COMPARE SELF-CONTAINED VERSUS PULL-OUT.

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States. According to the article, Program Delivery Models for the Gifted, VanTassel-Baska
(2006) states:
“The models have not changed much in the past 25 years. At the elementary level, the
pull-out model, in which gifted students are assigned to a class with a special curricular
focus outside the regular classroom for two to six hours per week, is still predominant.
Full-time, self-contained programs for the gifted still remain an option as center-based,
school-within-a-school programs, allowing for full-time differentiated learning” (p. 1).
The Newport News Public Schools System in Virginia uses these two models in its elementary
Talented and Gifted Program which is also known as TAG. The question is: Do the benefits of
self-contained programs outweigh the benefits of pull-out enrichment programs for students
identified as gifted in Newport News? Based upon research and my opinion, my answer is yes. I
think that the benefits of a self-contained program do outweigh the benefits of a pull-out program
for elementary students identified as gifted in Newport News. Walker (2009) states, “Although
research on the effectiveness of self-contained classrooms is minimal, it is significant” (p. 1).
There are many benefits to how a full-time, self-contained classroom will affect the fullpotential and academic needs of the gifted and talented students on the elementary grade level.
These benefits affect students’ academic needs, parent support, teacher instruction, and the
school division as a whole. Because of the self-contained delivery model’s success in the
Newport News Public School System, it is implementing more of these classes each year into the
city’s different elementary schools. Newport News Public Schools have 29,786 students
enrolled and serve 2,772 Talented and Gifted students (Newport News Public Schools [NNPS],
2014-2015). In the past three years, the system has added two new self-contained gifted classes
for the first and second grade. Last year, the self-contained program for first grade was added to
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serve the gifted students at several different school locations. The new school year brought selfcontained gifted classes to second grade students for the first time. Before these two additions,
the elementary schools housed self-contained classes which only served the gifted students in
grades three through five. For Grades 1-2, of the 24 elementary schools in the division, there are
seven self-contained gifted sites. The other 17 schools use the pull-out model. For Grades 3-5,
of the 24 elementary schools in the division, there are 16 self-contained gifted sites. The other
nine schools bus their students to the assigned gifted sites (NNPS, 2014-2015). The future goal
is to implement self-contained classes in all of the gifted sites.
In the same study with Van-Tassel-Baska, Reis (2006), states, “Research demonstrates
evidence of effectiveness for all of the models but different models may be more appropriate for
particular students” (p. 1). Based on this research, the full-time, self-contained program is best
for the academically gifted child, parents, teachers, and the school division in Newport News.
There are a considerable number of positive benefits for these high-ability gifted students. One
positive benefit for these gifted students of a self-contained class is where the academic needs
are met on a daily basis. Hunley (n.d., p. 7) wrote, “The students receive instruction in all of the
content- areas courses in homogenous group” (as cited in Delcourt, Loyd, Cornell, & Goldberg,
1994). Additionally, Hunley states, “This may occur in the home school or, if there are a few
identified students, students from several schools in the system may combine to form one class at
one building” (as cited in DeLacy, 2000, p. 10). Another positive benefit is where the students
are grouped with peers that have the same or better abilities. They can interact with other gifted
children and know that there are other people like them. Research proves that this positive
interaction makes them feel socially and emotionally happy. Rogers (2007) states, “It is also
clear that the grouping has positive effects whether full-time or part-time, although the more time
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this occurs for gifted children, the more positive the effects on them socially an d emotionally”
(p. 389). An additional benefit for the students is that they always have a challenge factor with a
compacted curriculum which involves high level concepts and vocabulary. The curriculum
moves at a faster pace with less repetition and the students can converse at an adult level. There
are positive benefits for the parents of gifted students, also. The parents have a network of other
parents who can serve as a sounding board about problems and other issues. The parents may
meet with the gifted teacher any given day of the week because their child’s class is a full-time
classroom every day. There are no time constraints on when a parent can conference or meet
with the teacher. Parents and teachers can monitor the students’ progress on a daily basis.
Parents can nurture their child’s curiosity and intellect. Also, there are many positive benefits of
a self-contained program when thinking about the teachers in the classroom