Gifted curriculum becomes substantive today when engrained into the curriculum standards of the state. This session empowers the teacher/administrator to act upon the standards, benchmarks and targets of a state curriculum while keeping in mind current brain research. Too often our gifted programs are criticized for offering a "fluff" curriculum and become the first to be cut when there are levy failures. This session clearly defines how to avoid these criticisms by making the gifted curriculum the accelerated standard. How do we know it's working? Formative and summative assessments prove growth in a typical gifted class.