Running head: Curriculum Compacting

Curriculum Compacting

C&T802

Michael Medeiros

University of Kansas
Curriculum Compacting
Gifted and Talented programs have been a part of schools for many years. I recall

being in accelerated classes as a high school student. We were members of a cohort so

most of my classes in core subjects were taken with the same students all day. At the

time, I did not think much of being separated from the other students. It seemed

normal. When I was completing my Bachelors degree I learned from some of my

teaching friends that some schools were doing away with gifted programs. Sometimes it

was for budgetary reasons and for others, there was a desire to keep classrooms more

diverse by having all learning levels in the same class. A quick internet search shows that

schools nationwide are cutting gifted programs. About 10% of all learners can be

identified as gifted but South Dakota, for example, has only 2% of its students enrolled

in any such programs (Anderson, 2015). California is cutting many of its programs

because the money is not there to support them (Gollan, 2011). If the future of providing

for the enriched education of the gifted child is to do this in the regular classroom, then

strategies must be employed that will prevent boredom, acting out, and

disenfranchisement with school in general. One strategy that has many positive

attributes that benefits advanced learners is curriculum compacting. I will use this

article to demonstrate that curriculum compacting can be used in the classroom to keep

advanced learners engaged but can also free up time to benefit all learners. I will show

positive attributes of compacting and a few negative things to watch out for. I will use

research literature to support my ideas but I will also be using anecdotal evidence from

my Algebra classroom to back up these ideas.

School factors can contribute to underachieving (Reis & Renzulli, 2010). Work

assignments can be too easy, rote memorization can lead to boredom and incomplete

knowledge. Researchers in An Essential Strategy for Working with gifted Students,

Curriculum Compacting
write that, The back to basics movement andcompetency based testing are

deterrents tobroaden[ing] the school experience (Renzulli, Smith & Reis, 1982). We

are dumbing down the curriculum to give more students a successful experience while

this leads to the brightest of those students being failed by the curriculum. Students not

challenged which leads to a lessened desire to engage in education in the first place. In

the past, and certainly in my personal history, tracking was the answer. The brightest

students would be taken out of the standard classroom and placed in an environment

where they could move at a faster pace and work with like-minded students. The

problem here is that there is little benefit to any students in this scenario. In our text on

Curriculum Leadership, the reality of tracking is that, All experts except the teacher are

removed from the classroom (Glatthorn & Glatthorn, 2016). With curriculum

compacting, the experts stay in the room and as a benefit, it raises the learning level of

all students. By not compacting we are putting roadblocks in front of our students.

Learning should take place in the classroom and not just at certain times and in certain

places when we can fit enrichment into the curriculum (Curriculum Compacting,

2008).

Curriculum Compacting allows students that can show proficiency in the topics

currently being taught to show they are proficient and to work on other things. This

takes a process to implement and the implementation has various forms. Using

Curriculum Compacting in the classroom is a three-step process (Glatthorn & Glatthorn,

2016). First we must identify the students that are candidates for compacting. These are

the students that have shown proficiency. Next we must identify the skills that these

students do not possess. If they understand 90% of the material, we cannot simply

sweep the remaining 10% away. Finally, we must have a plan of study for these students.
Curriculum Compacting
It should be very clear what these students should be doing while instruction is being

given to other students. It is very easy for these gifted students to think they have

earned, free time. Teachers must be very clear and concise in their instructions to

compacted students. In my classroom, I use Khan Academy for my assignments. This is

a free web based learning program for math and other STEM related topics. I still give

my instruction, but then the students log in and complete assignments. I post on a

website what our current and upcoming assignments are (Algebra, 2016). Any student

who wishes to can practice the skill before I have taught it in class. On the day of the

lesson, I check the Khan Academy website and I can quickly see who has practiced the

skill to a minimum proficiency. These students are essentially, buying time to work

ahead on future lessons, enrichment, or to go back and practice older skills they may

need to brush up on (Renzulli, et al, 1982). I make it clear to these students that they are

to be doing only the prescribed items or things they have chosen within the allowed

parameters and nothing else. Some students go back and complete assignments they

may have missed. Others stay very close to the ordered curriculum but still others move

ahead to Geometry, Algebra II, and even Pre-Calculus.

