Our school district defers any sort of grouping of gifted students until high school when honors and AP courses are offered. Recently, they've eliminated actual honors sections in favor of an embedded honors model. Students who want an honors designation for a course do extra work and, if they get an A- or above in the class, will receive an "H" on their transcript.
I thought honors courses were supposed to cluster honors level students together so that they could have high caliber discussions and assignments as a group. This embedded honors thing seems like honors in isolation, which doesn't make much sense. Maybe it's just an extension of giving gifted kids extra work and calling it a gifted program. Also, why is a particular grade required?
You have described the "embedded honors" system in my community perfectly. And coincidentally, at this very moment there is a raging battle over the very issues you raise. The flip side (not mine!) of the argument is that clustering would lead to racial segregation. My kids are only in 5th grade right now, so I'm watching from the sidelines. I hope the system is in a better place by the time they get to high school....
