Underachievement among gifted students in a southern K-5 Title I elementary school has become a concern for county and school administrators and teachers. A 32% decline in Grade 3 social studies scores on the state test became a catalyst for the school system to implement the Talented and Gifted Program (TAG). The purpose of this case study was to explore gifted support teachers' and TAG teachers' perceptions of the implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) for gifted students. The conceptual framework that guided this study included Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, which emphasizes the importance of teachers' use of instruction to support each student's independent and potential instructional level, and Tomlinson's DI, which involves the adoption of strategies for mediating instruction. Two gifted support teachers and 6 TAG teachers who had taught a minimum of 5 years, were certified or in the process of certification, and had experience teaching gifted students were interviewed. Data from the individual interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews were content analyzed. Findings indicated that these 8 gifted support teachers and TAG teachers perceived DI positively, used differentiated instructional strategies with gifted students, identified barriers to implementation of DI, desired appropriate professional development training and workshops for DI with gifted students, engaged in formal and informal collaborative practices for gifted students, and identified a need for additional administrative support and resources for DI with gifted students. Implications for social change may include professional development for teachers designed to increase their instructional use of DI for gifted students to improve gifted academic achievement.

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe how expert teachers at the high school level perceive the impact of rigor, relevance, and personalized learning on the learning experience and achievement of gifted and talented (GATE) students. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> Data collected for this study included classroom observations, interviews, and documents. The target population consisted of public high school teachers of gifted learners in grades 9&ndash;12. Moreover, teacher participants were chosen using both purposeful and emergent sampling procedures. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> For this phenomenological study, there were 15 teacher participants from both Los Angeles and Orange County. The study utilized mixed methods to develop a valid understanding of natural occurrences related to the research questions. Additionally, the researcher employed the used of thick descriptions as another method of advancing external validity. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Experts in education indicated personalized learning and the rigor and relevance framework were effective methods for learners and specifically gifted learners. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> The research did not produce a unified methodology incorporating differentiation, personalized learning, rigor, and relevance in a single framework. Implications suggested a need to develop a concise framework incorporating these theories to implement student-centered curricula, effective in-class strategies, and a defined approach for students becoming active participants in their own learning.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mathematical acceleration on gifted learners&rsquo; academic achievement. The study compared academic achievement and mathematical attitudes of accelerated and nonaccelerated first through third grade gifted students. The study was conducted using a causal-comparative, quantitative design with pre and post assessments from STAR Math for achievement and the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory to evaluate change in attitudes toward the accelerated subject. Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the differences in growth in the accelerated gifted groups&rsquo; and nonaccelerated gifted groups&rsquo; STAR Math achievement scores and attitudes on the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory. Results indicated a slight increase for the accelerated gifted learners in the area of achievement. However, the differences in growth in mean scores for achievement was not statistically significant. In the area of attitudes, the domains of enjoyment and confidence reported statistically significant differences in the growth in mean scores for accelerated gifted learners. Nonaccelerated gifted learners showed the greatest growth in mean scores for the doain of motivation. However, the domain of value did not note statistically significant differences in the growth in mean scores for accelerated or nonaccelerated gifted learners.</p>

<p>The purpose of this eleventh grade Advanced Placement (AP) program study was to determine factors associated with AP placement and subsequent student performance. This research was considered to be a mixed methods case study with elements of arrested action research. One hundred and twenty-four students, four guidance counselors, three AP teachers, and one administrator provided information used to determine if a problem existed in terms of the influx of students into the AP program without a comprehensive set of research-based supports designed to assist struggling students. Student data included instrument measures, structured written response questions, and secondary source information which was obtained from 124 eleventh grade students in 11 different AP classes between these two comprehensive high-schools in this district. Secondary source data was used to gauge academic ability and preparedness which included collecting: Preliminary Standardized Achievement Test (PSAT) scores, cumulative Grade Point Averages (GPAs), AP final class grades, and AP exam scores. All 124 students also completed three self-report measures designed to gauge test anxiety, academic locus of control, and executive functioning. These students also wrote brief responses to five structured written response questions that were aligned to the self-report measures. Four counselors, three AP teachers, and one administrator were interviewed to better understand their views concerning current AP placement practices and strategies used to support academically at-risk and traditionally underserved students. The analyzed data was then used to create a Professional Development (PD) Module inclusive of feasible and low-cost strategies to improve AP grades and exam scores. This PD Module was subsequently implemented for a short duration in three AP classrooms as the first cycle in an action research project. The three AP teachers were then interviewed in order to garner feedback and ideas on how to improve this PD Module. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Advanced Placement (AP), Preliminary Standardized Achievement Test (PSAT), cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), test-anxiety, academic locus of control, executive functioning, case study, arrested action research, mixed methods, Professional Development (PD) </p>

