Acceleration

Whole Grade or Individual Subject Acceleration 

The process outlined below is intended for a student who is:

• Seeking whole grade acceleration
• Currently in Grades K - 3 and seeking individual subject acceleration (and has been in the district for at least 6 months) 

Students who have been enrolled in the district for at least 6 months and are currently in Grades 4-8 and would like their math or ELA course placement reconsidered should begin the Advanced Learning Program inquiry process. Start the process by emailing Lauren Lipsey (llipsey@district31.net) for an inquiry form. 

“Whole grade acceleration” is the practice of assigning a student to a higher grade level than is typical, given the student’s age, on a full-time basis for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities (e.g., a student completing 2nd grade and beginning 4th grade the following year). 

“Single subject acceleration” is the practice of assigning a student to a math or language arts class at a higher instructional level than is typical, given the student’s grade, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities in one or more subject areas (e.g., a 5th-grade student traveling to the middle school to take a 6th-grade math class). 

Students may be referred for acceleration by parents, D31 school staff, and/or other professionals.

 

• Step 1: Starting the Process 
  • The process begins when the referring individual completes the D31 Acceleration Request Form and returns it to the school principal. All request forms must be submitted by March 1st to be considered for the following school year. Acceleration during the school year is not typically considered. If a student is a new move-in student, the timeline may be adjusted. Testing over the summer is contingent upon staff availability. 
  • If the request is for a 7th-grade student to be accelerated to 9th grade, the D31 Acceleration Request Form must be given to the school principal by October 1st of the child’s 7th-grade year. If a District 31 staff member is considering submitting an acceleration request on behalf of a student, the student’s family should be contacted before the form is completed and submitted. 
  • Once the Acceleration Request Form is received by the school principal, all attempts will be made to complete the process and have a recommendation within 60 days. 
  • The building principal acts as the “case manager” in the process, and he/she works closely with the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the decision-making process.​

 

• Step 2: Data Gathering
  • Minimum Criteria 
    • All test results must be no more than six months old at the time of consideration. 
    • Academic Achievement - NWEA MAP Growth scores, or other pre-approved standardized measures of achievement, at the 98th percentile or higher nationally in areas in which acceleration is being considered. 
    • Ability - Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) scores, or other pre-approved standardized measure of ability, two standard deviations above the mean on subtests applicable to areas in which acceleration is being considered. 
  • The school principal will meet with parents to review scores, communicate if minimum scores were met, and discuss next steps, timelines, and processes. 
  • If a student does not meet the minimum criteria for acceleration, the Director of Curriculum & Instruction will communicate in writing with the student’s parents/guardians as well as with appropriate school staff that the student does not qualify for acceleration. The school principal, student’s parents/guardians, and the student’s assigned teacher should make a plan to ensure that the student’s academic needs will be met in the age-appropriate placement. 

 

• Step 3: Additional Consideration and Testing 
  • Students will only move on to Step 3 if the minimum criteria have been met (Step 2). 
  • An Acceleration Evaluation Team will be formed to determine the additional data that needs to be collected and to review the data once it is available. The team should include the following:
    • Parents / Guardians of the Student 
    • Building Principal 
    • Current/Sending Teacher(s) 
    • Receiving Teacher at the grade level or course to which the referred student may be accelerated 
    • School Psychologist 
    • District Administrator 
    • Additional team members as appropriate (e.g., EL representative, Gifted Teacher) 
  • For Individual Subject Acceleration Requests Only - In order to evaluate a student’s readiness for individual subject acceleration, the district will administer a comprehensive assessment in the identified subject area that will include both grade-level and above-grade-level learning targets in order to establish mastery of the foundational skills that the accelerated placement requires. The comprehensive examination will be created/selected by the district using current program resources from the Curriculum & Instruction Department. The Acceleration Evaluation Team will be convened to review all available data and will make a decision based on:
    • Students’ demonstrated ability, achievement, and mastery of targeted skills 
    • Student’s interest in individual subject acceleration and attitude toward learning
    • Student’s maturity, social skills, and other developmental factors  
    • Logistics of the individual subject acceleration and the potential negative consequences of those logistics (e.g., student misses art class because the advanced placement class is only available during that special) 
  • For Whole Grade Acceleration Requests Only - The Iowa Acceleration Scale - 3 (IAS-3) will serve as the foundation for the decision-making process. The IAS-3 provides an objective look at various aspects of the student and analyzes the major factors to be considered when making a decision about acceleration. Each section has a numerical value, which is added together to determine the final score. The score becomes the primary guideline for predicting the student's success as a candidate for whole-grade acceleration. To support the process, additional data collection may include:
    • Intelligence testing 
    • Achievement testing 
    • Social-emotional skills assessment (SSIS/SIGS-2)
    • Demonstration of competency of grade level content that will be skipped 
    • Student interview 
    • Classroom observations and work samples 
    • Student records review 

 

• Step 4: Data Review and Recommendations 
  • Once additional data have been collected, the Acceleration Evaluation Team will meet with parents to review the data and make a recommendation. 
  • For teams making a recommendation on whole grade acceleration, scores on the IAS-3 fall into four categories:
    • 60 to 80: Excellent candidate for whole grade acceleration
    • 46 to 59: Good candidate for whole grade acceleration 
    • 35 to 45: Marginal candidate for whole grade acceleration. Consider subject-acceleration as an alternative. 
    • 34 or fewer: Grade acceleration is not recommended. Consider subject acceleration, enrichments, and differentiation. 
  • If an Acceleration Evaluation Team member disagrees with the decision and wishes to appeal, the appeal must be made in writing to the Superintendent or Designee within 10 school days of the team decision. The decision made by that individual will be final. 

 

• Step 5: After a Decision is Made 
  • If the Acceleration Evaluation Team makes a decision to accelerate, they will develop a written Acceleration Transition Plan, which shall include the following:
    • Strategies to support a successful transition to the accelerated setting
    • How the student will make up critical skipped content 
    • Important logistics to be considered as part of the acceleration  
  • If a team makes a decision not to accelerate a plan, a plan should be made for how to meet the student’s needs in their current placement.
  • The school principal shall issue a written decision of the Acceleration Evaluation Team, including the Acceleration Transition Plan, to the student’s parents/guardians within 10 school days of the team decision. The notification shall include instructions for appealing the decision. All appeals should be made within 10 school days of receiving the written notification. 
  • After two months of successful integration into a whole-grade acceleration placement, the student’s records and file should be updated to reflect the new grade level. 

 

Special Considerations for Whole Grade Acceleration from 7th Grade to High School 

• The timelines for requesting acceleration are much earlier to accommodate the high school placement decision-making process.
• A team may or may not be in place to assist with a transition period. 
• The high school may or may not accept or follow through with the written transition plan. 
• If the accelerated placement is determined to be unsuccessful, it is not possible to reverse the decision once the student has become the responsibility of the high school. 

 

District 31 Acceleration Request Form

The deadline for applications is March 1 for consideration of acceleration for the following school year. For current grade 7 students (incoming 8th grade students), the deadline is October 1.