I really think the gifted program, at least as it was implemented in my schools, is a complete sham. After being able to easily pass multiplication tables and multiple choice tests in 5th grade, I was placed into 8th grade math; pre-algebra. I took pre-algebra 3 times in middle school, never once taking any of the fundamental math classes below it, and as a result never developed the important math skills I needed, something that has caused me to struggle throughout my entire software development career (I don't even know how to do long division!).
My personal solution would be to keep kids in the normal classes, but allow them to opt-in to more challenging course work if they feel they are not being challenged (with the ability to take a step back if they need it). I think the middle school age is the most important time to push this, where grades (at least in my case) aren't exactly the most important thing in the world and aren't a clear determinator of future success (i.e. affecting university admissions).
I don't have kids right now, but if I do, I am not letting them skip ahead on mathematic courses during their foundational years. I'm lucky that I've had the drive to succeed regardless of my inability to pass even the first Calculus class in college, but it's been a huge demotivator in a field full of passionate mathematicians who are my peers.
> My personal solution would be to keep kids in the normal classes, but allow them to opt-in to more challenging course work if they feel they are not being challenged (with the ability to take a step back if they need it).
I'm not sure this is a great idea, at least not without changes to the normal curriculum itself.
I recall middle school math as an extremely frustrating experience. I always grasped the concepts and problem solving techniques very quickly, but it still took a long time to do the work. stuff like dividing polynomials by other polynomials takes a long time to do on paper no matter how well you understand it. no matter how interesting the extra work was, I would never have signed up for it on top of the tedium I was already subjected to from the normal curriculum.
This happened to me too. I went to college with a high enough SAT score that I skipped straight to Calculus 1. I took Cal 2 and 3 and Differential Equations and managed to pass them all despite very little comprehension of the material. These classes were my lowest grades overall. I never took precalc or trigonometry so I missed the foundational concepts. Right before I graduated, I needed a few hours to round out my math minor, and I took Trigonometry, and all of Calculus suddenly made sense. I really wish I had not been allowed to skip Trig or Pre Cal!
At my high school, you could either take Pre-Calc or Trig, and Pre-Calc was essentially a watered down calculus class. Pre-Calc was considered the class you were supposed to take if you were going to university, and it was the first class I ever failed.
My personal solution would be to keep kids in the normal classes, but allow them to opt-in to more challenging course work if they feel they are not being challenged (with the ability to take a step back if they need it). I think the middle school age is the most important time to push this, where grades (at least in my case) aren't exactly the most important thing in the world and aren't a clear determinator of future success (i.e. affecting university admissions).
I don't have kids right now, but if I do, I am not letting them skip ahead on mathematic courses during their foundational years. I'm lucky that I've had the drive to succeed regardless of my inability to pass even the first Calculus class in college, but it's been a huge demotivator in a field full of passionate mathematicians who are my peers.