<p> Although previous studies have acknowledged the role of teacher training in working with children with special needs, none have investigated the relationship between teacher training and referrals. There is a need to understand the factors that affect K-12 classroom teachers' referrals of twice exceptional (2E) students into gifted programs. Supported by the optimal stimulation theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between teacher training and 2E student referrals. The survey method was used to collect data from 102 K-12 teachers in the Ohio school district on their teaching credentials, ranging from no training to being certified to teach gifted children.The teachers read a vignette about a hypothetical student who had an emotional behavior disorder and indicated their decision for referral. Phi and Cramer's V tested the validity of the hypothesis that teachers will make referrals according to their level of training. A binary logistic regression was performed to determine which factors predicted the referral of the hypothetical 2E student described in the vignette and the number of self-reported referrals during the previous year. Teachers who received training in the education and learning of exceptional students beyond the current level of degree for K-12 teachers were significantly more likely to refer 2E students to their school's gifted program. Teachers who received advanced training in working with exceptional students were significantly more likely to have made referrals of 2E students during the previous academic year. The results of this study can initiate positive social change by aiding teacher-educators or leaders in education to make specific recommendations for teacher training in an attempt to respond to the needs of 2E students. </p>

<p> Gifted programming provides many children with an opportunity to reach their potential (Olszewski-Kubilius &amp; Thomson, 2015). For years, gifted studies have been underfunded (Azano, Callahan, Missett, &amp; Brunner, 2014). A lack of research into gifted programming has left glaring holes in the current understanding of best practices (Plucker &amp; Callahan, 2014). This study included an examination of gifted programming from the standpoint of cognitive theory. The researcher examined archival data from School District A to determine students&rsquo; overall academic success when compared to the number of years spent in gifted programming. The data yielded a negative correlation between years spent in gifted programming and ACT score, class rank, and GPA. The data also showed a positive correlation between high school attendance and years spent in gifted programming at School District A. The findings demonstrate the methods used in this study may serve as a useful evaluative tool for evaluating gifted programs. These findings may inform administrative decisions pertaining to resource allocation and curriculum.</p><p>

The purpose of the study was to determine whether teachers' perceptions of characteristics of gifted students in general differed from perceptions of gifted students classified as Hispanic and limited English proficient. The study also sought to determine whether the teachers' perceptions differed based on their ethnic backgrounds. Three-hundred seventy-three teachers from nine elementary schools in Dade County, Florida completed a 34-item Likerttype survey on gifted characteristics. The survey contained an open-ended question at the end to elicit comments beyond those covered by the items. Randomly, one-half of the teachers in each school received the survey labeled "Gifted Hispanic LEP" and the other half received the survey labeled "Gifted." Subjects were not made aware that they were given surveys with different labels. Results of a two-way MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences in responses by survey group and by ethnicity, and there was no significant interaction between group and ethnicity. Results of a Spearman Rho test on the rank ordering of responses for the groups found a significant positive correlation, suggesting that both groups perceived a similar order of importance for the characteristics. However, relative importance differed significantly in languagerelated items. There were also significant differences between the groups in the degree to which they rated the characteristics as important. Generally, means of the highest ranked items were significantly higher for the group responding to the survey labeled Gifted than for the other group. Similarly, subjects who completed the survey labeled Gifted rated the lower ranked characteristics significantly lower than the other group. Neither group viewed artistic, musical, and kinesthetic abilities as important characteristics of giftedness. However, teachers in the Gifted Hispanic LEP group rated these characteristics significantly more favorably (although still low). Hispanics tended to rate the items higher than the other two ethnicities, although significant differences existed among all three.

