Academic Acceleration

Authors: Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen

Conference: 1st World Giftedness Center International Conference

Keywords: Curriculum Adaptation, Decision-Making in Academic Acceleration, Research on the Effectiveness of Acceleration

Abstract

To meet the needs of high ability students the curriculum needs to be adapted. ere are different ways to do that; pull-out classes, compacting and enriching the programme, and/or accelerating the pace of the programme. ere are numerous ways to accelerate a student’s education; some of them are less visible: Early entrance and skipping grades are the primary types of acceleration people seem to consider. Other types of acceleration, like combined classes and ungraded schools, which allow for acceleration, are applied in many educational systems, but are less noticed and documented Despite worries about negative consequences of academic acceleration, expressed by teachers and parents, research shows that acceleration works, although not in any case. It is a fast and uncomplicated measure in gifted education that can prevent the problems that can occur when students are with their age mates in an intellectual inadequate situation. So, how do we know if academic acceleration is the best for a particular student? How do we do it? What do we need to avoid? this is what will be discussed in this presentation, with cases from practice in relation to research findings concerning academic acceleration, an elusive, controversial, yet proven effective measure in gifted education.