Gifted education still has an important role

Re “Gifted education has been shrinking in San Diego and California” (May 15): It used to be that when people across the country wanted to see gifted education, they came to California. Californians came to San Diego. No more. There is reference to “pacing” in the May 15 article. Curricula in gifted education is not about “pacing.” It is about what we teach, not how nor how fast.

The curricular guide word is qualitative, not quantitative. The student referred to in the article wasn’t bored because the sixth-grade coursework didn’t go fast enough. She was bored because the sixth-grade coursework is designed and delivered as though she is like the ordinary sixth-graders for whom the curriculum was written. She isn’t an ordinary sixth-grader.

Gifted and talented education responds to the needs of about 2 percent to 3 percent of the schoolchild

population. When it doesn’t, it misses the point.

Leif Fearn Hillcrest