…