This guidebook is a tool for both parents and students who are considering a gap year as an educational option. Readers will find information on gap year options for students under the age of 18, the pros and cons of taking a gap year, what colleges think of students who pursue a gap year and much more.
The Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA) was established in 2006 at The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Iowa through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation. The IRPA is dedicated to the study of curricular acceleration for academically talented students.
"Accelerated Schools Plus is a national endeavor designed to transform whole school communities – especially those set apart by high poverty, low academic performance and remediation -- to enriched environments characterized by accelerated instruction and gifted and talented teaching strategies that have been traditionally reserved for only the top 5% of students. Accelerated School Project was conceived, founded, and developed by Professor Henry M. Levin at Stanford University in 1986, to address these communities and the questions and challenges presented in the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (United States Department of Education, 1983)."
Project REAL addresses the unique needs of rural school districts, educators, students and their parents. Project REAL provides programs, research networking, and support to increase academic performance for gifted rural students, increase availability of professional development opportunities for educators in rural schools and increase Pennsylvania's capacity to provide effective gifted education programs for all students.
This is a book that discusses many factors concerning acceleration, including age, acceleration from preschool to college, current school district policies, and effects of acceleration from a social and emotional standpoint. Available options and resources are some of the topics discussed.
Written for K–5 teachers, this practical guide corrects misunderstandings in the field of acceleration and provides the tools necessary to effectively determine the most appropriate learning options for gifted students. Through real-life stories, well-known authors in gifted education Joan Franklin Smutny, Sally Y. Walker, and Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, dispel the common myths about acceleration and describe what it is, what forms it takes, and what it can do for gifted learners—intellectually, socially, and emotionally.
In this concise introduction to the topic, Dr. VanTassel-Baska offers many teacher-friendly ways in which acceleration can be employed in classrooms at all levels and in all subject areas. The author offers specific strategies for identifying candidates for acceleration, programmatic approaches to employ, and teacher strategies to use for content acceleration in the classroom.
Recognized gifted curriculum leader Joyce VanTassel-Baska covers acceleration, incorporating higher order process skills into content, concept development, and developing creative student products. Each chapter shows how the integrated curriculum model relates to curricular standards advanced by national organizations.
This book from Roberta Milgram highlights the role of regular classroom teachers and teachers of the gifted in counseling; provides teachers, counselors, and parents with information about the wide variety of approaches to enrichment and/or acceleration.
This older book contains a series of articles on the status of both acceleration and enrichment during the last quarter of the 20th century. A variety of authors, many drawn from the early days of the talent search programs, describe the history of both models of educational service delivery, a variety of strategies for both enrichment and acceleration, and discuss early talent search findings.
This book by Gary A. Davis Ph. D. is a no-nonsense guide to the concept of giftedness in children, and how parents can provide opportunities to cultivate their children's gifts. Chapters address how to identify gifted children, the pros and cons of educational acceleration and common problems or counseling needs among gifted children.
The most influential works on acceleration and grouping practices for the gifted are gathered in this volume, which covers concerns about the effectiveness of such techniques, presents research on the optimal conditions and methods for the utilization of grouping and/or acceleration, and describes effective programmatic initiatives.
The Iowa Acceleration Scale, developed and tested by Drs. Susan Assouline and Nicolas Colangelo, provides a systematic and thorough approach to considering and implementing academic acceleration for gifted and talented students in grades K-8. The accompanying manual provides background case examples and specific guidelines. Click here to read a review of this book.
This book is Alexandra Swann's personal story of her homeschooling career and her very early entrance into college via a distance learning/independent study bachelor's degree program. It espouses a philosophy of homeschooling called "accelerated academics." Alexandra and her nine siblings were all homeschooled and completed high school work by the ages of 11 or 12. Although the "gifted" word is never mentioned in this book, it is obvious that this is a very gifted girl with very gifted siblings. This book also tells the story of how a homeschooling family stuck together in good times and bad. At 16, with a master's degree in hand, Alexandra became a community college instructor.