<p> This mixed methods research investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of five motivational components of instruction&mdash;appeal, challenge, choice, meaningfulness, and academic self-efficacy&mdash;and how teachers&rsquo; knowledge of their students&rsquo; perceptions informed their reflection on the quality of instruction. The <i>Student Perceptions of Classroom Quality</i> (SPOCQ; Gentry &amp; Owen, 2004) and <i> Teacher Perceptions of Classroom Quality</i> (T-POCQ; Seward, 2016) survey results of students with gifts and talents (<i>n</i> = 306 for a total of 518 administrations of the SPOCQ) and teachers (<i>n</i> = 23 for a total of 39 administrations of the T-POCQ) who participated in a summer academic enrichment program were analyzed. Significant negative but weak correlations existed between these two groups in appeal and meaningfulness, and their perceptions did not significantly correlate on challenge, academic self-efficacy, and choice. The strengths of all five correlations are weak. Ten teachers who represented various demographic groups participated in guided reflection interviews during which teacher and student survey results were compared. Teachers who did not hold degrees in education and/or lacked previous teaching experience felt a tension between content and motivation, viewing teaching as delivering content efficiently, not necessarily motivationally. All teachers perceived that they provided choice but were surprised when their students&rsquo; perceptions suggested otherwise, causing them to reevaluate their actual use of choice in instruction. Overall, teachers valued the addition of the student perspective during their reflections, indicating that it shifted their focus away from the content and learning activities toward the social-emotional aspects of learning. In addition, teachers valued guided reflection with a supportive peer as it kept them focused, helped them &ldquo;think through&rdquo; the data, and provided a sounding board for potential instructional improvement. Implications for instructional practices and professional development in other K-12 settings are discussed in the summary.</p><p>

<p>Underachievement in gifted students is a problem often overlooked in the school system; up to 50% of gifted students achieve below their potential abilities (Morisano & Shore, 2010). However, gifted students are not considered at-risk and do not always receive educational experiences aimed to meet their needs (Ritchotte, Matthews, & Flowers, 2014). The risk of gifted underachievement is a problem for educators and a loss to society (Ritchotte et al., 2014; Steenbergen-Hu & Olszewski-Kubilius, 2016). In this quantitative study, survey responses from gifted achievers and underachievers were analyzed to determine differences in educational experiences and attitudes toward school and learning. Additionally, data from teachers were analyzed to determine if they perceive themselves as properly trained to meet the affective and academic needs of gifted students. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to understand whether the perceived value of educational experiences and attitudes toward school and learning differed among achieving and underachieving gifted students. The test showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Frequency distribution indicated the mode of responses to the teacher surveys. While some teachers use effective strategies in their classrooms to meet the needs of gifted students, other do not. Most teachers admitted to having limited training in gifted education. With lack of specialized teacher training and underachievement of the nation?s brightest students, a problem exists which needs to be addressed by educational systems to provide appropriate educational experiences to students with the potential for successful futures to benefit society.

The purpose of this study was to recognize and validate dual exceptionalities and to give voice to an underachieving gifted adolescent with an Attention Deficit Disorder regarding what has worked and not worked for him in traditional school settings. The importance of this study resonates in the voice of a tenth grade, Caucasian male student; a student for whom learning and intellectual challenge is a driving force, but who has been unable to “achieve” in a traditional school setting. This study is vital in that twice exceptional learners are at great risk of underachieving in traditional school settings. In the context of this study, underachievement was viewed as a phenomenon (Schultz, 2002), not a label. It is a verb, not to be confused with the noun. The term should not be used to describe who someone is (underachiever), but rather what someone does (underachieves). Data gathered in this study were analyzed using a constant comparative method of data analysis, which was applied to interviews and classroom observations in an effort to identify categories and themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1994). Data collected from the student interview, classroom observations, document analysis, and adult interviews were triangulated in an effort to uncover patterns and practices that have contributed to or helped to ameliorate the phenomenon of underachievement in a gifted student identified with ADD. Results of this study indicate that schools underachieve their twice exceptional learners (Schultz, 2002) by failing to recognize the asynchronous tension with which these students live; by not creating life-giving relationships with twice exceptional learners that are based on trust and respect; by not implementing classroom practices that are predicated on constructivist learning theory; by denying them access to intellectual peers; and by failing to instill hope.