The acceleration process at Reynoldsburg City Schools is outlined within District Policy and follows the guidelines from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
With the exception of students enrolling in Integrated Math I or English 9 (English Language Arts I) in 8th grade, all acceleration processes are initiated by a referral, which can be made by a parent/guardian, teacher, counselor/social worker, principal, or the student. Once a referral has been initiated, the District will ensure that consent to evaluate the student is granted by the parent/guardian.
Evaluation for acceleration consists of three types of assessments:
- An ability test, which will provide a full-scale IQ score for the student. If the student's full-scale IQ is greater than or equal to 115, further evaluation will take place. If the full-scale IQ score is less than 115, the District will not recommend acceleration for the student and no further evaluation will take place.
- Achievement testing, which will provide information on the student's performance at the current age/grade level in the area recommended for acceleration. If the student is recommended for early entrance to kindergarten or whole-grade acceleration, then the student will be tested for achievement in mathematics, reading, and language skills. Achievement testing in science and social studies may also be recommended for whole-grade acceleration.
- Aptitude testing, which will provide information on how the student is likely to perform at a higher grade level. Aptitude scores can often be obtained by norming achievement tests based on a higher grade level or age. It is recommended that aptitude testing be completed at two (2) grade levels above the student's current grade/age.
Once all evaluations are complete, a committee will be formed to determine if the student should be accelerated. This committee will typically consist of the following members:
- the parent/guardian
- the school psychologist who evaluated the student
- the gifted coordinator
- a building principal
- the student's current teacher (if applicable)
- the teacher who will be receiving the student if acceleration is recommended
If the student is referred for early entrance to kindergarten or whole-grade acceleration, the committee will use the information from the evaluation, as well as other information about the student's social and emotional development, to complete the Iowa Acceleration Scale. This scale functions as a rubric to produce a recommendation for acceleration.
If the student is referred for single subject acceleration, the committee will use a single subject acceleration tool, such as the GCCO acceleration tool. This tool is similar to the Iowa Acceleration Scale, but is specifically designed for single subject referrals where the Iowa Acceleration Scale evaluates all subject areas.
If a recommendation is made by the committee, a Written Acceleration Plan will be developed, which will include the date when the acceleration will begin. This plan will also outline strategies to be used by the District, teachers, student, and parent/guardian to ensure that the transition to the new placement is successful.
If it is not recommended to accelerate the student, then all evaluation materials will be kept on file and the referral will be closed. The parent/guardian has the right to appeal the acceleration decision to the superintendent.
Written Acceleration Plans
Written Acceleration Plans are documents developed for each student during the initial phase of academic acceleration. Students being subject-area accelerated, whole-graded accelerated, or admitted as early entrance to kindergarten are all placed on a Written Acceleration Plan, which takes effect the first day of the acceleration and continues for a limited period of time.
The Written Acceleration Plan (WAP) is an agreement between the school and family to take appropriate actions to ensure that the acceleration is successful. Typically, WAPs will include actions to be taken by the school, the parent, and the student. Additionally, each WAP will include information about the initial placement and the accelerated placement (including the teachers from each placement), the duration of the transition period, and the personnel responsible for monitoring the success of the acceleration (typically a classroom teacher and building principal).
The transition period for the acceleration is a time during which changes to the acceleration plan may be made. These changes may include adjustments to the placement or withdrawal from the accelerated placement and return to the initial placement. Transition periods are typically set for either one grading period (9 weeks) or one semester.
The most important aspect of all Written Acceleration Plans, and academic acceleration in general, is communication. The school will make efforts to communicate with the families if any concerns arise during the transition period; likewise, the school encourages students and families to promptly communicate any concerns during the transition period.