This comprehensive guide covers topics such as working with high achievers and young gifted children, acceleration, advocating for talented students, serving as role models and mentors for gifted kids, homeschooling, underachievement, twice-exceptional students and postsecondary opportunities.
This annotated bibliography is by Miraca Gross and Helen van Vliet. It provides a compilation of international research on highly gifted children who graduate from high school three or more years early. This bibliography is published by the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) under a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. Click here to read a review of this bibliography.
Written by Karen Rogers, this is a research-based book that discusses acceleration of students, grouping within the school setting, and program provisions both in and outside of school. Rogers spells out and categorizes ways for schools, teachers, and parents to meet the needs of gifted children, including which students will benefit from particular instructional delivery methods and how each student need can best be addressed. Click here to read a review of this book.
Editors Susan Johnsen and James Kendrick compiled this Gifted Child Today Reader as a book that deals with acceleration and enrichment in the sciences, including instructional units on magnetic levitation, integrating science and physical education, and real-world archaeology.
Whether to admit a student into school earlier than the mandated age or advance a student ahead of his or her chronological peers remains for educators, parents, and students alike an issue of continuing concern and debate. This book provides a major review of the history and background issues surrounding this topic, past and present research, and the state of the implementation of accelerative practices in American schools as of the date of its publication in 1991.
This is the go-to book for anyone considering a year to re-charge, to follow a passion, to become immersed in another culture, or to find their love of learning again. It includes everything a student, parent, or guidance counselor would want to know about the gap year; including what a gap year is, what it is not, and why it can have a positive impact on a young life. Click here to read a review of this book.
This book is a guide for gifted kids who accelerate, home school or enter a college program. One author skipped high school and entered college at age 13, graduating at 16. This book details the process she took, the social questions and answers on entering early college, how to research laws and generally how to prepare to accelerate.
This background paper by Margaret DeLacy was created for the Portland Public School District Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee. The article includes discussion of acceleration and enrichment, research concerning the effects of acceleration, the academic effects of acceleration, book references and more.
Compiled by members of a National Work Group on Acceleration representing the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA), the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted, this document is meant to provide guidance and to encourage the systematic adoption and practice of acceleration in schools across the nation. The Guidelines document can assist schools in writing and modifying acceleration policy that is suited to local needs and adheres to research-based best practices.
Some of America's brightest gifted students are held back and left behind, according to The Templeton National Report on Acceleration. This easy-to-read, user-friendly report explains why many schools, parents and teachers have not yet come to terms with acceleration - despite overwhelming evidence in its favor. Teachers and parents are presented information on early-entrance, grade skipping, the AP program and early college. Comments are accepted; this report can be downloaded online.
This article, written by a parent as a background paper for a school district advisory committee, provides a look at acceleration vs. enrichment. Includes research on acceleration, the benefits and effects, appropriateness, and ability grouping as an enhancement or alternative. It addresses the concerns acceleration raises, including academic and non-academic issues.
Find gifted online courses for Middle and High School. Courses include both faculty- and computer-evaluated lessons. The University of Missouri-Columbia High School provides an accredited diploma program for students with a need for an alternative to traditional high school. There is also a Dual Enrollment program allowing qualified high school students to enroll in university-level courses offered through CDIS while paying only 50 percent of the normal University of Missouri educational fees.
The Center for Talent Development (CTD), housed at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, is an accredited learning center and research facility serving gifted students, their families and educators for nearly 30 years. Some of their programs include: the Midwest Talent Search, summer programs for pre-K through grade 12, Saturday enrichment programs for pre-K through grade 9, an Accelerated Weekend Experience (AWE), Gifted Learning Links for K through grade 12, a Civic Education Program for grades 7 through 12, scholarship programs for underrepresented students, and educator and parent programs.
The College of DuPage offers gifted students in grades 3 - 12 the opportunity to take courses in math, science, information technology, problem solving, literature, language and writing. Located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, this talent search admits students who score in the 95th percentile or higher on a qualifying standardized test.
This program is designed for students in grades 10-12 of exceptional maturity and academic ability. Eligible students take regular University of Denver courses for undergraduate college credit. The program is offered during the regular school year and summer quarter. The cost is 50 percent of the normal tuition per credit hour.
