Sorry to get on a soapbox on your thread, questions. But I just really feel that differentiaion--while a lifesaver in the case of certain kids with conscientious teachers--is a lousy, lousy choice for GT policy. Anytime I see it written into policy, I get cranky! I want more!!!
I couldn't agree more with the posts here. Your first quote about the district's enrichment policy could have been cut and pasted from our school's policy. Our school uses the term "differentiation" in glowing terms, as if it is grandest thing for gifted kids. It is the magic salve which fixes everything. In reality, I have tried for two years to find evidence of differentiation: how often it is applied, how much my son is getting out of it, etc.
The only concrete example that I've observed is that the school uses it to described grouping kids into different levels for reading. There may be three groups of kids in a class (6 per group) who are reading at different levels. (slow=half a grade behind, medium= on grade level, and fast= half a grade above) Great. So my son is placed in the fast reading group with five other kids. But this does nothing for a kid who is reading two to three levels above his current grade level.
I have never seen differentiation stretch more than half a grade in any subject matter, for fear of stepping on the next grade teacher's toes. For most of the moderately gifted kids, this is a welcome and appropriate stretch for them. It does not work for kids that need more than that half a grade bump.
Our school also has pullout classes (half and hour per week for math, and half an hour for high IQ... 129 or above.) The gifted teacher seems to believe that the kids should not do anything that might let them race too far ahead academically for fear of lightly dancing anywhere near the next grade teacher's toes. So they stick to very safe, non-academic topics. (with heavy emphasis on social development and leadership roles.)
