1 ACCELERATION: MYTHS, REALITIES, AND OPTIONS October 2013 Kiri Jorgensen & Barbara Geller What is Acceleration? 2 In general, acceleration is defined as the recognition of students’ prior achievement. (Southern, Jones, & Stanley, 1993) However, the practice also includes academic progress based on individual abilities without regard to age (Paulus, 1994) and Implies adjustment of the curriculum, as well as administrative procedures, for student placement (Schiever & Maker, 2003). Types of Acceleration 3 • • Whole-Grade Skipping • Early admission to Kindergarten or First Grade • Grade Skipping • Early College Entrance Curriculum Adjustments • Subject Acceleration • Telescoping Curriculum • Curriculum Compacting • Fast Paced Extracurricular Classes 4 Bailey, Rachel, Kaleb, and Ben 5 Christina & Jack Early Entrance to Kindergarten 6 Should We or Shouldn’t We? 3 testors: absolutely not! Experienced G/T teacher: Introvert Social repercussions Humor Knowledge & behavior Attitude Principal: Problematic behaviors? Myths about Grade Skipping 7 “It hurries children out of childhood” “Acceleration hurts children socially” “Children must be kept with their age group” “It’s not fair to the other students” “They will have gaps in their learning / skills” Realities 8 When GT students do not move ahead at an appropriate pace, the results are: Boredom Poor study habits Underachievement Behavior problems NAGC: 20% of gifted kids drop out of high school Realities of Acceleration 9 Students who are moved ahead tend to: Be more ambitious Earn graduate degrees at higher rates Say acceleration was an excellent experience for them Feel academically challenged Feel socially accepted www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_deceived/ 10 WHEN IS GRADE SKIPPING APPROPRIATE? Using the Iowa Acceleration Scale Iowa Acceleration Scale 11 It is a tool for use by a team of school professionals. It provides educators and parents with a systematic and defensible way to generate recommendations and guidelines to use for placement of highly gifted students. The IAS is not a test. $179 for IAS Manual and ten IAS Forms and Summary and Planning Records Why IAS Recommends a Team Approach 12 Discuss strengths and potential difficulties of the K8 student. Designed to bring objective data to the discussion. Minimize any potential bias for or against wholegrade acceleration. Ensure that all who have relevant knowledge about the child will have input. What Info Does IAS Require? 13 1. 2. General info about student, family, team Ability (IQ, intelligence) test such as WICS-IV 3. Aptitude (above-level) test 4. 6. 7. 8. Examples: ITBS, EXPLORE, SAT, ACT Achievement (at-level) assessment 5. Preferably administered individually by a psychologist Examples: ITBS, CAT, Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement School & Academic Factors: attendance, motivation, attitude toward learning, and academic self confidence. Development: age, physical size, motor skills Interpersonal skills: emotional development, behavior, and relationships with peers and teachers. Attitudes: student’s attitude regarding the grade skip, level of parent support, and level of school system support Interpreting the IAS Grand Total 14 60-80 points total Excellent candidate for whole grade acceleration. Acceleration is recommended. 46-59 points Good candidate. Whole grade acceleration is recommended. 35-45 points Marginal candidate. No clear recommendation. Consider curricular alternatives. 34 or fewer points Whole grade acceleration is not recommended. Consider curricular alternatives. Reasons to NOT Grade Skip 15 1. 2. 3. 4. The student’s ability (measured by IQ) is less than one standard deviation above the mean The student would be accelerated into the same grade as (or a higher grade than) a sibling The student presently has a sibling in the same grade The student does not want to be whole-grade accelerated Reasons to perhaps delay a grade skip: • Divorce, move, disease or other temporary family disruption • Disabilities • English proficiency When To Grade Skip 16 Kindergarten Elementary Middle School High School Mid-year or beginning of year? 17 The Child Study Team Model: What We Did Started meeting early in K year to plan for current needs Included parents, teachers - current and future, administrator, counselor, psychologist, GT Coordinator, mentor Progressed through the IAS systematically throughout the year, breaking the actual form into two meetings The Iowa Acceleration Scale 18 The Iowa Acceleration Scale provided our school with an objective and defendable measure of the multiple aspects of whole grade acceleration consideration. We covered academic appropriateness, emotional readiness, social readiness, behavior and attitudes, the school itself, the family, and the thoughts of the student being considered. Many people were involved with the acceleration decision, and supported it. We are confident in our decision, and empowered by the plan we created. Keys to Successful Acceleration 19 Once the decision is made to whole grade accelerate, then the team’s work starts. What happens next? Who will make sure it happens? Who will monitor and provide support? What is expected of the student? When will the team meet again to evaluate progress and address concerns? What will show the acceleration as a success or failure? What will happen next year? The year after that? Create an Acceleration Plan Ensure receiving teacher has positive attitude Trial period Keys to Successful Acceleration 20 Our plan for Ben Accelerate to 2nd grade. Continue with his teaching mentor. Provide opportunities for quick advancement, or high grouping in subject areas of strength. Check in support from counselor, especially at the beginning of the year. Establish clear expectations with fine motor skills, specifically handwriting. Teach keyboarding. Make PE teacher aware of physical differences. Meet regularly as a team to discuss progress. Make necessary changes to curriculum as needed, including future acceleration. No Policy? 