Trends

Cluster Grouping of Gifted Children

Introduction

As school budgets are under greater scrutiny, gifted education programs are often one of the first programs cut. Reasons cited include: gifted students know how to learn on their own, and all students are best served in heterogeneous learning environments. In a recent article on KidSource Online, Cluster Grouping Of Gifted Students: How To Provide Full-Time Services On A Part-Time Budget, authors Susan Winebrenner and Barbara Devlin challenges this trend and supports the benefits of keeping gifted students together in their areas of greatest strength for at least part of each school day. Known as "cluster grouping', this practice ensures gifted students continue to receive a quality education at the same time schools work to improve learning opportunities for all students.

How It Works

A group of five to eight students are identified as gifted students; these are usually students who are in the top 5% of their class. Once identified as gifted, these students are then grouped (clustered) in the classroom with one teacher who has specialized training in teaching exceptionally capable students. The remaining students in the class are of mixed ability. When there are more than eight to ten gifted students, two or more clusters are formed.

Not the Same as Tracking?

In a tracking system, all students are grouped by ability for much of the school day. In addition, students tend to remain in the same track throughout their school experience. With cluster grouping, gifted students are allowed to learn together for a portion of a school day while avoiding permanent grouping arrangements for students of other ability levels.

Meeting Needs of Diverse Abilities

When trying to meet the diverse learning needs of all students, teachers often find it extremely difficult to provide adequately learning opportunities for everyone. Teachers often expect students with the highest ability "make it on their own." As an alternative, taking time to make appropriate provisions for gifted students is viewed as more realistic. What's more, gifted students are more capable of understanding and accepting their learning differences when there are other students in the class who are just like them. Lastly, scheduling of out-of-class activities is far easier when the resource teacher has only one cluster teacher's schedule to work with.

Not at All Elitist

Like all students, gifted students need consistent opportunities to learn at their challenge level. It is inequitable to prevent gifted students from being challenged as well as to insist that they learn at the same pace and at the same level of difficulty as all other students in a mixed-ability class. There is nothing elitist about teachers who provide challenging learning opportunities for all students, including those who are gifted!

Summary

Gifted education programs are often cut with the mistaken belief gifted students can learn on their own, or all students are best served in heterogeneous learning environments. Often cited is research stating there is no real benefit to grouping any students by ability. The work of Allan (1991); Feldhusen (1989); Fiedler, Lange, & Winebrenner (1993); Kulik and Kulik (1990); Rogers (1993) and others, however, clearly documents the benefits of keeping gifted students together in their areas of greatest strength for at least part of the school day. Further, that while research shows average and below average students have much to gain from heterogeneous grouping, gifted students often do not. The authors of the above article believe we must not sacrifice the needs of our gifted students in our attempts to find the best grouping practices for all students. More specifically, they support the use of cluster groupings for at least part of the school day to ensure the achievement and learning motivation of gifted students do not wane in. If schools do not at least consider the use of cluster groups, parents of gifted students will seek out alternative education programs, such as home schooling or charter schools. The authors believe the practice of cluster grouping represents a mindful way of ensuring gifted students continue to receive a quality education at the same time schools work towards improving learning opportunities for all students.

Still Have Questions?

Read the full article Cluster Grouping Of Gifted Students: How To Provide Full-Time Services On A Part-Time Budget by Susan Winebrenner and Barbara Devlin.