Erin Alles

Teachers Perspectives of the Impact of the Placement of Gifted Students

Erin Alles
Diff 511
St. Bonaventure University

Erin Alles

Gifted education is forever changing, and constantly being relooked at. The views for
gifted education that first presented themselves in the late 1800s to early 1900s are still around
today. However, the way gifted education is presented in the schools has changed. When gifted
education first became present, many states started schools that were open just for gifted
students; this was very common in urban cities (Van Tassel-Basker, 2010). Students who were
thought to be gifted would take tests to determine if they were allowed into these schools. The
first test that was introduced to determine if a student was gifted was the Binet-Simon
intelligence test. This test was later changed to the Standford-Binet intelligence test in 1916. An
edition of this exam is the intelligence test still used for gifted education (NAGC, 2008). In 1957
with the launch of Sputnik there was a large push for gifted education. America was concerned
about staying ahead of other countries; this created an increase in the interest of gifted education
and the funding. Many students were tested for giftedness, and talent searches were done to find
the gifted population (Jolly, 2009). Programs were developed and new gifted schools were
opened to give gifted children the challenge and curriculum they needed in order to thrive. In
1998 the National Association for Gifted Children published standards for gifted students. Over
the years more important problems came to the education world, and gifted education got pushed
to the side. Funding slowly decreased for gifted education programs, and now only few states
still receive any funding (Van Tassel-Basker, 2010). With the pull away from gifted education,
schools that were once opened for only gifted, now are open for all students. Now most gifted
student are taught in general education classrooms (Folsom, 2006), with all other students.
Now gifted education receives no funding in many states. This means most gifted
students are placed in general education classrooms and are receiving no services. If the gifted
students are not in a general education classroom, they may be in an inclusive classroom, pull out

Erin Alles

programs or self contained gifted classrooms. All of these types of placements have different
benefits and disadvantages for gifted students.
General education classrooms teach to the middle, they are homogenous. Teaching all
students the same material and with the same strategies. Gifted students often become bored in
this environment and may even become a behavior problem (Willard-Holt, 2003). Teachers in
general education classrooms have to complete the required curriculum, often teachers feel there
is no extra time for projects of interest. Some general education teachers also feel they lack the
skills to teach gifted students. That their education left them unprepared and they do not know
how to meet gifted students needs (Folsom, 2006). In general education classrooms gifted
students do get the chance to socialize with all students. They get to participate in all extra
curricular activities including orchestra, gym, playing an instrument ect.
Gifted students also have the chance to participate with other classmates in inclusive
classrooms. In inclusive classrooms gifted students are in class with students on all different
levels. The classroom is built to accept all students and their differences (Sapon-Shevin, 2002).
The classroom does not try to make all the students the same but instead praise the students
differences. Teachers allow students to learn what they need, not just what is written in the
curriculum. Students are often pre-tested before lessons, and if they dont need the lesson they
are allowed to skip it (Willard-Holt, 2003). Inclusive classrooms often use cooperative learning,
have more hands on activities, group work, and independent projects (Shapon-Shevin, 2002).
Gifted students can become frustrated when doing group activities in inclusive classrooms
because they can be looked at as a tutor, and used to help the lower achieving students (Brulles &
Winebrenner, 2012). An inclusive classroom meets the needs of gifted students by challenging
them with the curriculum, while also allowing them to still have a regular social life.

Erin Alles

School districts that give services to gifted students often have pull out programs. Gifted
students who are in a pull out program would have most lessons in a general education
classroom. The students are then pulled out of their general education classroom for extra lessons
of interest in a resource room. The pull out lessons would be specialized in a specific subject,
depending on the gifted students needs. Many gifted students enjoy pull out lessons (Yang &
Gentry, 2012) because they get to learn something that they are interested in, and something that
challenges them. Students being pulled out though cause an interruption (Yang & Gentry, 2012),
because of this, many teachers stop instruction time when students are pulled out. Therefore
gifted students miss out on the extra curricular activities and socialization time such as, games,
conversations, outside time and sometimes things like band/orchestra or chorus.
Self contained gifted classrooms are the rarest placement for gifted students. In a self
contained classroom, gifted students would only be with other gifted students. Sometimes this
means that the students miss out on socialization opportunities. These students may not know
how to interact with students who are not gifted. A self contained classroom would allow for
gifted students to have academic competition, sometimes for the first time in their lives (LinnCohen & Hertzog, 2007). The teachers have more freedom with the curriculum (Willard-Holt,
2003), and therefore can challenge the students to meet their needs. Teachers who have been
involved in gifted education programs have felt very strongly about the benefits of a selfcontained educational classroom (Linn-Cohen & Hertzog, 2007).
After looking at the different types of placements for gifted students, the question of
which placement is most beneficial for a gifted student poses itself. Two teachers who have
worked with gifted students gave their opinions on the impact of placement for gifted students.

