Data was released from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the 1980s that showed a decrease in students' problem-solving abilities and conceptual understanding but an increase in performance on items requiring lower-ordered thinking skills. To address this decline in performance, leading disciplinary organizations, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), developed curriculum standards in 1989 that support fundamental concepts through inquiry skills. In addition, the standards focus on addressing societal issues by using acquired knowledge, understandings, and skills. In 1996, the National Research Council released "The National Science Education Standards," emphasizing similar ideas (e.g., fundamental concepts, inquiry skills). About the same time as organizations were developing their disciplinary standards, states began developing their own standards and assessments. Advocates of gifted education applauded this as a potential avenue to raise the academic ceiling for gifted learners. This article discusses the results of the investigation of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) at the University of Virginia on the influences of the states' assessment programs on the instructional practices of K-12 teachers. Particular attention has been given to the implications of teachers' instructional practices for the education of gifted learners. The survey, classroom observations, and interview data yielded three themes that are the result of state-mandated assessments: (1) teachers' instructional practices in regards to state-test preparation; (2) schools' leadership focus on state tests; and (3) gifted students' perceptions and reactions to the tests.