Gifted Education in the Age of Content Standards

This chapter discusses the nature of the current standards environment and what might be our best response. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are K-12 content standards, developed in English language arts and mathematics, to illustrate the curriculum emphases needed for students to develop the skills and concepts required for the 21st century. Adopted by 45 states to date, the CCSS are organized into key content strands and articulated across all years of schooling and, in most cases, replace the existing state content standards. Research studies have demonstrated that differentiated curriculum for the gifted in language arts enhances critical thinking in the subject area, including analysis of text and other critical reading behaviors. Curriculum design and implementation for gifted and advanced learners in the present age of content standards requires careful delineation of the standards at both a general education level and a gifted and advanced level.