Gifted programs should not be developed only to compensate for inadequate regular classrooms. Instead, the principles of gifted education should be applied to the total environment, with enrichment activities for gifted students requiring intensity of effort in specialized areas. (CL)

Gifted children in regular schools can be served without excessive costs in three ways: withdrawal for special lessons; acceleration, especially differential acceleration in which students may take some lessons with an older group while still remaining identified with their own age group; and enrichment provided within the normal lesson framework.…

The handbook for parents of children in the mentally gifted minor program of Oceanside, California, explains the district plan, selection of students, classroom activities, and the parent role. Also noted are program purposes, program organization, instructional materials, special interests of pupils, special activities parents can provide,…

The author describes the formation of a self-contained interage class for gifted children in grades one to three. The curriculum was project- and interest-based, and an effort was made to involve other teachers and students, thus avoiding the charge of elitism. (CL)

Ninety-nine gifted fourth graders were administered the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale four times. Gifted students' average scores exceeded the standardization sample and variability was smaller as well. Females had somewhat higher scores. Findings suggested that special class placement may result in lower self-concept reports for some…

The Potentially Able Learner's Program in Rockford, Illinois, is a centralized gifted program for students (K-6). The program features self-contained grade-level groupings and emphasis on parent involvement. Evaluation is gathered through achievement testing, parent questionnaires, and student self-report. (CL)

A mother describes the experiences of her seventh-grade son in a special Saturday class for mathematically gifted students. She discusses advantages, as well as disadvantages of the program. (CL)

In an examination of a school-based program to develop creative thinking skills of gifted children in the beginning intermediate grades, few differences were found in curricular achievement between gifted children in segregated homogeneous classes and in hetergeneous classes. (Author/CL)

APPROACHES TO EDUCATING ABLE STUDENTS OF 45 HIGH SCHOOLS WERE PRESENTED. MOST OF THE SPECIAL PROGRAMS FALL INTO ONE OF TWO CATEGORIES--SPECIAL CLASSES ORGANIZED IN PLACE OF REGULAR ONES, AND ATTEMPTS TO ENRICH OR ACCELERATE THOSE CLASSES ALREADY SCHEDULED. THE CURRICULUM OF MOST OF THE SCHOOLS FOR THESE STUDENTS INCLUDED ENGLISH, PHYSICAL SCIENCE,…

The report of the Memphis component of Project CLUE (Cooperative Leadership for Urban Education) which serves 600 academically gifted children in grades 4, 5, and 6 with a seminar program requiring 2 half day sessions weekly is presented, and the current expansion of the program into the junior high and first grade levels is noted. The centers are…

The selected bibliography on regular class placement and special classes for handicapped and gifted children contains approximately 70 abstracts with indexing information explained to be drawn from the computer file of abstracts representing the Council for Exceptional Children Information Center's complete holdings as of July, 1972. Abstracts are…

Difficulties facing the development of gifted programs for preschoolers are noted (including problems in identification), and four alternatives are discussed: regular preschool placement, second-grade placement for some part of the day, regular class placement with time for independent work, and preschool gifted class placement. (CL)

Fifty-five gifted fifth and sixth graders in segregated or integrated classes completed the Piers-Harris Self Concept Test and a measure of peer relationship. Comparison with scores of 55 gifted children who had not been identified or placed revealed no significant differences among social distance or self-concept scores. (CL)

The presentation reviews research on the status of special educational programs for gifted and talented students in Taiwan. The effects of special class settings on gifted students' anxiety levels as well as on their self concept are considered. The author suggests that the studies cited do not demonstrate negative effects of special classes:…