Erin Alles

Mr. Adams (a pseudonym) has been teaching for 35 years. For the first 28 years he taught
in a public school, but for the last 7 years he worked in his own private school. The years spent
in public school he taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, along with remedial math for grades K - 10th.
He now teaches 3rd-8th grade at the private school. When asked about the impact of placement
on gifted students achievement he stated that he does believe placement plays a role in gifted
students achievement. Stating that through his experience many gifted students are bored,
because they have to follow the agenda of other students, and for many gifted students being in
general education classrooms is a waste of their time. This is also his view for inclusive
classrooms that even though they are designed to reach all students many gifted students are still
wasting their time in these classrooms. As for pull out programs, he does not view them as the
best option for gifted students, but feels they at least allow gifted students to have something that
interests them. Same goes for self contained gifted classrooms, they may not be the best option
for gifted students, but they allow the students to work with other students who have similar
interests and have more challenging material. Mr. Adams feels gifted students have least
potential in public schools, because the curriculum is determined ahead of time. He feels gifted
student have the most potential in schools that allow flexibility and compacting curriculum,
which allows students to go as fast and they want and then use the free time for their own
interest.
Mrs. Smith (a pseudonym) has been teaching for 12 years. She spent her first 5 years
teaching 1st grade in a catholic school. The other 7 years have been in a public school where she
has taught 4th grade, AIS math, and a gifted pull out program for 1st-5th grade. Mrs. Smith thinks
that placement is important for the achievement of gifted students, but that gifted students can
achieve in all placements if the teacher is open and willing to challenge the students. Mrs.

Erin Alles

Smiths view on gifted students being placed in a general education classroom is that if the
teacher differentiates and uses curriculum compacting, then the gifted students will strive in the
classroom. Mrs. Smith stated that this is difficult though for a general education teacher to do,
because he/she is often the only teacher in the classroom. As for self contained gifted classrooms,
Mrs. Smith feels these placements can be helpful for gifted students, because the students are
given challenging material. She feels though that gifted students often struggle socially and they
need to learn to socialize with other students, which they cannot do in a self contained gifted
classroom. Mrs. Smith feels that inclusive classrooms are great for gifted students. That these
classes not only allow the students to socialize, but also allow for the students to be challenged.
If gifted students are used as tutors though in inclusive classrooms then they are not getting the
appropriate services and it is a disservice for the student. Mrs. Smith feels very strongly for pull
out programs. She feels that they are most helpful for gifted students, because not only do they
challenge them, but they allow the students to focus on specific interest. Students who are gifted
in math then get to have lessons in math, and students who are gifted in science get to have
lessons in science. Mrs. Smith does not feel gifted students are missing out on socialization when
they are pulled out for a lesson. From her experience it is not a problem. Mrs. Smith feels gifted
students have the most potential in a classroom that has support, differentiated instruction,
curriculum compacting and encourages independent studies. The place gifted students have the
least potential is in a classroom that only uses one type of learning, where all students are held to
the same standards, and the teacher does not differentiate.
From these teachers views, it is difficult to say in which placement gifted students would
have the most achievement. It seems that pull out programs and self contained gifted classrooms
have a positive effect on gifted students achievement. Whereas, general education classrooms

Erin Alles
and inclusive classrooms do not always give gifted students the challenge they need, causing
them to not reach their full potential. These classrooms though with a teacher willing to work
with gifted students, and give them what they need, may allow gifted students to thrive. From
these two teachers we can say that differentiation and curriculum compacting do help gifted
students and if students are placed in classrooms where these things are enforced, then gifted
students will achieve.

Erin Alles

References
Brulles, D., & Winebrenner, S. (2012). Clustered for success. Educational Leadership,
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Hertzog, N. (2005). Equity and access: creating general education classrooms responsive to
potential giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 29(2),
Jolly, J. (2009). A resuscitation of gifted education. American Educational History Journal,
36(1),
Linn-Cohen, R., & Hertzog, N. (2007). Unlocking the gate to differentiation: a qualitative study
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http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=607
Robins, J. H., & Jolly, J. L. (2013). Historical perspectives the establishment of advocacy
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