Challenging Your Gifted Student

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

Spelling bees continue to be a cornerstone of academic competition in public schools, promoting vocabulary development, language mastery, and confidence in young learners. While the fundamentals of success remain consistent, recent trends show that today’s spelling bee champions are combining traditional study habits with modern tools and linguistic strategies.

Understanding the secrets of spelling bee champs can help students, parents, and educators support stronger literacy outcomes both inside and outside the classroom.

Why Spelling Bees Still Matter in 2026

Spelling bees are more than competitions, they reinforce core literacy skills that are essential for long-term academic success. According to recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, vocabulary and reading comprehension remain closely linked, with students demonstrating stronger spelling skills often outperforming peers in reading assessments.

In the post-pandemic learning environment, schools are placing renewed emphasis on foundational literacy. Spelling bees offer a structured and engaging way to strengthen:

• Vocabulary acquisition
• Pattern recognition
• Memory and recall
• Public speaking confidence

Many districts have also reintroduced or expanded spelling bee programs as part of broader literacy recovery initiatives.

Core Study Habits of Spelling Bee Champions

While technology has evolved, the foundational habits of top spellers remain remarkably consistent.

Consistent, Structured Practice

Spelling bee champions dedicate time daily to studying word lists and reviewing previous material. Rather than cramming, they focus on incremental learning and repetition.

Effective routines often include:

• Daily word study sessions
• Weekly cumulative reviews
• Practice tests under timed

Co-teaching is an inclusive education model in which students with special education needs are provided the opportunity to learn in a mainstream classroom with the additional support of a special education teacher who co-teaches with the general education teacher. This model has proven successful in many school districts for several reasons.

Benefits for students with special education requirements

First of all, the co-teaching model ensures that students with special needs have access to the general education curriculum. By law students with disabilities must be provided access to learning opportunities that do not restrict their ability to progress in a subject or grade level. In a co-taught class, special education students have the opportunity to move from modified assignments to typical assignments as they develop skills and confidence. As a result, co-taught special education students are generally more likely to meet grade-level standards.

While they have access to the mainstream curriculum, co-taught students also continue to receive specialized instruction. Special education teachers within the mainstream classroom can coach students individually, or in small groups, providing them the additional coaching and guidance necessary for them to complete activities and assignments.

Differentiated instruction

In addition to in-class support for mainstream assignments, co-taught students also have the opportunity to grow within the curriculum through differentiated instruction. Since there are two teachers in the class, the same material can be taught in two or more different ways. The special education teacher can anticipate student needs and, in planning lessons with the mainstream teacher,

Crafting a Plan Beyond High School

As high school students prepare for life beyond their public or private schools, it is critical that they have a plan in place for their future. While many students are encouraged to pursue more of an academic route following their graduation, there are other more suitable options available to help them select a more suitable path. Around the country, more programs are offered to provide students choices about their career paths which include but are not limited to apprenticeships, internships, vocational trade schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges.

Having a plan for life after high school is crucial for students prior to reaching their senior year. Helping students hone in on their unique interests and skillsets are all components they need when recognizing and defining future goals. Most importantly, they need to be able to articulate their goals. Many school systems look at several factors as they attempt to direct students towards being ready to pursue either the workforce or further their education.

• What are the student’s grades like?
• Do they have a strong community or family support?
• What are their academic strengths or weaknesses?
• Are they able to communicate their decisions and thoughts to others effectively?
• What are their genuine interests?

Vocational Schools

Vocational schools specialize in offering very specific skillset options for students while also ensuring completion towards certification and a high school diploma. There is no need for students to spend part of their day in their zoned school and the

Parents Refuse Common Core Testing

In communities all over the country, parents are choosing to opt their children out of Common Core testing. In schools from coast to coast, April has become “testing season,” the time of the year when students in grades K-12 sit for standardized tests in math and English language arts. Because of initiatives like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, which is intended to measure and improve student performance, some students sit for up to nine to twelve hours of testing over the course of a few weeks.

Race to the Top

The Race to the Top program, which began in 2009, offers grants totaling billions of dollars to states that follow guidelines for education innovation. In order to qualify for the competitive grants, states must build “data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction.” To gather the data necessary to meet this requirement, states have implemented standardized testing for all public school children.

Why Opt-Out?

In 2014, some parents decided they’d had enough of high-stakes, long-duration testing. Around the country, handfuls of students showed up on testing days clutching formally worded notes from their parents explaining that they were “opting out” or refusing to take the standardized tests.

There are several reasons why parents are rejecting Common Core Testing:

• Parents believe students suffer unnecessary stress due to hours of testing.
• Teachers are forced to “teach to the test” which