Gifted Weekly

Recently published research in the July 2023 issue of Gifted Child Quarterly links unequal access, once again, to under-resourced communities. When considering access to accelerated math instruction (Peters & Carter, 2023), namely Algebra in grade 7 and Geometry in grade 8, districts that offer more challenging math courses are not driven by state requirements but rather by socioeconomic status and levels of parental education in a district. The authors acknowledge that, while a district’s own economic restrictions to provide staffing or additional courses creates obstacles, options such as virtual instruction at an advanced grade level or attending a higher grade level class within the same district can address a school’s lack of resources (Peters & Carter, 2023). While a school might have lower overall achievement levels, the range of ability from below, at or above grade level is consistent, indicating the need for accelerated math in every school (Pedersen et. al, 2023).

In terms of how we can address advanced math students more broadly, outside of grades 7 and 8, VanTassel-Baska (2018) points out that opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving within the math curriculum are key to igniting the personal connection and growth within the discipline for gifted students (Mann, 20xx). Without this added layer of complexity, advanced math students tend to stagnate in their development (VanTassel-Baska et. al., 2020), and while many districts cite differentiation as their approach to meeting the needs of gifted students, research has shown that teacher focus remains at or below grade level.

The overall theme for advanced math learners finds that increased ability comes from consistently increasing challenges. Having students supported by an instructor within a same ability (gifted) classroom provides the greatest gains, with students reporting some dissatisfaction when they are wholly self-contained (full day self contained model) with no recognizable concerns regarding emotional development in the context of grade acceleration. Confidence and connection has been found to increase when students are appropriately challenged, with the opposite being true when students are not engaged or finding productive struggle in their classwork. 

Resources

Mullet, D. R., Kettler, T., & Sabatini, A. (2018). Gifted Students’ Conceptions of Their High School STEM Education. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 41(1), 60-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217745156  

Pedersen, B., Makel, M. C., Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., Peters, S. J., & Plucker, J. (2023). Most Mathematics Classrooms Contain Wide-Ranging Achievement Levels. Gifted Child Quarterly, 67(3), 220–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862231166074

Peters, S. J., & Carter, J. A. (2023). The Where and Why of Accelerated Middle-School Mathematics. Gifted Child Quarterly, 67(3), 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862231168472

Tan, L. S., Ponnusamy, L. D., Lee, S. S., Koh, E., Koh, L., Tan, J. Y., Tan, K. C. K., & Chia, Terence Titus Song An. (2020). Intricacies of designing and implementing enrichment programs for high-ability students. Gifted Education International, 36(2), 130-153. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261429420917469

VanTassel-Baska, J. (2018). American Policy in Gifted Education. Gifted Child Today, 41(2), 98–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217517753020

VanTassel-Baska, Hubbard, G. F., & Robbins, J. I. (2020). Differentiation of Instruction for Gifted Learners: Collated Evaluative Studies of Teacher Classroom Practices. Roeper Review, 42(3), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2020.176591