As st_paul_girl indicated my kid can read pretty well and do some basic algebra I do not think she is "gifted". I have not seen her do anything extra-ordinary like do complex equations or anything else.
Keep in mind that this is a kindergartener you are have here! Understanding basic algebra in kindergarten is very atypical and complex equations are not expected of gifted five year olds. Gifted and one in a million prodigy aren't the same thing although the one in a million kid certainly is gifted. All gifted kids aren't that far out there, but they do have different needs none the less. Have you taken a look @ Hoagie's website at all yet:
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_101.htm How can one tell if she is gifted or is accelerated classes for the non-gifted as well?
Where I live, accelerated or gifted classes are primarily filled with bright but non-gifted kids, so I'd say that, yes, they are designed to meet a broader spectrum of needs than just those of the gifted or highly gifted. The further out of the norm the child, the less these classes actually meet their needs. In your instance, like others have said, I'd want to know more about the admission criteria for the program and what it looks like to know whether it is a program designed solely for gifted kids or also for high achievers who may not be gifted and how they differentiate for differing levels of giftedness.
Re how you can tell is she is gifted, aside from things like IQ testing, I think that a good place to start is to read up on some of the characteristics of giftedness and see how they fit your daughter. That is what helped me realize that my oldest was gifted when she was six. She, too, wasn't writing symphonies or solving quadratic equations at that age, but she is highly gifted.
Some of my favorite articles are:
http://www.stephanietolan.com/is_it_a_cheetah.htmhttp://www.bertiekingore.com/high-gt-create.htmhttp://www.giftedteam.org/pdf/links/Understand_What_Giftedness_Is_and_What_It_Is_Not-Delisle.pdf
