Here is yet another example of "grade inflation". When I went to school, I was never considered "gifted". I was "merely" very good at math (and various other subjects). Good enough to score an 800 on the SAT Math section. (That's the highest possible score, for those of you unfamiliar with the test.)
I can guarantee that your "gifted (in math)" child will never score an 800 on the SAT Math, unless she becomes proficient in arithmatic.
Our society needs to get away from awarding imaginary attributes to children, and start educating them again.
I have known a lot of people who are very good at math, and every one was also very good at arithmetic, and had been since an early age.
Also, if you really have "gifted" kids, they should read a few hundred books before they finish high school. SAT Verbal reasoning skills have declined even more than SAT Math skills in the last 35 years, and those are developed mostly by extensive reading of well edited material.
Exactly. My point is... if she naturally catches on to math easily (but has not been doing math for three years because her book and teacher require that a calculator be required for every step) then what about the kids who struggle in math? Reform math is putting them at an enormous disadvantage.