We the undersigned emphatically believe it is essential for identified gifted and talented students at HHIMS in grades 6 through 8 to be ability/performance grouped for all core academic subjects. Core academic subjects include: Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Reading/Language Arts. Ability/performance grouping in all core subjects is critical in preparing our highest achieving middle school students for the rigors of high school AP coursework and IB Diploma Programmes. The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) states in regard to the purpose(s) of grouping gifted and high performing students together: "to allow for learners of similar abilities or performance levels to learn from each other. In general, grouping gifted learners tends to be the 'least restrictive' environment in which their learning can take place, and the most effective and efficient means for schools to provide more challenging coursework, thereby giving these children access to advanced content and providing them with a peer group (Brody, 2004)" It is also our belief that grouping our highest performing students together in grades 6 through 8 will assist teachers in effectively and consistently managing the needs of these gifted learners. The NAGC offers: "(Grouping) can also help to simplify already overburdened teachers' lives by allowing them to focus more on the specific talent development needs they encounter in this potentially more homogeneous clustering."

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