A principal notices a new teacher is not offering differentiated instruction for gifted and talented students. A common cause the principal can help resolve is that the teacher

• A. focuses on outcomes of lessons to ensure that state standards are met
• B. declines the opportunity to acquire the hours required for gifted training
• C. validates using homogeneous instruction due to the needs of most students in class
• D. needs to develop the content knowledge to support students with advanced academic needs

Answer: (B)

Providing gifted and talented instruction effectively relies on teachers having targeted professional development. When a teacher declines the hours required for gifted training, they miss the specialized strategies, tools, and mindset needed to design enrichment, acceleration, compacting, flexible grouping, and higher-level tasks for advanced students. The principal can help by encouraging and facilitating completion of those mandated training hours, ensuring the teacher gains the skills to differentiate appropriately.

Focusing solely on meeting state standards, while important, doesn’t address the specific needs of GT learners. Opting for homogeneous instruction to fit the majority’s pace undermines gifted students’ needs rather than resolving the gap. Developing content knowledge is valuable, but the concrete barrier is the lack of access to or willingness to complete the gifted training hours that equip teachers with proven GT differentiation practices.