Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to provide guidance in regards to curriculum acceleration as a way to meet the needs of high ability and/or high achieving students currently enrolled in D110.  School districts in the state of Minnesota are required by law to adopt acceleration procedures ensuring that promotion decisions are made based on students’ academic and social emotional needs.  This procedure is intended to facilitate consistent and direct practices by providing guidelines for processing the referral, assessment, and appropriate placement of acceleration candidates.

Background

Educational acceleration of academically gifted and talented students has a proven history of being a successful strategy for matching learner abilities with appropriate curriculum and level of challenge.  The purpose of acceleration is to place the learner in a setting that is appropriate to them both in terms of pace and instructional fit.  Although instructional practices such as differentiation can meet the needs of many academically talented students, situations arise in which these modifications are insufficient to fulfill the academic potential of highly capable learners.  In these cases, student acceleration may be required. 

Any acceleration decision should be approached on a case-by-case basis and handled with careful consideration and great care.  Those individuals involved in the decision making process are encouraged to follow the suggested procedures and timeline outlined in Section VI.

 

Guidelines and Procedures