This distance learning program, offered through Stanford University, is dedicated to the advancement of education among gifted students. The Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) provides computer-based multimedia courses in Mathematics, Physics, English, Computer Programming and other subjects for high-ability students.
The goal of this school is to embody a highly challenging and hands-on learning environment. In non-traditional fashion, exceptional adolescents integrate technology and advanced methods into their learning culture to achieve exponential growth.
Located in Stauton, Virginia on the campus of Mary Baldwin College, this unique all-girl school offers an opportunity for bright and accomplished young women to complete college during their high school years while living in a fully supervised residence hall.
Prospective students can apply from their eighth-grade year and on. Students are accepted based on giftedness, consistent academic achievement and personal maturity.
Located in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy tri-city area, this college is exclusively for women providing students the opportunity to combine undergraduate and graduate study in accelerated bachelor's/master's degree sequences. Launched in Fall 2003 for talented high school juniors considering college enrollment instead of their senior year, the program also serves homeschooled students who may be advanced in their study and ready to move on to college regardless of their age.
Academic Talent Search is sponsored by California State University Sacramento and is designed for high achieving students currently enrolled in sixth through ninth grade. The benefits of ATS include: providing students with an opportunity to accelerate their learning in traditional subjects like mathematics and to experience new topics which are not always available in regular schools; the ATS teaching staff includes University faculty, community college professors, high school instructors and industry professionals; through ATS, students have the opportunity to experience a collegiate environment.
Located near Los Angeles, this college offers a unique opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to have a non-traditional experience by enrolling in college level courses while taking high school required classes.
The mission of the University of Missouri High School is to provide distance learning courses, through a variety of delivery methods, that will complement traditional high school curricula and provide an accredited diploma program for independent learners of all ages seeking an alternative to traditional high school attendance.
This program accepts high school students who have the social and emotional maturity to function independently as college freshmen, and who want to trade their senior year of high school for their freshman year of college. Interested students should have a record of success in high school, such as honors and AP or IB courses, summer programs and special talents in music, cinema, or the performing arts. The core curriculum is designed around small courses, which are taught by many of the University's faculty, and one-on-one tutorials.
This public university in Kansas has allowed high school students to take a limited number of credits in conjunction with their high school studies but will not grant full admission without a high school diploma or GED.
Accelerated & Gifted Virtual Instruction Academy (AGVI) provides gifted, talented and high-achieving students with access to advanced courses for accelerated learning through an online high school and college-level courses. High school students take college courses and exams for undergraduate or graduate credit. Students access course material online and take exams at proctored testing centers.
Highland Park GT Academy is an open enrollment & tuition free charter school under Jubilee Academic Center, Inc. All teachers are required to be certified in teaching gifted and talented curriculum and will focus on innovative ways to learn.
A college preparatory program for gifted students, USP is a cyber-blended gifted program within a Charter School offering specialized gifted education curriculum for grades K-12.
This Michigan State University Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program is available to students in Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, and Shiawassee Intermediate School Districts in Michigan. Mathematically gifted students are able to complete the required four years of high school math in two years through CHAMP. Students meet on Thursday afternoons each week on the MSU campus.
GAMES is an accelerated prorgram for juniors and seniors on the Middle Georgia College campus in Cochran, Georgia. The program gives students the opportunity to spend their last two years of high school at Middle Georgia College, during which they will earn their high school diploma AND their Associate Degree in fields of math or science. Rising high school juniors and seniors are elgible for the program as long as they meet the stringent admission criteria.
Math Zoom Academy is a prestigious organization that develops and provides fun and exciting enrichment programs for students who are mathematically gifted or passionate about math. Math is the foundation for the majority of the advanced study fields and helps develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Here at Math Zoom Academy, we pride ourselves in providing a fun and enjoyable learning experience for all levels of math students, focusing on keeping gifted students challenged and engaged.
UMTYMP provides a challenging alternative to grade 8-12 mathematics coursework for Minnesota's talented mathematics students in grades 5-12. The highly accelerated courses are specially designed to provide these students with an intense academic environment that will stimulate their mathematical interest and abilities.
