I had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend and gifted/talented resource person at a middle school in a very good district. My friend has several students who, on standardized tests for language arts, score very high. These students are enrolled in honors English classes but perform poorly in these classes. The honors teachers want the students to be removed from their classes and placed back in grade-level English. Apparently, the students do not turn in their homework on a regular basis.

 

Upon quizzing my friend, I learned that each of these students comes from a difficult home situation. Her question to me was, “Should the students stay in the honors classes because they are obviously very bright, or should they be returned to the grade-level classes because they are not performing?”

 

A number of years ago, underachievement was one of the “hot topics” in gifted education. Much was written about it. It was defined, explored, and strategies were offered for resolving the problem. Unfortunately, underachievement is probably not a dilemma with a “cookie cutter” solution. Worse, it may not have any solution. Family instability is only one of many reasons for underachievement.

 

Students are strongly impacted by their families. For reasons we don’t fully understand, some youngsters will step beyond the difficulties at home and use learning as an escape or as something over which they can have control. More often, if a strong base is not offered at home, a child cannot get beyond that. This goes right back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If basic physical and psychological needs are not met, one cannot reach self-actualization.

 

Mentoring students can sometimes be helpful. To have any success when working with underachievers, though, there must be a very strong commitment on the part of the mentor and the ability to create a positive relationship with the student.

 

So, let’s go back to my friend’s question, “Should the students stay in the honors classes because they are obviously very bright, or should they be returned to the grade-level classes because they are not performing?” I would hope that before any changes are made, someone will attempt to address the personal difficulties of the kids.