Reis, S. M., Burns, D. E., & Renzulli, J. S. (1992). Curriculum compacting: The complete guide to modifying the regular curriculum for high ability students. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

Please keep your answers brief (75 – 125 words).

1. Define curriculum compacting in three sentences or less.
2. Differentiate between the diagnosis and prescription component of compacting for gifted students versus that of remedial education.
3. Compacting is not synonymous with either enrichment or acceleration. Explain.
4. Explain the rationale for compacting. How is this related to the concept of the “dumbing down” of curriculum?
5. Approximately what percentage of the basal language arts and mathematics curriculum could be eliminated for 10-15% of the students in the general population?
6. What decision did the Commission on Excellence in Education recommend with regard to the placement and grouping of gifted students in 1983?
7. Explain what is meant by “streamlining”.
8. Outline the seven steps involved in compacting curriculum for above average ability students.
9. Differentiate between basic skills compacting and content compacting and give an example of each.
10. How might compacting affect a gifted student’s motivation and performance in the classroom?
11. What are some alternatives to formal, paper-pencil pre-testing?
12. How might you offer instruction to a student who is eligible for compacting but who has not yet mastered some of the objectives in a given unit? Illustrate your answer with an example.
13. How is the time saved by compacting best used and who (not including the classroom teacher) is a prime determinant of how the time is spent?
14. Explain the main purpose of an Interest-A-Lyzer.
15. Give examples of some alternative activities that might be available to students whose curriculum has been substantially compacted.
16. What were some of the earliest forms of acceleration or “compression”? Are they still valid today?
17. Explain the concept of an Interest Development Center and why it is not a substitute for a differentiated curriculum for gifted students.
18. Outline the basic steps in guiding gifted students through an independent study.