Gifted students represent an under-served population in the education system, especially at the middle school level. These students require special attention in regard to their social and emotional needs. The first section of this paper explores the literature pertaining to the education of gifted middle school students and the definition and role of cluster grouping. It begins with an overview of the need for gifted education and then discusses specific models of organization including tracking, ability grouping, and cluster grouping. The second section of the paper summarizes the field research done in a specific sixth grade class where the cluster grouping model is in place. The information gathered from the literature review joined with what was observed in the field, provided some information on specific barriers found in successfully meeting the academic needs of gifted students within the regular classroom. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/ND)