Acceleration Checklist
Consider the following questions when considering acceleration.
Positive
Questions
Negative
Does the student want to accelerate?
Is the family supportive of the student’s acceleration?
Are there test results indicating that the student would benefit from acceleration?
Are there above-level test results indicating that the student is performing at a higher
grade level?
How will the student be affected by removal from same age peers?
Is there other academic data that supports the student’s acceleration?
Does the student have opportunities for interaction with same-age students in nonacademic settings (e.g., scouts, sports, theatre, music)?
Does the school support the student’s acceleration?
Is the student an independent worker?
Is the school willing to work with the family to ensure the continued appropriateness of
the student’s education?
If the student skips a grade, will he or she be placed in an older sibling’s classroom?
Is it important to the family that the student be “#1” in his or her class?
Is it important that the student be involved competitively in athletics?
Does the student and family understand the long-term implications of acceleration?
(course work required in middle school and high school)
Adapted from the Iowa Acceleration Scale, 3rd edition
Revised: April 26, 2012