Accelerated Placement

Accelerated Placement is the placement of a student at the instructional level that best matches that student’s needs by allowing access to a curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older or in higher grades than the student.  Students whose academic needs are not sufficiently met through differentiation may request consideration to the CUSD 201 Accelerated Placement Program.  Eligibility for the Accelerated Placement Program is open to all currently enrolled CUSD 201 students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, English language proficiency, or socioeconomic status. Participation in the CUSD 201 Accelerated Placement Program is not limited to students who have been identified as “high achievers” but is open to all children who demonstrate high ability.  

Accelerated Placement Team Members 

Evaluation Team Members:

  • The parent or Legal Guardian
  • Building Administrator
  • Grade Level Teacher/Team Leader
  • Student Services Team Member
  • Director of Technology, Teaching and Learning
  • School Psychologist
  • EL, Special Education Teacher (if necessary)

Application Process

The application window for consideration for the following school year opens on January 1st and closes on March 15th.

A student’s parent or guardian may apply and request consideration to the Accelerated Placement Program. On behalf of the student, the classroom teacher or building administrator may apply and request consideration to one of CUSD 201’s Accelerated Placement Programs.  

Academic Acceleration Request Form

Per ISBE 105 ILCS5/14A-32, copies of this policy are available at each school building as well as published on the CUSD 201 website. The school district will have thirty school days to assess the student and determine if an accelerated placement is warranted. 

Early Entrance to Kindergarten or First Grade

  • Contact resident building principal in writing between January 1st - March 15th.
  • The completed application must be turned in to the resident building principal by April 1st.

Residents of CUSD 201 who have children that will reach age five after September 1 may apply and request consideration for early entrance to kindergarten.  This process begins by parents contacting their child’s elementary building principal, in writing, by March 15th to state their intent to apply and start the Early Entrance Application Process. Students will participate in a school readiness assessment process to determine early entrance eligibility.

Areas of potential assessment:

  • Math and literacy skills
  • Cognitive ability
  • Adaptive behavior functioning
  • Social-emotional functioning
  • Functional performance in the school setting

Individual Subject Acceleration

Students whose academic needs are not sufficiently met through differentiation may request consideration for Individual Subject Acceleration Program.

Students who are highly advanced in either English Language Arts (ELA) or Mathematics may apply and request consideration for Individual Subject Acceleration. The first part of the Individual Subject Acceleration Request process will involve a review of 1) the individual student’s readiness to accelerate, 2) the student’s desire to accelerate, 3) and if the student’s academic needs are not being sufficiently met through differentiation.

  • Contact resident building principal

Criteria for readiness to accelerate may be determined based on the following criteria:

  • Consistent multiple iReady scores in the 99th percentile or higher in the subject area of ptential cceleration.
  • Demonstrated mastery of content area standards-based on summative assessment(s)
  • A comprehensive review of the student's current academic progress
  • Student interview
  • Measurement of verbal comprehension and expression skills
  • Measurement of visual or non-verbal reasoning skills

Whole Grade Acceleration

Students whose academic needs are not sufficiently met through differentiation may request consideration to the Whole-Grade Acceleration Program.

Whole grade acceleration is an option for students who are highly advanced in all core curriculum subject areas. This process will begin with a review of 1) the individual student’s readiness for whole grade acceleration, 2) the student’s desire for whole grade accelerate, 3) and if the student’s academic needs are not being sufficiently met grade-level differentiation.  When it is determined that differentiation may not be sufficient to meet the child's learning needs, the District will conduct a thorough review of the child's profile.

  • Contact the resident building principal.

Criteria for readiness to accelerate may be determined based on the following: 

  • Consistent Multiple iReady Scores in the 99th percentile or higher in Math
  • Consistent Multiple iReady Scores in the 99th percentile or higher in Reading
  • Iowa Acceleration Scale score
  • A comprehensive review of the student’s current academic progress
  • Readiness to accelerate
  • Student interview
  • Measurement of verbal comprehension and expression skills
  • Measurement of high visual or non-verbal reasoning skills

 

Acceleration Flowchart