The author interviewed Dr. Carolyn Callahan, an eminent scholar in gifted education. The interview focused on Dr. Callahan's work on implementing gifted program in rural areas, and illustrated her suggestions for teachers, researchers, and parents on how to advocate for gifted students.

This article responds to rejoinder by Courtade, Spooner, Browder, and Jimenez (2012) of our initial article (Ayres, Lowrey, Douglas, & Sievers, 2011) describing the importance in making individualized curriculum decisions for students with severe disabilities. We point out our agreements with the rejoinder (reiterating statements from our…

Now that many schools are developing curriculums thoughtfully linked to standards--including benchmarks for achievement--many teachers wrestle with this question: Can we still make room for individualized instruction? The authors, who have taught at diverse international schools in many countries, believe the answer is yes. They argue that under…

This article was written as a response to Ayres, Lowrey, Douglas, and Sievers (2011) who commented on the degree to which promoting the teaching of functional skills had a higher probability of leading to a more independent life for students with severe disabilities. In doing so, the authors take issue with the use of a standards-based curriculum…

Curriculum myths rise and fall based on contemporary educational and societal contexts. Twenty-five years after the first discussion about the myth of a single curriculum for the gifted, the myth is still prevalent. Its viability as a myth is a consequence of the current educational climate rather than empirical evidence that is gathered and used…

The evolution of several interrelated myths reflects a combination of misinterpretation of statistics, the commendable intention of ensuring that bias and prejudice do not play roles in the provision of services to underrepresented populations of gifted students, and misapplication of programming options for gifted students. Separately, these…

The Annehurst Curriculum Classification System helps teachers identify the learning needs of individual students and match those needs with the most appropriate instructional materials and techniques. (PGD)

Discusses the need for and use of models in the design and development of instructional materials, providing an overview of the main characteristics of a unit model and three course models: a simple linear model, a refined linear model, and a branched model. (RAO)

Includes three articles: "Planning Curriculum for Entrepreneurship Education" (Noll); "Individualizing Entrepreneurship Instruction" (Herbert); and "Teaching Interpersonal Skills in Entrepreneurship" (Stull, LaBonty). (SK)

Joyce VanTassel-Baska is the Executive Director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Education at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. For the past 20 years, the Integrated Curriculum Model, based on research of what works with gifted learners, has been the foundation of curriculum…

Discusses the importance of quality in education and indicates that individual differences among students must be considered when planning the curriculum. (JOW)

Reviews the second generation components of the Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC) competency-based instructional system. It will provide classroom teachers opportunities to fully individualize their programs at minimal expense and with very little additional planning time. (CT)

While a science teacher needs to be thoroughly grounded in science content and methodology, the science teacher also needs to be a reading teacher. Science experiments and demonstrations need to be integrated with reading in the science curriculum. Reading in science helps students with comprehension, the development of concepts and…

Discusses what a quality curriculum should look like for a student with severe disabilities, who should determine curricular content, the basis for selection of curricular content, and how individualized curricular content can be appropriately addressed in a classroom where students without disabilities are pursuing different curricular content.…

This article views differentiation as the process of identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed targets. It presents 10 elements of differentiation in special education, such as differentiation is multidimensional; differentiation is diagnostic; differentiation challenges classroom relationships; and…