The State Board of Education adopted a model acceleration policy for advanced learners in April 2006. Districts were required by Section 3324.10 of HB 79 to adopt a similar Acceleration Policy for Advanced Learners that addresses all forms of acceleration, including early entrance to kindergarten, whole grade acceleration, subject area acceleration, and early high school graduation.

Parents of candidates for single subject acceleration should discuss this with their child's classroom teacher for that subject. He/she can provide valuable information about the student's performance and particular curricular needs pertaining to that content area. The parent then completes (with the help of the teacher) the Academic Acceleration Referral Form and turns it in to the building principal. Assessment for acceleration requires multiple pieces of data entered in a scale/rubric in order for the acceleration team to make a final placement decision. 

   

This process takes place in August of each year; however applications are accepted and kept until the assessment window opens. For more information, visit our Kindergarten webpage.

   

Please see your high school counselor for the proper forms to complete. Any early graduation candidate with the purpose of beginning their higher education path earlier than their peers must have a Written Acceleration Plan on file with expected graduation date and a planned schedule of courses leading up to the graduation date.

     

All acceleration decisions are made as a team along with the parents. This team may consist of a principal, counselor, psychologist, receiving teacher, current teacher, gifted specialist, gifted coordinator, or other qualified personnel. Even though this process is based on a group decision, there may be times that a parent disagrees with the final recommendation. In these cases, the parent must complete the Form for Appealing an Acceleration Decision. Appeal decisions are made by the district superintendent or his/her designee and all decisions at that level are final.

  

Any student referred for and is placed in an accelerative placement (early entrance to kindergarten, single subject acceleration, whole-grade acceleration, or early graduation) MUST have a Written Acceleration Plan on file for the first year of the accelerated placement. Since a child is not required to be identified gifted in order to accelerate, non-identified students are included in the WAP process. This is not a reference to gifted service or gifted programming; it is a document that specifies the placement of the student in an accelerated setting and strategies to support a successful transition to the setting.