This qualitative multi-site case study sought to examine the current educational provisions in place for intellectually gifted primary school students in Queensland and to consider how the beliefs and attitudes of primary school stakeholders were reflected in the production of their school gifted education policies. Attitudes and perceptions of principals and teachers at four Queensland primary schools are reported in this article. The major findings indicated that while reported attitudes towards acceleration and ability grouping were fairly positive overall, educators are still concerned about the possible adverse effects of grade-skipping on students' social and emotional development, and the connotations of elitism associated with full-time models of ability grouping. However, teachers' knowledge and awareness of the affective characteristics of gifted students did not appear to influence their attitudes or beliefs regarding acceleration and ability grouping.

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Grade-based acceleration is when high-ability children progress through school at a rate faster than typical by being placed with older classmates. This educational practice can help meet the learning needs of high-ability children. In this study, 56 parents of high-ability children who underwent grade-based acceleration in Australian schools shared their experiences through an online questionnaire. We posed the following research question: "What are the experiences of parents whose children accelerate into classes with older classmates?" Our findings revealed that parents perceived successful academic, social, and emotional outcomes of acceleration for their children. However, parents encountered some resistance towards acceleration among teachers, which may have interfered with the availability of accelerative options. For some parents, illinformed attitudes among other adults placed a strain on parents' social relationships. Parents also described their accelerated children's educational needs, which were not universally met within their respective schools. Practical implications for parents and teachers considering acceleration are discussed.

The aims of this chapter are to: 1. Examine the possible difficulties and academic potential of gifted Indigenous students in rural schools 2. Appraise the identification practices that are inclusive of gifted Indigenous students in rural settings 3. Explore culturally responsive programming for academically gifted Indigenous students in rural settings 4. Highlight some implications for future research and practice

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Acceleration is a well-researched educational intervention supporting positive outcomes for high-ability students. However, access to acceleration may be restricted due to educators’ misapprehensions about this practice. To better understand whether students share educators’ concerns, our study explored 26 high-ability students’ beliefs about important considerations in grade-based acceleration. Seventeen high-ability students who had accelerated (age 9-14 years) participated in group concept mapping activities, which involved sorting and rating a list of student-generated considerations. We applied multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to the sorted data to create a structured conceptualization of students’ advice on deciding to accelerate. Our analyses revealed the following six key concepts, from most to least important: (a) Best Learning Environment, (b) Child’s Preferences, (c) Abilities Across Different Subjects, (d) Peer Group, (e) Context and School Support, and (f) Social Considerations. Our interpretations include comparison of high-ability students’ advice to existing acceleration guidelines. Practical implications are discussed.

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