Types of Programming Options

The following are different types of gifted and talented programming:

  1. Grade acceleration: The student skips one or more grades.
  2. Subject acceleration: The student advances one or more grades in a subject area.
  3. Content acceleration: The student moves through the curriculum content at a faster pace than his/her peers.
  4. Concurrent enrollment: The student attends high school and takes college courses at the same time.
  5. Advanced placement courses: The student takes an advanced course at the high school for possible college credit.
  6. International Baccalaureate (IB) programs: The program is typically designed as a two-year high school program that emphasizes foreign languages and international concerns beyond the regular high school requirements. Participants earn college credit, and possibly an "IB Diploma," for their IB work.
  7. Residential high school: Maine School of Science and Mathematics is an example of such a school.
  8. Early admission to college: The student graduates earlier than age peers.
  9. Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY): This program began at John Hopkins University. The purpose of SMPY has been to locate primarily seventh grade students with high mathematical ability and to offer accelerated options. The program continues into high school.
  10. Content enrichment: The course content has more depth and breadth than the regular course content.
  11. Differentiation: The content, process and/or product of the lesson is modified in order to make the curriculum more challenging and to meet the needs of the gifted learners.
  12. Curriculum compacting: Students are pretested, and the material they already know is replaced with acceleration and enrichment options.
  13. Independent study and research.
  14. Mentors and mentorships.
  15. Academic competitions: Math Meets, Future Problem Solving Competition, Academic Decathlons, Mock Court, Exploravision, Odyssey of the Mind, Destination Imagination.
  16. Cluster grouping: Small groups of identified students placed together in a heterogeneous classroom. The classroom teacher receives professional development in gifted education.