Let Gifted Students Accelerate

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Report card time is over and many parents are perplexed, some angry, that their smart kids, didn't do well. The children, capable of doing harder work and moving ahead are bored; many misbehave and don't have a good school experience.

The Washington Post points to Matt, who is in 5th grade, was doing SAT math problems in his head, with a teacher who complained that he didn't finish his class assignments. The article asks why schools slow down gifted kids when research shows that they do well if accelerated.

Only nine states have policies explicitly permitting acceleration and not holding back our brightest kids. Sixteen states prohibit early entry to kindergarten and only a few states deal with the issue.

The article suggests important references and lists practices such as grade skipping, advanced placement programs and early graduation to keep gifted kids learning and using their potential.

Matt, who changed schools, is now 27, and a software engineer.