TYPES OF

ACCELERATIONDIMENSIONS AND ISSUES

ACCELERATION•PRESSY (1949) DESCRIBES ACCELERATION AS:

•“PROGRESS THROUGH AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT RATES FASTER OR AT AGES YOUNGER THAN CONVENTIONAL”

•SOUTHERN, JONES AND STANLEY (1993) IDENTIFIED 17 EDUCATIONAL TYPES OF ACCELERATION

EARLY ADMISSION

•EARLY ADMISSION TO KINDERGARTEN

•EARLY ADMISSION TO 1ST GRADE

•SKIPPING KINDERGARTEN

•ACCELERATING THROUGH KINDERGARTEN INTO FIRST GRADE

GRADE SKIPPING

•GIVING GRADE PLACEMENT AHEAD OF CHRONOLOGICAL AGE

CONTINUOUS PROGRESS

•GIVEN CONTENT PROGRESSIVELY AS PRIOR CONTENT IS COMPLETED OR MASTERED

SELF-PACED INSTRUCTION

•MOVES THROUGH INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES AT THE STUDENTS OWN PACE

•SUB TYPE OF CONTINUOUS PROGRESS

•STUDENT HAS CONTROL OVER ALL PACING DECISIONS

SUBJECT-MATTER ACCELERATION/PARTIAL ACCELERATION

•ALLOWS STUDENT TO BE PLACED IN CLASSES WITH OLDER PEERS

•OR USING HIGHER LEVEL CURRICULAR OR STUDY MATERIALS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

COMBINED CLASSES

•YOUNGER STUDENTS INTERACT ACADEMICALLY AND SOCIALLY WITH OLDER STUDENTS

•MAY OR MAY NOT RESULT IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT LATER

CURRICULUM COMPACTING

•REDUCED AMOUNTS OF INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

•FEWER INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

•TIME GAINED USED FOR MORE ADVANCED CONTENT

TELESCOPING CURRICULUM

•INSTRUCTION IN LESS TIME THAN NORMAL

•ALWAYS LEADS TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT

MENTORING

•STUDENT IS PAIRED WITH A MENTOR OR EXPERT TUTOR FOR MORE ADVANCED OR MORE RAPID PACING OF INSTRUCTION

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS

•STUDENTS ELECT TO ENROLL IN COURSEWORK OR AFTER SCHOOL OR SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR ADVANCED INSTRUCTION

CORRESPONDENCE COURSES

•STUDENT ENROLLS IN COURSEWORK DELIVERED OUTSIDE OF NORMAL SCHOOL INSTRUCTION

•ONLINE COURSES—MOOCS, ITUNES U, ETC

EARLY GRADUATION

•GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 3 ½ YEARS OR LESS

CONCURRENT/DUAL ENROLLMENT

•TAKING A COURSE AT ONE LEVEL AND RECEIVING CREDIT FOR A PARALLEL COURSE AT A HIGHER LEVEL

•ALGEBRA AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, DUAL CREDIT COURSES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

•TAKES COURSE THAT WILL CONFER COLLEGE CREDIT UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A STANDARDIZED EXAMINATION

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

•STUDENT GETS ADVANCED STANDING CREDIT BY TAKING A STANDARDIZED EXAM

ACCELERATION IN COLLEGE

•RESULT OF DUAL ENROLLMENT, ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

•AT LEAST ONE YEAR AHEAD OF NORMAL

EARLY ENTRANCE INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, OR COLLEGE

•STUDENT COMPLETES TWO OR MORE MAJORS IN A TOTAL OF FOUR YEARS AND/OR EARNS AN ADVANCED DEGREE ALONG WITH OR IN LIEU OF A BACHELORS DEGREE

PACING

•DEFINES ACCELERATION

SALIENCE

• ACCELERATIVE OPTIONS VARY BY THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY ARE NOTICEABLE TO OTHERS, PARTICULARLY PEERS

• SALIENCE OFTEN COMES INTO CONFLICT WITH VALUES ISSUES SUCH AS ELITISM AND EGALITARIANISM

• GRADE SKIPPING—VERY SALIENT, AP COURSES—LESS SO

PEERS

• SOCIAL SEPARATION FROM PEERS IS GREATEST CONCERN

• LACK OF RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THIS

• VARYING DEGREES OF SEPARATION WITH ACCELERATION OPTIONS

• EXTREMELY HIGH SCORES FOR ENTRY RECOMMENDED FOR RADICAL ACCELERATIONS

ACCESS

•NUMBER AND LIMITATIONS OF TEACHERS LIMIT ACCESS

•RURAL SCHOOLS HAVE LESS ACCESS DUE TO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS

TIMING

•COMPLICATIONS CAN ARISE WITH THE AGE AT WHICH STUDENTS ARE OFFERED ACCELERATED OPTIONS

•GRADE ADVANCEMENTS SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NATURAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND CURRICULUM BREAKS

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES•ACCELERATION CAN RESULT IN LATER GRADES NOT HAVING

THE RESOURCES OR CLASSES TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE INSTRUCTION

•LACK OF PLANNING--STUDENT TAKES A DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE WHEN THEY QUALIFIED FOR A HIGHER LEVEL COURSE ALLOWING FOR GREATER ACADEMIC STANDING

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

•ACCELERATED STUDENTS NEED ADVISORS WHO CAN NAVIGATE THE BUREAUCRACIES OF UNIVERSITIES

PACING AND CURRICULUM DECISIONS•TEACHERS NEED TO SELECT THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO

BE PRETESTED AND MONITORED

•IDENTIFYING IF THE STUDENT HAS ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE TO MOVE ON

•MUST GUARANTEE THE MASTERY OF THE CONTENT

•STUDENT-PACED LEARNING MUST BE MONITORED CLOSELY

INTERACTION WITH BUREAUCRATIC ENTITIES

•MUST FOLLOW RULES AND LAWS WHEN ACCELERATING

•CAN’T ADMIT STUDENTS YOUNGER THAN 4 1/2 YEARS OLD

•ACCELERATION CAN CAUSE LOSS OF ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY

•ACCELERATED STUDENTS MAY REQUIRE ASSISTANCE AND SUPERVISION BEYOND WHAT WAS FORMERLY PROVIDED