Four basic tenets must be kept in mind regarding curricular decisions for young gifted children. These tenets govern the direction that curriculum for them may take and the manner in which educators interact with these children. First, young gifted children have special learning needs. They differ in that they have the capability to learn at greater depth and more quickly, and they have interests which may predate those of their peers. Second, curriculum should be drawn from their special interests and needs. Next, the work of childhood is play; therefore, the curriculum of young gifted children must emphasize exploration and play. Finally, young gifted children should be engaged in the curricular decision making process. This article elaborates these four principles in curricular decision making for young gifted children.
Despite a concerted effort by federal, state, and local educational agencies over the past decade, gifted programs remain the exception rather than the rule. Societal myths still prevail and leave the public and many educators believing that &dquo;genius will out&dquo; and that gifted programs are &dquo;elitist.&dquo; Teachers often fear that pull-out programs for the . gifted will deplete the number of high-achieving students in their classrooms, taking the &dquo;stimulating atmosphere&dquo;. in the classroom with them. Objections by teachers and parents alike are prompting school districts to consider programs for gifted students which can be conducted ' within the regular classroom only. The danger in this approach lies in the misconception that gifted students will progress well in the regular classroom even if special curricular accommodations are not made. The consequences of this situation are seen in the disappointing achievement levels for the gifted, reported by Terman (1925) and Marland (1972), which appear to fall far behind what might be expected from measures of potential. Additionally, dropout rates of gifted students are reported to be as high as 10% of the total number of dropouts (Gallagher, 1975) and underachievement exists at all educational levels (Whitmore, 1980). The achievement of gifted primary students within the regular classroom setting was studied by Ness and Latessa (1979) by assessing the mastery level of reading and mathematics skills for kindergarteners, first, and second graders. As might be expected, results indicated that the gifted . students mastered 15% more reading skills and 16% more mathematics skills than the nongifted students. However, the study also listed some disturbing data. The gap in mastery level between the two groups dropped substantially between kindergarten and second grade. While the difference between the gifted and nongifted groups was 30% in kindergarten, it was only 14% in reading, and 9% in mathematics by second grade. Evidently, the curriculum accommodations provided in the regular classroom did not maintain the level of difference in achievement between : the two groups. Performance levels became more alike the longer the students received identical programs.
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