Transcript Subject Acceleration & Grade Skipping in Real Life

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
[email protected]
Barbara Geller
[email protected]