In what can be characterized as a scathing report, the National Association for Gifted Children asserted that “States are not held accountable by the federal government for the academic performance of their high-achieving students, which has contributed to a climate of neglect.”
The executive summary of the 2010-2011, STATE of the NATION In Gifted Education, available here, pulls no punches in asserting gifted education is in dire straits. The executive summary gives voice to the well-known reality that “most gifted and talented children, who spend the majority of their time in the regular education classroom, are taught by teachers who are not trained to meet their needs.” That, unfortunately, seems to be the least of the problems faced by academically gifted students.
In Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), for example, the system, without warning, has eliminated honors courses for middle school students. These courses were a crucial safety valve for academically advanced students who are straight jacketed in regular education classes.
So called “advanced” courses have turned out to be anything but advanced, with many, if not all, co-taught by a regular teacher and a special education assistant. According to documents submitted by MCPS to the Maryland State Department of Education, the school system has established a partnership Towson University to create the Middle School Special Education Institute (MSSEI) that will develop personnel to assist in further integrating special education students in the regular classroom. Despite a dearth of rigorous studies (an opinion from the Council for Exceptional Children is found here) to support its efficacy, the philosophy of co-teaching seems well on the way to becoming another feel-good paradigm being implemented in our public schools.
One of the consequences of co-teaching, it can be argued, is the need to ensure that classroom material remains tractable for the instructor to disseminate to a wide spectrum of abilities and preparation. Furthermore, the co-taught classroom often becomes a “waiting room” for gifted learners to twiddle their thumbs while they wait for their struggling classmates to catch up. An unchallenging curriculum and a waiting game are not a recipe for learning.
It is time MCPS reinstated high quality, challenging courses that teach material at a significant depth. Honors courses must be part and parcel of that arsenal and be made available to students who show a demonstrable ability to take on the challenge.
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