Traditionally, gifted students have been referred to as students with high IQ. This

thinking is shifting as there is a great amount of diversity among gifted students. Recent

research indicates that there are many different types of students that demonstrate

gifted talents (Reis & Renzulli, 2010). I believe this to be true so I have left room for all

my students to show proficiency on any given topic. I am not separating my students

into categories of low level or high level learners. A student may struggle with a concept

on Monday but then immediately can show proficiency on Tuesdays concept. If a

student can do this, then they can use that time they have bought and revisit Mondays
Curriculum Compacting
concept. This can give confidence to a student that may have struggled in the past but

now gets to move ahead while everyone else must listen to the lecture. Scholars writing

about compacting state that saved time can be spent on one of three categories:

enrichment; acceleration, or other (Reis & Renzulli, 1992). The other can be anything

from helping the instructor to tutoring other students. I am a proponent of the idea that

the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. I use peer tutors to help

struggling students but this also provides enrichment for high-level learners.

Research suggests that using a virtual learning environment can benefit students

engaging in a compacted curriculum (Mulrine, 2007). I use Khan Academy for several

reasons: there is no longer a clunky book to carry around; students can ask for hints

when they are stuck so there is an electronic tutor with them at all times; students can

watch videos at any time so they also have a teacher in their pocket. I, as the teacher,

spend less time grading and more time recommending instruction and remediation for

my students. Some students complained when we switch from a paper based classroom

to an electronic environment. They stated they liked it better the old way. That may be

true but the evidence I have showing an increase in learning is overwhelming, so I can

confidently state that this way is better than the traditional method.

The most frequently compacted subject is mathematics (Reis & Renzulli, 1992).

This is likely due to the ease at which math courses can be self paced. Our text states

that ideally all students should benefit from self paced instruction (Glatthorn &

Glatthorn, 2016). We must, as educators, be cautious when using a tool such as

compacting. If used inappropriately, students could manipulate the process to get out of

doing the work they are supposed to. It is possible to have another student or a relative

practice tomorrows skills so that students could get a free pass during tomorrows class
Curriculum Compacting
to waste time online or with other things. Teachers need to be sure that students

working on their own are staying engaged and actually using their time for what it is

intended. A few years ago, I experimented with a Flipped Classroom. The idea was for

students to watch videos as their lessons at home and we would do the homework in

class. This was a self paced endeavor where each student had a packet that guided that

unit. Some students experienced amazing success and rapidly advanced through the

material while other students did absolutely no work at all. They would not watch their

videos outside the classroom so they would watch them in class but never seem to get

any assignments done. I was a new teacher and may have tried to do too much too soon,

so I shelved this idea until I began using Khan Academy this year.

There are few negative aspects to compacting. We need to be mindful of misusing

the label of gifted. We must understand that gifted does not necessarily mean a high IQ.

We must also beware the dangers of self paced learning. The benefits far outweigh these

few negatives. The process is the same for individualized instruction. The students enjoy

choice in the classroom. Compacting can benefit any student, not just high level

learners. Teachers, once they have the hang of it, do not have to spend any extra time on

compacting. In fact, as I have been using this system since January, I have found that I

have more time to use on the important areas of instruction. With the benefits of

compacting, we should be able to remove the roadblocks that seem to impede our

students progress, give our learners a sense of confidence and achievement, and by

offering classroom choice, we make them better decision making for the future.
Curriculum Compacting
References

Algebra CRKC. (2016). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://kcalgebra.weebly.com/

Anderson, P. (2015, August 8). Gifted students: State neglects its brightest learners.
Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2015/08/08/gifted-
students-state-neglects-brightest-learners/31347313/

"Curriculum Compacting." Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook. Vol. 02.

Bethesda, MD: Education Week, 2008. 22. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA186141580&v=2.1&u=ksstate_ukans&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=9c32f52
cf1dc4142f46e6dffc40fbc19
Glatthorn, A. A., & Glatthorn, A. A. (2016). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for
development and implementation (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gollan, J. (2011, February 19). Gifted Programs Go on Block as Schools Must Do With
Less. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/us/20bcgifted.html?_r=0

Mulrine, Christopher F. "Creating a virtual learning environment for gifted and talented
learners." Gifted Child Today Spring 2007: 37+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web.
9 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/ps/i.do?
id=GALE
%7CA160812837&v=2.1&u=ksstate_ukans&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=d8da88
1aafc77e861270b65c0fffb4ae

Reis, S. M., & Renzulli, J. S. (1992). Using curriculum compacting to challenge the
above-average. Educational Leadership, 50(2), 51.

Reis, S. M., & Renzulli, J. S. (2010). Is there still a need for gifted education? An
examination of current research. Learning and Individual Differences, 20(4),
308-317. 8 Apr. 2016, Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/science/article/pii/S104160800
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Renzulli, J. S., Smith, L. H., & Reis, S. M.. (1982). Curriculum Compacting: An Essential
Strategy for Working with Gifted Students. The Elementary School Journal,
82(3), 185194. 8 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.www2.lib.ku.edu/stable/1001569
Curriculum Compacting