The practice of conducting searches for students who reason extremely well mathematically and/or verbally began with the work of Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University in the early 1970’s. Giving an SAT or ACT test to students who are much younger than the college-bound seniors for whom the tests were designed results in scores that measure differences among bright students who all score well on in-grade tests. Over 150,000 students participate annually in the four larger Talent Development Centers. 

The practice of the Optimal Match seeks to equate students’ educational experiences to their abilities, demonstrated achievement, interests and motivations. The optimal match represents both a philosophy of education and the informed selection among an array of instructional practices to best meet the needs of individual children (i.e., individualized instruction, cooperative learning, in-class ability grouping, pull-out initiatives). The optimal match also advances a strong liberal arts education for all students as the basis for combining inquiry and the acquisition of knowledge. It is not one-size-fits-all.