Regardless of school size and resources, advanced and gifted students can and should thrive.  The trick lies in the design of program. Too many advanced, dual credit, honors, G/T, pre-AP, AP, and ACT/SAT prep classes are designed to fit the “average” student and focus on students’ weaknesses. In this session, we will examine why academic environments designed on the average hinder student potential where a students’ talents become a liability leading them to become bored and underchallenged.