<p>I admit, I didn’t read though all the responses. I’m just posting to the OP about our own experience.</p>
<p>For us, gifted programs haven’t been particularly helpful. Between my two identified kids we’ve experience gifted clusters, full-time gifted classes, highly gifted tracks and gifted pull-outs. None of those programs improved the daily schooling situation as much as flexible and individualized accommodation. In fact, the best time for my kids was BEFORE the gifted program was reinstated in their schools. When there was no program, staff had to deal with each gifted child individually. There was full-grade and subject acceleration. There was differentiated curriculum and creative, open-ended options that allowed the gifted child to work at their level within the regular classroom. Once our local schools funded a gifted program, all the individualized education ended and they were shuttled into pre-packaged programming aimed at moderately gifted students only.</p>
<p>There were social problems too. In my own kid’s schools, the behavioral issues within the gifted classes were high. There was a lot of argument for the sake of argument as opposed to debate for further understanding. Both my kids found they actually got LESS done and it was frustrating to both. My kids actually prefer the high-achiever classes where the kids, as a whole, tend to be more focused and independent. My kids want the flexibility to move ahead. They want open-ended projects that allow them to dig as deep as they can. </p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s their personality, their level of giftedness or just the circumstances in our area but gifted programming was not helpful.</p>