Online degree, part 5.

Types of Academic Acceleration
Grade skipping is but one example of academic acceleration. In practice, the range and types of academic acceleration also include early entrance to school, continuous progression, self-paced instruction, correspondence courses, combined classes, multiage classes, curriculum compacting, curriculum telescoping, extracurricular programs, mentorships, content acceleration, subject acceleration, credit by examination, concurrent enrollment, advanced placement (an American practice with few equivalents elsewhere), early access to advanced-level studies while still at school, and early entrance to university.
Academic acceleration, therefore, refers to any of the ways by which a gifted student engages in the study of new material that is typically taught at a higher grade level than the one in which the child is currently enrolled, covers more material in a shorter time, and accordingly is seen to be vertical provision for gifted students. Implicit is the assumption that gifted students, who perform, or reflect the potential to perform, at advanced skill levels should be studying new material at levels commensurate with their levels of ability. Because a common characteristic of gifted students is their ability to learn at a fast rate, acceleration is seen to be a fundamental need of a gifted student and, in some form, should be an integral part of every gifted program.
A model for academic acceleration may refer to service delivery, whereby a standard curriculum experience is offered to a gifted student at a younger age or earlier grade than usual. Or it may refer to curriculum delivery, which involves increasing the pace of presentation of material, either in the regular classroom or in special classes. In either case, programs for academic acceleration allow the examination of content in greater depth, give access to subject matter at levels of greater conceptual difficulty, and should provide instruction that individually and explicitly matches the achievement levels, ability, interests, and learning style of the gifted student.
Tags: Online Degree, Online Degrees, Online College Degrees, Online Accredited Degrees, Online Bachelor Degree, Online Degree Program, Online Health Care Degree, Online College Degree Programs, College Degree Distance Education Online, Online Course College Degree, Online Pharmacy Degree, University Online Degrees.
Benefits of Acceleration
Academic acceleration has several administrative benefits. It is a readily available and inexpensive educational option. It is a way of giving recognition for a student's advanced abilities and accomplishments. It increases learning efficiency, learning effectiveness, and productivity; it gives a student more choice for academic exploration; and it may give increased time for a career.
The report A Nation Deceived presents an excellent summary of recent research supporting the academic and affective benefits of well-administered acceleration. From this research come four important findings that are strong and clear and unequivocal.
First, acceleration is consistently and highly effective for academic achievement. No studies have shown that enrichment programs or provisions give more benefits to gifted students than methods of acceleration. Academic benefits do arise from ability grouping accompanied by a differentiated curriculum, but the greatest benefit comes from academic acceleration. That is, accelerated gifted students, regardless of which form of acceleration is used, significantly outperform students of similar intellectual ability who have not been accelerated.
Second, there is no research to support the claim of maladjustment from acceleration. Despite the preponderance of evidence in favor of academic acceleration, concern about the social and emotional adjustment of accelerated students persists. This concern is cited by both teachers and administrators as the primary reason for opposition to academic acceleration. However, research finds no evidence to support the notion that social and emotional problems arise through well-run and carefully monitored acceleration programs.
Tags: Online College Bachelor Degree, Online College Degree Distance Education, Online Course And College Degree, Pharmacy Degree Online, School Online College Degree Distance Education, College Degree Learning Online Program, Masters Degree Graduate Accredited Online College Programs, Online Accredited Law College Degree, Online Colleges College Degree, College Degree Program Online, College Degree Education Online, College Degrees Online, Internet College Degree Online, Online Degree Accredited College University, Accountant College Course Degree Online, Bachelor Computer Degree Online Science.
Third, acceleration is usually effective in terms of affective adjustment. For many students, it removes them from difficult social situations and from unchal-lenging and inappropriate educational contexts. It exposes the student to a new peer group and, in fact, significantly increases the chances of a gifted student forming close and productive social relationships with other students. That is, academic acceleration goes a long way to meeting the social and emotional needs of the gifted student who uses it.
Fourth, a gifted student who is not accelerated when it is appropriate may well experience educational frustration and boredom; have reduced motivation to learn; develop poor study habits; have lower academic expectations, achievement, and productivity; express apathy toward formal schooling; drop out prematurely (there is at least some anecdotal evidence to support this); and/or find it difficult to adjust to peers who do not share advanced interests and concerns. That is, rather than expressing concern over potential socioemotional maladjustment arising from acceleration, teachers and administrators need to be concerned about the probability of maladjustment effects resulting from inadequate intellectual challenge.

EDITOR Neil J. Salkind
Copyright © 2008 by SAGE Publications, Inc.