The fourth year of the Test Preparation Program for Gifted and Talented Sophomores (TPPGTS) is evaluated. This 6-week, 75-hour test coaching program was developed to teach high-achieving students principles/strategies required for doing well on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to increase…

This report contains two studies. The first study was conducted in order to obtain a profile of Kansas students in the 1999 class of National Merit Semifinalists (NMSFs). A survey was mailed to 166 students. Data were analyzed in terms of age, gender, race, language, family characteristics, high schools attended, extracurricular activities,…

This article describes the development of a one-semester science seminar course for high school juniors and seniors in a suburban/rural Pennsylvania school district. It addresses scheduling considerations and planning activities, the role of the teacher in the seminar approach, use of community resources and guest speakers, standards and…

This article describes an interdisciplinary classroom project in which ninth graders simulate a "World Council on Genetic Technology." Students in small groups take on the persona and interests of individuals from specific countries in the group effort to develop a covenant for regulating the use of biotechnology. The benefits of having gifted…

Describes Woodlands Mountain Institute's leadership program, which helps exceptional West Virginia high school students get into good colleges and serve home communities after finishing college. Describes cases of low-income students assisted by program in college selection and financial aid. Describes colleges' cooperation, peer-counseling…

This study of the college experiences of 1,724 academically talented (upper 2%) high school seniors in Wisconsin did not support suggestions of a "brain drain" out of Wisconsin. The study also found that 82% of males and 72% of females majored in math-science areas and 60% felt ill prepared in foreign languages. (DB)

The dynamics of underachievement among gifted and nongifted black students were studied with students in grades 6 through 9 in 5 Virginia public school districts. A traditional model of underachievement, defining it through a regression model, and a nontraditional model that used grade point averages (GPAs) and self-reported level of effort in…

Results of two studies of microcomputer use for second language instruction at the secondary level are reported. The investigation is based on observations made at the University of Illinois' University High School, which serves academically talented students from the surrounding area. The school's computer laboratory uses software packages for…

This report describes the second and final phase of joint collaborative efforts undertaken by Southwest Virginia Community College and the Russell County School System to overcome the lack of a "critical mass" of students required to operate cost-effective programs for the gifted. First, background information on the program is provided,…

Two questionnaires were constructed in 1985 as part of the overall Study of Stanford and the Schools. The survey instruments focused respectively on high school student and teacher opinions of their various Advanced Placement (AP) classroom experiences and their academic expectations for AP students based on these classroom experiences. The…

In response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education Report, the McHenry Community High School District in Illinois analyzed its current high school programs. The analysis is presented under five areas: (1) instructional programs; (2) student services; (3) district planning, facility, and fiscal programs; (4) athletic and cocurricular…

The number of gifted students in high school vocational agriculture classes has increased four-fold in the last five years, according to a study of enrollment, methods of identification, curricular, and co-curricular and career awareness activities available to gifted students in schools offering vocational agriculture in the United States. A…

The effects of domain-specific and strategic knowledge on analogy performance were studied for 64 gifted and 64 non gifted sixth grade and high school students. Males (n=66) and females (n=62) performed comparably on almost all dependent measures. Implications for instruction and assessment of both types of knowledge are discussed. (SLD)

A university-public school cooperative project (Project STREAM) in Wisconsin has been identifying sixth-grade minority students with potential for postsecondary education and providing them with systematic attention through middle and senior high school. Teachers and students have identified eight strategies as being particularly effective in the…

Montgomery County High School in Mount Vernon (Georgia) revised the U.S. history course as an initial step in making provisions for gifted and talented students. The curriculum and evaluation process are described. The course helps address concerns about underprivileged students and middle-class youth who may require more challenge. (SLD)