Abstract
In this causal comparative study the researcher looked at academic achievement scores and student perceptions of their experiences in gifted programs. The student sample for the analysis of the students’ academic achievement scores included all gifted students in a large school district in Southwest Florida who had recently completed 8th grade in one of the two Service Delivery Models (SDMs). The student sample for the survey included all students from the academic section sample who, with parental consent, voluntarily completed the study survey. The first four research questions asked if significant differences existed between the mean achievement scale scores of students who participated in the study by SDM, ethnicity, or socio-economic status (SES). The final two research questions asked if significant differences existed between the mean student survey scores for each of the three domains of the survey by SDM, SES, or ethnicity. Analysis of the quantitative data for academic achievement of the students in the study indicated that significant differences existed between the academic achievement scale scores of students by SDM for both the mathematics and reading sections of the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT 2.0). There also were significant differences found by SES group and mathematics and reading scores for gifted students in the study. Analysis of the survey data revealed significant differences between student survey response scores by SES in all domains and in both SDMs. No other differences were found within or between survey variables. Key words: Gifted, Service Delivery Model (SDM), Socio-economic Status (SES), Affective, Cognitive