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Educational Options: Acceleration

Meeting the needs of the gifted in rural areas through acceleration

This article discusses different ways rural areas can educate their gifted students. Acceleration is suggested as an option that rural schools can easily use. Options and explanations are offered throughout the article. Authored by Camilla Benbow, Teresa Argo and Lynn Glass. ...

Radical acceleration and early entry to college: A review of the research

"Few educational interventions have been as comprehensively studied as acceleration and few have acquired as compelling a body of empirical evidence for their success. Acceleration was one of the few educational procedures endorsed by Shore, Cornell, Robinson, and Ward (1991) in their comprehensive analysis of research in gifted education as being strongly validated by research. Yet, many educators are wary of possible ill effects of acceleration, citing fears for both the intellectual and affective well-being of students (Daurio, 1979; Souther ...

Types of Acceleration

Exceprt from A Nation Deceived, by W. Thomas Southern & Eric D. Jones, lists the 18 types of acceleration. A few examples are: Grade-skipping, curriculum compacting, extracurricular programs, and early graduation. ...

Educational Options: Early College

A cross-sectional developmental study of the social relations of students who enter college early

This article relates research on subjects who entered college at age 14 or younger. Students answered questions regarding how well they developed socially. The research shows that for the first two years of college, young entrants form strong relationships with their age-group's peers and for the final two years of college, they branch out to form relationships with older students. Authored by Paul Janos, Nancy Robinson, Christopher Carter, Audrey Chapel, Rand Cufley, Matthew Curland, Michael Daily, Meg Guilland, Mark Heinzig, Hans Kehl, Stephe ...

A summary of research regarding early entrance to college

This article by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius reviews research about the academic and social performance of students entering college early. Research results suggest that early entrants continue to achieve at high levels in college. Students make the adjustment to the social scene on campus easily and have friendships with typically aged college students. Research suggests that early entrant students tend to continue on to graduate school and use the time gained for further academic opportunities. The decision to enter college early is one of matchi ...

But what about the prom?

This article Kathleen Noble and Julie Drummond describes their study looking at students in the Early Entrance Program (EEP) at the University of Washington. They examined perceptions of early college entrance, with a focus on the reasons for choosing this option; their experiences with other students and teachers; and the effect skipping high school had on their social, emotional and intellectual development. The results and responses from students suppport the efficacy of the program. ...

Davidson Academy Opening Ceremony - U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' Speech

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings delivered this speech on August 22, 2006 during the opening ceremony of The Davidson Academy of Nevada. Topics included: No Child Left Behind, the necessity for customized education plans, and the opportunities that the first class of Davidson Academy students will receive. ...

Different strokes: Perceptions of social and emotional development among early college entrants

This article follows the social and emotional development students in the University of Washington's Early Entrance Program. EEPallows intellectually advanced students to skip high school and go right into college. The authors caution against generalizing beyond the study. Authored by Kathleen Noble, Tara Arndt, Tristan Nicholson, Thor Sletten and Arturo Zamora. ...

Dual Enrollment: The Right Challenge

This article by Gera Witte discusses the option of dual enrollment in college for gifted and talented students once they have exhausted all of the options available at their high school. ...

Early-entrance students: Impressions of their first semester of college

This article, by Michelle Muratori, Nicolas Colangelo, and Susan Assouline, discusses a study conducted to identify the unique academic, social, family, and transistion issues that challened the inaugural class of the National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE), an early-entrance program at the University of Iowa. ...

Exclusive Interview with Jon Reider - College Admissions Expert

Davidson Family Consultant compiled notes from a Q & A session with Jon Reider of San Francisco University High School. Some examples of the discussed topics are "Do you have any advice for homeschooling students or parents?", "What do colleges look for?", and "How might your suggest selecting a college or university?" ...

Extremely young college graduates: Evidence of their success

This article by Julian Stanley and Camilla Benbow focuses on individuals who graduated from college at an early age. It describes their success and shows evidence that early college is an excellent option for extremely able students. The authors also offer comparatives statistics for several universities. ...

Five years of early entrants: Predicting successful achievement in college

This article describes a study that evaluated the achievements of 65 young entrants at the beginning undergraduate level and found them to be successful as a whole. The study discovered that a large number of AP credits was the greatest predictor of outstanding performance. Authored by Linda Brody, Susan Assouline, and Julian Stanley. ...

Food for thought: Is early college entrance an appropriate alternative for you?

This article was written by Nancy Robinson for the Davidson Institute for Talent Development Early College Assistance Service. She lists the issues that need to be addressed when considering acceleration to college, the disadvantages and advantages, and alternative choices. Robinson also offers suggestions for preparing for a successful college experience and advice on picking a college. ...

From college to confidence

This article by Elizabeth Lovance explores her experiences growing up as a profoundly gifted young person. "Growing up gifted made me keenly aware of the pain that society inflicts on those who are different. It was not until I found a place where diversity of all sorts was valued that I was able to fully come to terms with how being gifted shapes my identity." She tells of her experience attending Smith College at age 14. ...

Gifted education: The road to honors programs at the college level

This article by Dr. Joan Digby, discusses honors programs in depth. The discussion is meant to give the reader a good idea of the benefits of belonging to an honors program. The author also talks about what to look for when choosing a college or university. ...

Markedly early entrance to college

This article looks at the research done on early entrants. The authors suggest ". . . that for a constituency of exceptionally talented-but quite young-students, college enrollment, particularly when undertaken in concert with other able and motivated peers, can be both academically enhancing and facilitative of personal and social growth." Authored by Paul Janos, Nancy Robinson and Clifford Lunneborg. ...

More about 'Young entrants to college: How did they fare?'

