Reviews research findings on ability grouping. Attempts to document the mechanisms through which stratification in schools influences student achievement, focusing on within-classroom ability grouping in 12 first grade classes. Results indicate that grouping has no direct effect on reading achievement by the end of the year. (JDH)

Two groups of boys and their parents were given five divergent thinking tests as one part of a longitudinal investigation on exceptional giftedness in early adolescence. Canonical and bivariate analyses indicated that there was a strong correlation between the adolescents' divergent thinking test scores and their parents' scores. (Author/LMO)

Classroom observation techniques and needs assessment strategies can be used to evaluate gifted program inservice and staff development for teachers. Inservice program length, quality, and type can be evaluated through use of pre and post inservice observation, comparison of inservice participants with nonparticipants, and assessment of changes in…

In a 2-week course designed to give information about and experience with gifted students, 36 regular education teachers gained knowledge of educational diagnosis and assessment, instructional methodology, the characteristics of gifted students, and professional responsibilities as determined by pretest and posttest scores on the Clark Assessment…

Reviews 20th-century research on gifted students and on approaches to their education. Discusses recent federal and organizational initiatives and describes several current approaches to gifted education. Includes an extensive bibliography. (MCG)

Presents results of survey analyzing pleasure reading habits of gifted and other elementary school students covering types of books, where books are obtained, favorite authors, importance of reading, activities that encouraged reading, early childhood books, number of books owned, and enjoyment of reading. Role of schools and libraries are…

Compared comprehension of kindergarten-age precocious readers (who read at the third-grade level) with second- and third-grade-age children. Results on measures of letter, scrambled word, and text reading times indicated that, for precocious readers, efficiency in lower-order tasks is not a prerequisite for rapid text reading and good…

The Boarding School Fostering Project in Israel brings together middle-class adolescents of European-American origin and talented Asian-African adolescents from the lower socioeconomic echelons. Multiethnic classes in the school studied produced greater social acceptance (both inside and outside school context), less social distance, and changed…

This 393-item annotated bibliography dealing with special education focuses on: general situation and organization (international, Arab States, Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, North America) and individual handicaps (auditory, visual, mental, multiple, speech, motor, autism, learning difficulties, behavior disorders,…

Describes a systematic approach to reading instruction with gifted students that increases their reading ability and broadens their interests. (AEA)

College tuition is frequently compared, in press and politics, to the US median family income. That is, however, a highly misleading benchmark since schools with need-based financial aid rarely charge students from median income families the reported sticker price. Working from the financial aid records of individual students at twenty-eight…

Focusing on the social and emotional characteristics of gifted students in general, and underachievers in particular, the sixteen articles in this ready-reference also provide an introduction to appropriate counseling methods for the gifted. Key features include: (1) Expert Sidney M. Moon's comprehensive analysis of some of the most influential…

In New Jersey, bright elementary and middle school students whose parents are financially limited have an opportunity to participate in a program called New Jersey SEEDS (Scholars, Educators, Excellence, Dedication, Success). SEEDS provides intellectually challenging academic enrichment classes on Saturdays and during the summer so that students…

This digest discusses the need for differentiating language arts instruction for gifted students in grades K-8. It begins by describing differentiation approaches, including acceleration, depth, complexity, challenges, and creativity. It then explains how teachers can differentiate the language arts curriculum in the following five areas: (1)…

This manuscript contains 13 curriculum units designed to enhance differentiated instruction for learners with special needs from grades 1-12, including gifted students. It integrates Benjamin S. Bloom's levels of cognitive understanding with Howard Gardner's eight domains of intelligence to provide a framework for individualized instruction. Each…