In recent years, the pressure on teachers for their students to perform on state-mandated tests has caused the focus in education to shift to those students who are achieving at or just below academic standards. At the same time, there has been a growing trend of school boards considering the elimination of programs and services for the gifted students in their districts, opting instead to spread these students across heterogeneous general education classrooms. Ability grouping strategies provide schools with opportunities to meet these demands while ensuring that the needs of gifted students are met.