What is academic acceleration?

Some children are particularly good at one or more school subjects and are fast learners. Academic acceleration can help keep these students engaged in their learning. For instance, it can give them the opportunity to do the following:

• Work at an accelerated pace on school subjects
• Remain curious and engaged
• Develop different interests
• Etc.

Just like students with learning disorders, gifted students often need a little extra help to reach their full potential. Their needs may be quite different from those of their peers. Because of this, academic acceleration can take many different forms:

• Enriched classroom activities
• Multi-grade interdisciplinary projects
• Single-subject acceleration
• Skipping a grade (e.g., moving from Grade 1 to Grade 3)
• Early school entry (derogation)
• Etc.

If you’d like your child to be considered for academic acceleration, you’ll need to work with their school team and other health care professionals to assess their needs, strengths, and weaknesses. To be eligible, children must perform well above other students of their age group in various categories:

• Cognitive ability
• Language skills
• Social maturity
• Emotional maturity
• Psychomotor abilities

While academic acceleration can benefit some children, it’s not a good fit for everyone. Several professional associations have issued guidelines for assessing whether a child should be admitted into an accelerated program. The assessment must evaluate several criteria:

• The child’s development (e.g., maturity, fine and gross motor skills)
• Their learning process
• Their test and assessment results
• The school or preschool’s requirements
• Etc.

Like all academic accommodations, acceleration has both positive and negative aspects. It’s important to understand what’s involved before considering this type of program for your child. A psychologist, teacher, or other specialist can help you make a list of the pros and cons. These might include the following: