Special Class for the Gifted Young: A 34-Year Experimentation With Early College Entrance Programs in China

Abstract

This article introduces the Special Class for the Gifted Young (SCGY), an early college entrance program in mathematics and science in China, which has been a focus for media coverage and public discussion of accelerated education in China. We first describe the admission policy and academic programming of SCGY and delineate its distinct features. Next we summarize findings regarding the long-term trajectories and accomplishments of its graduates. We then present our interview studies with graduates of SCGY and raise a set of questions for future research. The evidence shows that, when admission policy, academic programming, and student support are fashioned to optimize student learning and growing experiences, early college entrance programs can be effective ways of producing a pipeline of talents to the benefit of society while also benefiting the individuals involved.

Early College Entrance in Australia

“…Although much of the literature on gifted early college entrants investigates cohort-accelerated entrants in structured early college entrance programs that are nonexistent in Australia (Brody et al, 2004;Dai & Steenbergen-Hu, 2015;Hertzog & Chung, 2015;Sayler, 2015;Shepard et al, 2009), the associated programmatic support and support of age peers does not appear to be essential for positive student outcomes (Pollins, 1983;Robinson, 2004). This may be particularly the case in an egalitarian society such as Australia, which may frown upon special support that is not available to others, and where the only formalized early college entry program (e.g., The Early Admission for Exceptionally Talented Students Scheme at The University of New South Wales) has maintained screening procedures to ensure that admitted students progress through their studies in an independent manner.…”

“…In the Australian context, though the freedom of choice of peers may be welcome, it is also plausible that a desire for anonymity means that some early college entrants will aspire to, and prefer, peer relationships with regular college students. As in Dai and Steenbergen-Hu (2015), the formation of peer relationships with both groups may be the ideal outcome.…”

Understanding and Serving Precocious Youth Across Nations: Introduction to the Special Issue on Early College Entrance Programs

“…The impetus could be breaking the age-graded, lockstep education system in order to provide optimal educational experiences, as in the case of University of Washington's Robinson Center (see Hertzog & Chung, 2015, this issue). It could also be producing a pipeline of STEM talents badly needed for economic development of a nation, as in the case of the Special Class for the Gifted Young at the Science and Technology University of China (see Dai & Steenbergen-Hu, 2015, this issue). However, younger students admitted to college also face a common set of challenges, academically, socially, and emotionally (Brody et al, 2004).…”

University and College Early Entrance Programs: Defining the Issues Through a Definitive Special Issue

“…In addition, there are several important admission requirements, including minimum college-entrance exam scores, which could be considered a proxy for identification, and an interview, which provides ample information about the readiness of the students to be admitted to the early entrance program. In contrast to the no-IQ approach of the University of Washington, the SCGY (Dai & Steenbergen-Hu, 2015) used a translated version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Wechsler, 2008) to measure the general ability of their students. Jung, Young, and Gross (2015) describe the variety of programming available to highly capable adolescents in Australia.…”

“…How amazing it is that Dr. Stanley's reach regarding early entrance programs continues today, as evidenced by these four articles: Sayler's article on TAMS; the article about early college entrance programs in Australia by Jung, Young, and Gross (Stanley was a close colleague of Gross and her mentor, John Feldhusen); the article by Hertzog and Chung about the University of Washington's early entrance programs (Stanley also was a close colleague of Hal and Nancy Robinson, the founders of the Robinson Center and associated UW programs); and, finally, the article in this issue by Dai and Steenbergen-Hu (2015) about the Special Class for the Gifted Young (SCGY) in China. During my postdoc years, Dr. Stanley developed programming for talented students in China.…”