Otherwise this is kind of terrorizing the top performing kids for the way that they learn.
The points about the need for clarity are well made, but I think that the issue of whether the students are top-performing or not may be a red herring, tbh. I don't think it's generally true that top-performing students are more likely than others to need the freedom to get behind schedule (however the schedule is presented), although it may be that the higher performing the student is the less one should worry about it.
I do recognise in myself and my DS the "drink from the firehose" phenomenon, but we'd (a) always do it ahead of schedule and (b) be able to interrupt the drinking for other things that need to be done (like washing, and other subjects of work!)
I think this might be an individual style issue, more than a giftedness issue. I'd also not be too complacent about it: if the root is inability or unwillingness to context-switch on demand, well, that's essential in many careers, including academia once you get to faculty.
