Subject Acceleration
Kirksville R-III School District
Introduction
The Kirksville R-III School District supports course acceleration as an intervention for providing
challenging educational opportunities for advanced learners.
Definitions
Acceleration is a modification of the regular curriculum that enables a gifted or talented student to
progress at a faster pace to complete a given course in less time, or at an earlier age. These acceleration
opportunities include, but are not limited to:
 Moving at a faster pace through a core academic subject
 Advanced grade placement in a core academic subject area
 Obtaining college credit while still in high school for core academic subject areas
There are two main types of acceleration the Kirksville R-III School District will offer:
1. Horizontal Acceleration- Includes curriculum modification through compacting or a “testing-out”
that allows students to move at a faster pace through the core academic curriculum, while
staying with their class and age mates.
a. Types of horizontal acceleration include:
i. Individualized or independent study
ii. Mentorship
iii. Enrolling in university courses and Advanced Placement courses
iv. Horizontal acceleration can be done at any time and teachers are encouraged to
pursue any of these modifications to best meet the needs of the high ability
student
2. Subject Acceleration- Allows students to attend class with an advanced grade level in one or
more core academic subjects. An example of subject acceleration would be to have a 3rd grade
student attend a 4th grade reading class, or to have a 7th grader attend a 9th grade math
course.
Note: Acceleration requires a partnership between the school district and families. Parents should be
informed that future years might require independent study, out-of-school programming or other
enrollment options. Subject Acceleration may have implications for extracurricular ineligibility at
Kirksville High School.
Criteria
An Acceleration Committee, consisting of the student’s classroom teacher, building principal, specialist
for gifted education, and other qualified district personnel will review each request for subject
acceleration based on the following criteria:
 To accelerate through a course, students will take an exam to demonstrate mastery of the
subject area to be omitted. The student must demonstrate 90 percent mastery of essential



objectives in order to “test out.” The Acceleration Committee will identify the specific
assessment procedure(s) necessary to demonstrate fulfillment of the above criteria.
The evaluation process will also include a student interview and teacher recommendation (Form
found in Appendix 3).
When accelerating in English/Language Arts or Math, the student must show achievement at
the 90th percentile or higher (based on age) on the Missouri Grade Level Assessment (Terra
Nova portion)/or advanced performance over the past three years. Best practice research
indicates that this level of achievement is a strong indicator of success in an accelerated course.
If students have achievement scores below the 90th percentile, they can still be considered if
there are other indicators of exceptional achievement.
The Acceleration Committee will also take into consideration the following traits. A student
should exhibit the following in order to accelerate.
o Social/emotional maturity, academic motivation and persistence
o An interest in the specific academic area
o Strong independent study skills
Procedure
The following procedure will be followed by the Kirksville R-III School District in order to determine if a
student qualifies for acceleration and what type of acceleration best fits the student’s needs.
1. Parents, teachers, administrators, or students may initiate subject-matter acceleration
consideration by submitting a District Acceleration Request Form. (Appendix 1) Forms are
available in each school office.
2. The building principal will review the District Acceleration Request Form. (Appendix 1)
3. A discussion with the student (and parent(s) depending on age) regarding the possibility of
acceleration will take place. This discussion will be led by the building principal but is intended
to gain the student’s perspective, wishes, and concerns.
4. The building principal will gather data from school records, parents, teachers and student.
5. An Acceleration Study Team meeting will be scheduled by the building principal for the purpose
of assessing the above criteria and the student’s suitability for acceleration.
6. Every attempt will be made to have a decision within 30 school days of receipt of the Request
for Subject-Matter Acceleration form.
The following protocol will be followed;
Referral
Checklists
Assessment
and Screening
Schedule
Individual
Evaluation
Committee
Review
Committee
Review &
Identification
Initial
Notification*
Submitted to
building
principal by
April 1st
April – May
April - May
May
Deadline May
15
Before the last
day of school
*High School English requires an additional summer reading requirement and assessment to be
accelerated.
Recommendation
After the Acceleration Committee meets with the appropriate individuals, the committee will make one
of the following three (3) recommendations:
1. Subject acceleration will be recommended, and the student will advance to a higher grade level
course.
2. "Subject acceleration will be recommended, and the student will advance by means of
supervised independent study. The subject acceleration committee will reserve the right
to ensure decisions are age appropriate.
3. No subject acceleration will be recommended, but appropriate in-class interventions will be
planned and carried out.
The Acceleration Committee will notify the student, parent(s) and school personnel of its decision.
Parents may appeal the Committee’s decision by writing a letter of request for further consideration to
the Director of Curriculum.
Acceleration decisions are made on a six-week trial basis. Student progress will be monitored by the:
building counselor, building principal(s), gifted specialist, classroom teacher(s), and
parent(s)/guardian(s). A student not performing at a high level in both academics and conduct will be
asked to meet with the building principal to determine if a transfer into a more appropriate course is
advisable. Communication between school sites servicing the student is crucial. Transportation needs
and scheduling issues must be considered. Plans will be re-evaluated each spring to ensure an
appropriate course of study for the upcoming school year. The building principal will document the
acceleration in the student’s cumulative file.
Appendix 1
Kirksville R-III School District
District Acceleration Request Form
(Submit this form to your student’s building Principal)
Student’s Name ____________________________ Date __________________
Current Grade __________ School ___________________ Teacher _______________
Parent/Guardian Name/s ________________________________________________
Address _________________________ Phone ______________ work or home or cell?
_________________________ Email ____________________________
Nature of request:
_____ Single subject acceleration (i.e., Science). List subject _____________________
_____ Multiple subject acceleration. List subjects ______________________________
Reason(s) for Request:
On the back, give specific examples that you have observed of how your child functions at a
significantly higher level in the subject area requested for acceleration. In your narrative describe
each of the following:





Academic performance
Ability to apply, analyze, and evaluate ideas at an advanced level
Ability to work independently
Ability to think creatively
Motivation to work on advanced material
Parent Signature: ________________________________________Date: ________________
Appendix 2
Kirksville R-III School District
Subject Acceleration - Data Collection Form
Student Name____________________________ DOB __________________Date___________
Grade Level________ Teacher_____________________ School_________________________
Subject Area for Acceleration _______________________
MAP Test Results
_____Indicates need for subject acceleration
_____ Subject acceleration is not appropriate based on defined criteria
Subject Area Test Results
_____Indicates need for subject acceleration
_____ Subject acceleration is not appropriate based on defined criteria
Teacher Checklist
_____Indicates need for subject acceleration
_____ Subject acceleration is not appropriate based on defined criteria
Parent Request for Acceleration Form
_____Indicates need for subject acceleration
_____ Subject acceleration is not appropriate based on defined criteria
Recommendation and Implementation Plan
Person Responsible Monitoring Student Progress ______________________________________
Committee Members:
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Appendix 3
Request for Subject-Matter Acceleration – Classroom Teacher Recommendation Form
Name of Student:
Name of Teacher/Team:
Subject Area Requested for Acceleration:
Give specific examples of how this student functions at a significantly higher level than students
of the same age.
Applicable
Yes or No
Differentiation
Change Pace
Successful
Yes or No
Applicable
Yes or No
Learning
Centers
Learning
Contracts
Differentiated
Assessments
Open Ended
Assignments
Please submit this form to the Building Principal.
Differentiation
Curriculum
Compacting
Higher Level
Questioning
Independent
Research
Tiered
Assignments
Other
Successful
Yes or No