I have a child at Helios and can share a few insights. Literature circles are grouped by ability (likely based on MAP scores / Lexile levels) within the 2 year mixed grade bands. There are usually a couple different level books selected for these groups that fit with the project theme for the semester (loosely). Unlike math (children can span several grade bands based solely on ability), i think it would be difficult for a young gifted child to read content appropriate for an older gifted child. To your point, in elementary, I thought the book choices were on par with other high performing grade level schools. However, the small discussion groups themselves seem to go deeper in terms of discussion content and how it relates to the project theme. In 5th / 6th books have been in the Lexile range over 1000 plus, with challenging content to process.