21 Presents recommendations in five key areas for components of an acceleration policy. Supports schools in creating a comprehensive and research-based acceleration policy that is compatible with local policies. Provides an easy-to-use Checklist for Developing an Academic Acceleration Policy to guide policy development. Co-authored by Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, the National Association for Gifted Children, & the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted Free PDF from http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/Policy_Guidelines/ Early College Programs 22 HS diploma not required Full fledged university student Preferably a program, not an ad-hoc solution “Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance from Davidson Young Scholars” http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/Article/Davidson_Young_Scholars__ _Guidebooks_375.aspx Not the same thing as an “early college high school” or a “boarding school” Residential Early Entrance Programs 23 Bard College at Simon's Rock (MA) Clarkson School (NY) Georgia Academy of Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (GAMES) (GA) Mary Baldwin College Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) (VA; for females only) Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Computing (MO) Shimer College, the Great Books College of Chicago (IL) State University of West Georgia Advanced Academy (GA) Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) (Texas residents only) University of Iowa National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (IA) University of Southern California Resident Honors Program (RHP) (CA) University of Washington Early Entrance Program (WA) Davidson Academy for the Profoundly Gifted (NV) – free for profoundly gifted local residents http://earlyentrance.org/Home has a comparison chart of the programs 24 Who? What? High achievers Interested in math & science Ready for pre-calculus Take university courses Live in a dorm with (just) other TAMS students TAMS specific extracurriculars Possible drawback: If student doesn’t finish college and has no HS diploma Research on TAMS: Serving Gifted Learners Beyond the Traditional Classroom Grade Skipping Isn’t a Total Solution 25 26 ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ACCELERATION 1. 2. 3. Subject Acceleration Telescoping Curriculum / Curriculum Compacting Fast Paced Extracurricular Classes Subject Acceleration Decison 27 Option A: Administer an end-of-year, comprehensive subject exam Option B: Use state proficiency exam scores Option C: Belin-Blank “IDEAL Solutions® for STEM Acceleration” report: Gather recent scores for at least one of the following tests: ACT EXPLORE Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test $49 for one student; discounts for multiple students Can be done by parent or teacher Logistics of Subject Acceleration 28 Walk to another class Zero hour class Independent study / mentor Online courses What happens when the class is in another building? You need a long-term plan. Telescoping or Compacting Curriculum 29 Telescoping = Complete the curriculum in a shorter time period than normal Example: Finish 3 years of science in 2 years Gifted kids can learn in 1-3 repetitions Typically done in middle or high school Typically done for a group or class together Compacting = Eliminate repetitive material or material already mastered Pre-testing Based upon individual’s gaps & strengths Time saved is commonly used for enrichment Extracurricular Acceleration 30 Summer camps Math camps explore non-curricular subjects, like number theory, game theory Regional talent search summer programs (Center for Bright Kids) Online courses Mentorships Advice & resources: For the profoundly gifted: Davidson Young Scholars For minorities: The Next Generation Venture Fund For 7th Graders: Jack Kent Cook Scholarship Effect Size of Acceleration 31 Option Academic ES Socialization ES Psychological ES Early Entrance to School .36 .12 .14 Grade Skipping .78 .46 .12 Early College .44 -.06 .11 Residential HS (TAMS) 1.04 Subject Acceleration 1.02 (.49)* Curriculum Compaction 1.48 (.45)* -.16 Grade Telescoping .56 .22 -.06 Mentorships .42 .50 (.01)* .48 Adv Placement .29 .24** .07** Concurrent Enroll. .16 .05 .74 (.36)* Bold = statistically significant. (ES> +.30) *1 study may have overly influenced outcomes. 2nd # has study removed. ** Based on 1 study Karen B. Rogers: 10 “Things” That Work; A best-evidence synthesis of research on acceleration options 32 How is acceleration working for our kids? 60 Profoundly Gifted - Outcomes 33 Australian researcher Miraca Gross followed a group of 60 students with very high IQs for two decades. She found that those who were allowed to skip ahead at least three grade levels tended to do well academically and socially; most got PhDs, settled into professional careers, formed relationships, and developed good friends. The 33 who were not allowed to accelerate in school had less charmed lives. Most ended up at less rigorous colleges and several never graduated high school or college. They also had more trouble forming social relationships. Having spent so many years feeling alienated, they had no practice connecting with people, Gross speculated. “IQ like Einstein” by Susan Freinkel http://www.greatschools.org/parenting-dilemmas/7562-profoundly-gifted-child-story.gs?page=2 Resources & Further Reading 34 • • • • • • A Nation Deceived – free download www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_deceived/ Re-Forming Gifted Education by Karen B. Rogers $11.50 Guidelines for Developing an Academic Acceleration Policy – free download www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/Policy_ Guidelines Iowa Acceleration Scale $179 for 10 students http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/resources/ia s.aspx Belin-Blank “IDEAL Solutions® for STEM Acceleration” <=$49/student http://www.idealsolutionsmath.com/ “Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance from Davidson Young Scholars” – free download http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/Article/Davidson _Young_Scholars___Guidebooks_375.aspx Questions? 36 Kiri Jorgensen kjorgensen@monfortonschool.org Barbara Geller gellerbj@gmail.com