Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K-5

"Smutny has assembled a group of colleagues who bring very practical and useful insights to this issue and suggest practices that will make the use of this important curricular modification justifiable, manageable, and, most of all, normal. Acceleration is not treated as a strategy of last resort but as a logical and reasonable way to acknowledge and provide for the growth and continuous progress of all children. By broadening the idea of acceleration as a way to meet academic, emotional, and social needs, the book turns the concerns about acceleration into strengths." —Barbara Clark, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles "A well-written, extremely useful guide for parents and educators who wish to provide gifted students an opportunity to learn at a pace and level appropriate to their abilities. Offers valuable insight on the social and emotional aspects of effective acceleration." —Jan Davidson, President and Cofounder, Davidson Institute for Talent Development Coauthor, Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds Raise the bar on accelerated learning and discover new possibilities that go beyond minimum proficiency! Written for K–5 teachers, this practical guide corrects misunderstandings in the field of acceleration and provides the tools necessary to effectively determine the most appropriate learning options for gifted students. Through real-life stories, well-known authors in gifted education Joan Franklin Smutny, Sally Y. Walker, and Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, dispel the common myths about acceleration and describe what it is, what forms it takes, and what it can do for gifted learners—intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Presenting nuts-and-bolts guidance, this valuable resource provides: Numerous case studies, helpful checklists, and reproducible forms Prevailing theories and current research Social-emotional aspects of acceleration practices Instructional strategies for implementation in various school settings Learning opportunities for underserved groups, such as multicultural and urban students Bibliographies and helpful Web sites Offering a new perspective on how prevailing attitudes have deprived students of opportunities to develop their talents, Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K–5, directly reflects the 2004 Templeton Report in validating the urgency to meet gifted students′ needs.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements About the Authors Introduction Part I: Acceleration: Issues and Applications for Gifted Learners (K-5) 1. Acceleration and the K-5 Gifted Child 2. Acceleration in a Differentiated Classroom 3. Acceleration and Creativity: Closing the Gap 4. Assessment for Accelerated Learners Part II: Appropriate Academic-Classroom Acceleration 5. Acceleration of Content 6. The Thinking Process 7. Product Development 8. Standards and Policy Part III: Social and Emotional Aspects of Effective Acceleration 9. Obstacles to Acceleration 10. Adaptations to Personality 11. Facilitating Acceleration 12. Social Relationships 13. Facilitating Acceleration for Parents and Educators References Index