In this study, rubrics were developed using teacher expectations, alignment with assignment objectives, and learner interests and needs. Twenty-three teachers taking master's-level coursework in gifted education learned about the flexible rubric assessment. The three-phase implementation plan took 15 weeks and allowed participants to take control…

The following strategies are presented for creating conditions in which gifted students consistently move forward academically: curriculum compacting and differentiating for gifted students in heterogeneous classes; pre-testing content; and allowing gifted students to be grouped together to work on alternative tasks during cooperative learning…

This article describes the Future Problem Solving Program, a year-long curriculum project with competitive and non-competitive options. The international program involves 250,000 students and is designed to help students enlarge, enrich, and make more accurate their images of the future. Team problem solving and individual problem solving…

This article examines the phenomena of overrepresentation in light of the diversity of Asian subgroups using disaggregated data from one large urban school district with a high enrollment of Asian and Pacific American students. Data suggest differences in identification rates among subgroups. Literature-based explanations are offered for over and…

Robert J. Sternberg, director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise, reviews current concerns regarding giftedness and reflects on his work. He laments the use of programs whose efficacy has not been shown and stresses the need to identify giftedness in all its forms. (CR)

This article describes the High/Scope Cognitively Oriented Pre-School Curriculum that recognizes that the power to learn resides in the child and focuses on active learning practices. It discusses child-initiated learning, key skills for thinking, key concepts involved in teaching thinking skills, and activities that support the development of…

This article discusses how to prepare gifted children to be well-rounded in life by teaching them life support skills, including responsibility, communication skills, and a work ethic. The benefits of vocational education and participation in sports are discussed, as are the benefits of learning with intellectual peers. (CR)

Briefly describes ERIC documents and journal articles that pertain to teaching in elementary and middle school. Teaching methods and characteristics of successful teachers are described. (DG)

A family's trip to Winterville Indian Mounds State Park in Mississippi is described, focusing on the frustrations of a gifted six-year old who fell in the muck of the Great Temple Mound, and on the joys of seeing spectacular displays of ancient earthworks. (JDD)

Twenty-four gifted children with learning disabilities and a control group of nondisabled gifted children were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. The 8- to 12-year-old subjects were found to be more reliant on verbal conceptualization and reasoning than controls and demonstrated deficiencies in short-term auditory…

The article describes use of storytelling activities integrated with reading and writing instruction for gifted students. Values of the approach include the real-life focus (students interviewed community adults); open-endedness (independent work was encouraged); task commitment; and skill enhancement in research, organization, and writing. (DB)

This study investigated self-concepts and quality of parent-adolescent communication among 60 gifted adolescent females, including 42 participants in early college entrance programs and 18 who stayed with traditional high school programs. Results indicate that parent-daughter communication varied widely between mothers and fathers and was…

A project titled "Using Art to Teach Social Studies" involved collaboration between a museum and a school. Gifted students in grades three-five worked as museum educators, curators, and historians to create an exhibit titled "Geneva People and Places in Art," introducing artwork's potential as a source of information about the…

Literature is reviewed on the personality dimensions of gifted individuals, focusing on: differences between gifted individuals and same-age non-gifted individuals, differences between gifted individuals and older non-gifted individuals, differences between gifted males and gifted females, and differences between gifted achievers and…

A decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court set a binding precedent which classifies gifted and talented students as exceptional children and requires that resources already in place within school districts be made available to develop individualized education programs for gifted students. (JDD)