A K-8th grade charter school, serving
advanced, gifted, twice-exceptional and typical learners who want to excel! AACL provides personal learning plans, advanced content, hands-on porjects, thematic units, and is tuition free with no admission requirements.
Course content is based on major thematic elements found in the Arizona State Standards for seventh grade and eighth grades. By featuring thematic elements, the content encompasses multiple subjects simultaneously.
The Gifted and Talented Program is available for all Edison students who qualify based on potential. Identifiable characteristics, extraordinary abilities and accomplishments and/or demonstrated needs. High acheiving students may be placed in the Highly Gifted and Talented (HGT) classrooms on a space available basis as well as meeting specified criteria.
The Sarasota County north area Magnet Program for Gifted Students is housed at Fruitville and provides services for eligible students in an elementary school setting while preparing them to move on to other sites for the middle school years. This program is for students enrolled in grades 1-5.
The Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC) delivers a challenging, accelerated education in mathematics, science and technology to selected students, grades 9 - 12 in Kalamazoo County. Students can apply to the program in the eighth grade, and if accepted, spend a half-day at KAMSC in intensive mathematics, sciences and/or computer courses.
This distance learning program is a self-paced, independent study high school. Courses can be taken by correspondence or online.
Lakewood City Schools provide an exceptional program for gifted students and encourage subject acceleration as well as artistic and creative learning.
"The Maricopa Community Colleges are decidedly distinct, serving a quarter million students annually through colleges, skill centers and multiple campuses and sites. With more than 1,000 business partnerships, charter high schools, advanced health care training, biotechnology opportunities and unique career offerings, the Maricopa Community Colleges quickly respond to the training and educational needs of our changing communities."
Pine Crest is home to one of the six Centers for the Highly Gifted in Montgomery County Public Schools. Selected students from the elementary schools in the Blair, Einstein, and Kennedy Clusters attend our Center. The goal of the program is to provide exceptionally gifted and motivated 4th and 5th grade students with a full-time instructional program that is accelerated and enriched. It is designed for students who learn at a faster pace and who can handle advanced concepts of greater complexity.
Since 1973, outstanding young people have been attending the Governor's Schools in Virginia. Governor’s Schools provide gifted students academic and visual and performing arts opportunities beyond those normally available to them. Choice from summer residential, summer regional and academic-year programs.
This short editorial by the then-president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children clarifies the author's position on "hurrying" (Elkind is also author of the book The Hurried Child).
This article, from the Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children, focues on the fact that "Acceleration is more than just grade skipping."
This article addresses the question of why acceleration is a good idea. It is brief and concise, making it a great article for parents to bring to educators during the advocacy process.
The purpose of this article, by Michael C. Pyryt, is to describe ways of challenging gifted students through accelerative practice.
This website was created by Lauren Betancourt, author of "You're gonna miss the prom?", an early college graduate (16), and serves as a resource for other students that are looking for resources regarding acceleration and early college.
This is a list of guidelines for acceleration that has been designed for use by schools.
The Inventory for Decisions about Educational Acceleration and Learning (IDEAL) Solutions for Math Acceleration is a web-based system that provides student-centered feedback to inform decisions about academic acceleration in math. The program draws upon their expertise in the area of academic acceleration and have capitalized specifically upon the wide-ranging information available through the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA). IRPA is part of the Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.
The Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA) is dedicated to the study of curricular acceleration for academically talented students. This is the map of the acceleration practices and policies in each of the 50 states.
This interview between Center for Talent Development director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Ph.D and her former student, Issac Greenspan discusses his education from elementary school to high school. Issac reviewed his experience in various programs that would accommodate his accelerated academic pace. In addition to these programs, he also describes his social growth and the importance of parent advocacy and teacher mentoring.
This is one parent's account of how he accelerated his child. He discusses his strategy for facilitating radical acceleration.
This is a success story of a boy who initially had an opportunity to learn at his own pace with a mentor. After he began to excel in this area, he was able to formally accelerate within the school system.
This article, by John Cloud, asks the question "Are schools leaving the most gifted children behind if they don't allow them to skip ahead?"