While there are several different types of acceleration, you will focus on three this week.
The first is early entrance into kindergarten. Florida is very rigid on their kindergarten entry level, but there are children with high IQ’s who may prove to be eligible before they turn five. Even though the decision is up to the district, if a young child tests high enough, early admission is a consideration. Check with your district’s policy for further information.
A second way to accelerate is grade-skipping. Sometimes, early promotion to the next grade is beneficial to the student’s academic growth. Of course, provisions must be made to help that student fill in the gaps for any material that might be new to him/her.
A third form of acceleration, and one of the most common, is acceleration in one subject. Because most secondary schools are departmentalized, your history buff ninth grade student may be able to take AP history while your math expert is sitting in the calculus class. At the elementary level your first grader who is reading and comprehending third grade materials joins a third grade class for reading instruction.
As the student is accelerated to keep up with the rapid pace of his/her learning, you will have to continue differentiating curriculum within the grade or subject. The article, Acceleration of Gifted Students clearly states, “The curriculum must continue to be challenging for the accelerated student." While reading the rest of the article, consider how you can accelerate the learning for one of your students. Think about the benefits for this student and ways you can ensure his/her success.
Click to view an interactive activity that will help you determine the proper acceleration based on the scenario.