It's been a while since I took German in high school, but I remember there being a distinction between Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium. The opportunities offered to students of each school were different (vocational or University), and you had a test to determine which one you went to.

That sounds similar to the proposal in the article. Is there any data from this system that would support the premise of a separate gifted school being a better way of teaching advanced students?