College academy in Massachusetts, a summer program for academically talented youngsters in grades four through eight was designed by parents of a bright child. The academy offers nontraditional, intellectually challenging courses that unite brains and hands (e.g., typing, cartooning), as well as courses such as mime and drama and computer…

Describes a pilot program at Briar Glen School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in which academically gifted fifth grade students are introduced to microcomputers, taught basic programing skills, and allowed to develop computer programs in BASIC after they have mastered some fundamental computer skills. (JL)

The Advanced Placement Program evolved from the School and College Study of Admission with Advanced Standing. Its progenitors sought to encourage and reward able and ambitious students, to focus on subject matter, to bring school and college teachers together, and to eliminate the lock-step in education. (Author/MLW)

Fifty-one very bright adolescents participated in a productive-thinking program and a challenging course in either creative writing or the social sciences. The program produced significant gains in verbal intelligence scores. The productive-thinking program also significantly raised scores on measures of creativity. (Author/GDC)

Challenging problems and project ideas for mathematically able students in grades 5 and 6 are reviewed. Number patterns are viewed as a good tool to introduce inductive and deductive thinking. Applications of mathematics in sales, the stock market, opinion polls, weather prediction, and other areas are discussed. (MP)

An innovative program that allows advanced high school seniors to take college courses is described. Definitions of early admissions, early decision, and concurrent enrollment are provided. Major issues and questions that should be considered, and aspects of the system that should be evaluated, are listed. (MLW)

A discussion of identification procedures and instruments used for the six talent areas of giftedness is provided. The six areas covered include general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative and productive thinking, leadership abilities, visual and performing arts, and psychomotor skills. (PHR)

A study of 15 gifted high school freshman investigated changes in learning style after a year of schooling in a technology-rich environment dedicated to constructivist learning. Although the results were inconclusive, learning styles were influenced by exposure to technology: computers affected the exploration and presentation of content and…

A two-year study randomly assigned children (K-grade 2) with advanced mathematical skills (n=276) to two groups, an intervention group reflecting a constructivist approach or a control. Boys gained more than girls on quantitative and visual-spatial measures in the control, whereas the intervention group made greater gains in quantitative measures…

This study found no differences in content acquisition (as measured by a standardized test) of 167 gifted 10th graders in American Studies classes who received either a problem-based learning approach or traditional instruction. Results did not support the common assumption that curriculum fostering higher order thinking skills inevitably results…

Presents a program targeting minority high school honor students in their junior and senior years. The program's goal is to educate youths regarding current alcohol and drug research and treatment approaches. Utilizes a mentor-based curriculum, along with lectures, laboratory sessions, a research project, workshops, and site visits. Includes a…

The Student Perceptions of Classroom Quality was administered to 420 high school students. Results found that the constructs measured by the assessment (meaningfulness, challenge, choice, and appeal) were clearly tied to student motivation and learning. Validity and reliability of the test were established. Implications for gifted programming are…

Questions raised by contemporary research on mathematical giftedness were addressed in a longitudinal study based on a random stratified sample of 95,650 tenth graders and a subsample of 497 mathematically gifted boys and 508 mathematically gifted girls from this larger pool. Gender differences and educational outcomes are discussed. (SLD)

The article and response to a critique (EC 232 395) discuss how cooperative learning (emphasizing group goals and individual accountability), the limited use of acceleration by extremely able learners, and differentiation within classes can reduce tracking and separate enrichment programs while meeting the needs of gifted students in the regular…

Examines a multicriteria assessment process for identification of gifted minority students in a small rural Washington school district. Describes the case study of a gifted at-risk migrant student with limited English proficiency, his identification as gifted, and subsequent instructional program. (SV)