... two of them [school principals] felt that putting students with varying academic and creative levels inside the same classroom could create a richer learning experience for all of them.
What these two administrators
felt seems closely aligned with the first three myths about gifted students on this
list by NAGC.
It is bad policy to base educational decisions and pedagogy on what administrators
feel, rather than on empirical evidence, such as that which is mentioned in footnote 2 in the
Myths about Gifted Students, presented by NAGC.
Research exists to counter the view expressed by the administrators, and inform best practices:
http://www.casenex.com/casenet/pages/virtualLibrary/gridlock/groupmyths.htmlhttp://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/reports/rbdm9204/rbdm9204.pdf As a separate issue, the article states that the rigor of Common Core was cited as a reason the GATE program should be dissolved. To determine whether Common Core is more rigorous than the standards previously utilized in a school, one would look at the "alignment" process:
- If a standard/lesson/curriculum component was moved
down one or more grades during alignment, Common Core is
more rigorous about that standard/lesson/curriculum component than what was previously taught in that school.
- If a standard/lesson/curriculum component was moved
up one or more grades during alignment, Common Core is
less rigorous about that standard/lesson/curriculum component than what was previously taught in that school.
