The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

students for gifted education programs. It depends on each country, state, school, and organization
which criteria are employed for which gifted education program, but the majority seems to focus on
scholastic giftedness and relies on a rather conservative screening process. A major problem with
this diversity of local tools is economical: after all, the development of each selection device is a
complex and expensive process. Better coordination could have saved a lot of public and private
resources.
What gifted education programs are there?
Slogans like "Not to each the same, but
to each his own" or "There is nothing so
unequal as the equal treatment of unequals"
adorn the covers of brochures and the
introductions of policy articles in Austria,
Germany, and Switzerland alike: gifted
education has officially become a political
priority (BMUKK 2006, BMBF, 2009). This part
of the article will explore to what degree this
policy results in political action: what
opportunities do gifted children in Germanspeaking
countries have?
Gifted education in German-speaking
countries, whether within or outside of school,
usually targets school-age children. A short
overview of the school systems of Austria,
Germany, and Switzerland will help the reader to
better understand gifted education in these
countries in its context.
In Austria, compulsory schooling
begins after a child’s sixth birthday and lasts for
eight school years. Education for children is
divided into three consecutive categories,
primary, lower secondary and upper secondary
education. Each lasts for four years, with
primary and lower secondary education being
mandatory. Upper secondary education leads to
the Matura, which gives access to higher
education and is usually acquired at age 18
(BMUKK, 2008).
In Germany, compulsory schooling
begins after a child’s sixth birthday, and lasts for
nine school years. Education is divided into two
main categories, primary and secondary
education. After their primary education, which
usually lasts for four years, children may choose
between three main types of secondary schools.
Depending on the academic standard and the
weighting of practical versus theoretical lessons,
secondary school lasts five years (Hauptschule),
six years (Realschule), or eight to nine years
(Gymnasium). Children may move from one
stream to another as they improve. Graduation
from Gymnasium leads to the Abitur, which
gives access to a university education and is
usually acquired at age 18 or 19 (Societäts-
Verlag, 2010).
In Switzerland, the educational system
is strongly decentralized. Education is delegated
to the cantons, resulting in a diverse education
system. In most cantons, primary education
starts at age six and lasts for six years. Lower
secondary education lasts three to five years.
Like in Germany and Switzerland, primary and
lower secondary education are compulsory.
Upper secondary education lasts for two to four
years and leads to a graduation certificate that
gives access to higher education (The Swiss
Education Server, 2010).
Now that the reader is familiar with the
regular education system, the article will move
on to the gifted education system. The following
list provides an overview of the most important
gifted education programs in German-speaking
countries. As far as Germany and Switzerland
are concerned, specific provisions may depend
on the state. The categories are rather broad
and will be explained in more detail below:
�Early enrolment at primary school;
�Grade skipping;
�Sharing classes with higher grades;
�Early part-time attendance of university;
�Early exit from school to attend university
(except in Germany);
�(Any kind of) Ability grouping;
�Special schools for gifted children;
�School internal competitions;
�School external competitions;
�Summer academies (except in Switzerland);
and
�Other.
(Mönks & Pflüger, 2005)
The programs listed above will be
presented in more detail, and as the list shows,
early enrolment at primary school, grade
skipping, sharing classes with higher grades,
and early part-time attendance of university, all
of which are measures of acceleration, are
available in all three countries. An early exit from
school to attend university is possible in Austria
and Switzerland, but not in Germany.
Acceleration measures are especially popular
due to the fact that they are inexpensive and
relatively easy to implement.
Early enrolment refers to a child entering
primary school before the age of six. In all three
countries, early enrolment and grade skipping is
Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011. 51