This article by Julian Stanley and Ann McGill details a study of profoundly gifted young people who entered college at an early age. It explores many different factors, such as grades, honors, degrees, etc. The study finds that pretty much all of the students who entered college early were successful in their college and professional careers. ...

Nine-year-old student attends RIC

This article by Jane Fusco is about an exceptional young girl who is profoundly gifted. It briefly describes some of her accomplishments and talks about her schooling. She is now, at nine, taking courses at Rhode Island College. ...

Parents' perspective of early college entrance for profoundly gifted children, Part I and II

This article is actually a two-part series by Beth Wright, the mother of a profoundly gifted early college entrant. The first article offers an insightful collection of parents' perspectives on early college issues and experiences. The article addresses the issue of how do you know if your child is ready, covering "What about the holes in his schooling?", "Socialization: How will your ten-year old interact with college students?", "What about note-taking and hand writing skills?", "Organization: You say your child is scattered?", and "Mature su ...

Socioemotional adjustment of adolescent girls enrolled in a residential acceleration program

This article reports on a study of adolescent girls enrolled in a residential early college entrance program and investigated whether socioemotional adjustment could be predicted by prior personality and family traits. Adjustment was assessed by staff, student, and peer perspectives over the course of one academic year. Results indicate consistent predictive relationships between the Jackson Personality Inventory, the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents, the Family Environment Scale, the Parent Adolescent Communication Scale, and four outco ...

Some can sail over high school

This article by Laura Vanderkam discusses the concept of skipping high school or accelerating quickly through it. It holds that there is nothing sacred about high school, and if a student is already beyond high school curriculum, he or she should be able to move on to college or work or whatever is of interest to them. ...

The case for radical acceleration to college

This article by Nancy Robinson looks at the issue of radical acceleration. She examines the arguments in favor of it, the questions this topic raises and offers summary of results of previous studies. The text comes from an address Robinson made at a conference. ...

The College Visit

This article provides gifted students advice on dual enrollment and the college search process. ...

The Davidson Institute meets with Simon’s Rock Provost

The Davidson Institute interviewed Dr. Mary Marcy, Vice President and Provost of Simon’s Rock College of Bard, to explore options offered for gifted learners. Simon's Rock offers an early college entrance program that focuses on the individual needs of the child in a rigorous learning environment. ...

The early college option

This article by Kathi Kearney discusses the issues surrounding the early college decision, part-time or full-time, for exceptionally and profoundly gifted children who are of elementary, middle school, or secondary age. It is actually the collection of a series of short advice articles. Tips for parents and students are included. ...

The Optimal Match: Devising the Best Compromise for the Highly Gifted Student

A chapter from Developmental approaches to giftedness and creativity by Nancy Robinson and Halbert Robinson that discusses early college entrance for young gifted students. It recognizes that no alternatives seem to be ideal, but it explores some of the positive aspects of rapid acceleration. Assumptions that are commonly made in the U.S. educational system are examined and the University of Washington's Early Entrance Program is discussed in detail. ...

Thinking through early entrance to college

This article by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius provides many of the questions that must be considered by a student and his/her parents before deciding on early college. The author provides information about the experiences early entrants have had with early college and the risks and benefits of taking this option as well as alternatives to early college. It also includes sections on who should consider early college entrance and alternatives to consider. ...

Educational Options: Tips for Teachers

Educational Options for Gifted Learners

This article by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development discusses some of the educational options for gifted learners that have proven effective for exceptionally bright young people. Some of these options include acceleration, credit by examination, compacting, independent study, ability grouping, dual enrollment, early college entry, and more. Ideally, parents and educators are willing to collaborate and implement an educational plan that takes into account the child's intellectual precocity and emotional development. ...

Parenting: Tips for Parents

Tips for Parents: Early College Entrance for Profoundly Gifted Students

This Tips for Parents article is from a seminar hosted by Dr. Jon Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School and former admissions officer at Stanford University. He shares tip for parents of profoundly gifted students considering early college entrance. ...

Tips for Parents: First Person Perspective on the Early College Experience

This Tips for Parents article is from a seminar hosted by Cory Cerovsek, who provides a description of his experience with school acceleration and early college. He entered college at the age of 12 and feels his experience was a very good one, recommending it as an option. ...

Tips for Parents: Making Decisions about Early Entrance to College

This Tips for Parents article is from a seminar hosted by Michelle Muratori, Ph.D. She touches upon factors that contribute and detract to early entrants’ success as well as options and alternatives to early college. ...

Uncover federal aid for early entry college students

Source: Davidson Institute for Talent Development
This article demystifies the "Ability-to-Benefit" rules for federal student aid as they apply to early college entrants. It also arms parents with the information they need when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is required for all federal student aid, and many colleges use it for all financial aid applications. ...

Social/Emotional: General

The intellectual and psychosocial nature of extreme giftedness

This article by Philip Powell and Tony Haden compares the differences of average, moderately and extremely gifted individuals. The authors explore the psychological difficulties of the highly gifted, especially in terms of self-esteem and self-conception. The article discusses the difficulties the extremely gifted have in obtaining consistent, accurate and valid feedback in regard to their self-concept. The information provided has implications for educators, parents, and psychologists. ...

Support Materials: Book Reviews

Becoming a Master Student: Tools, Techniques, Hints, Ideas, Illustrations, Examples, Methods, Procedures, Processes, Skills, Resources, and Suggestions for Success

BOOK REVIEW (Davidson Institute) - By author Dave Ellis, this book as a must-read for all young people considering radical acceleration and/or early college entry. It has received rave reviews from members across the gifted community. ...

Early Entrance to College: A Guide to Success

BOOK REVIEW (Davidson Institute) - A review of Dr. Michelle Muratori's book Early Entrance to College: A Guide to Success. ...