To Be Determined

Whole Grade Advancement occurs when students move through the traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. It means matching the curriculum's level and complexity with the student's readiness and motivation. 

The student who is a whole grade advanced is placed into the next grade and should achieve at the same level as the top students in the next grade. The student should be able to maintain this high level of performance throughout their school career.

Whole Grade Advancement (WGA) is an option that can be considered for the few highly gifted students who: 

• consistently perform one or more grade levels above their current grade level in all subject areas. 

• are cognitively and conceptually capable of handling the increased demands of the next grade level by transferring previous learning and acquired knowledge to accomplish complex cognitive tasks. 

• are socially and emotionally mature and typically demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in their interactions with adults, age-mates, and older and younger students. 

• may be strong learners who actively seek and persist in new, rigorous academic challenges. These students may be self-motivated and self-sustainable.

Questions to Consider Before Whole Grade Advancement Nomination

Things to Consider

When is the best time to Whole Grade Advance a student?

Research suggests that the younger the student is when accelerated, the better they can adjust.  For these early decisions, it is essential that a student has experienced a structured classroom, interacted with peers, and learned the challenges of sharing adult attention with other children. The start of an academic year would be an excellent time to consider whole grade advancement.

How important are siblings' age and school grade when considering grade advancement?

It is not recommended that a student be skipped into the same grade as an older sibling. However, these students still need to be challenged and exposed to rigorous content, so though not recommended, this practice would be considered.  

How important are non-academic developmental characteristics such as age and physical size?

Physical characteristics such as a child’s age and physical size are important factors to consider in the whole grade process but are not the main determining factors for advancement. This process considers the whole child when deciding what might be best for their academic future. 

What about acceleration for the student who is advanced academically/intellectually but not socially-emotionally?

Grade skipping tends to substantially improve social adjustment (along with a slight gain in self-esteem). When children do move to the higher grade, they are, in fact, more likely to make friends, perhaps because the older children may have similar interests or are slightly more socially mature. Holding back gifted students is much more likely to be stressful for them or harmful in other ways (such as teaching them to ‘coast’ along, which may deny them the opportunity to learn to cope with intellectual challenges).  Davidson Institute 

What if the student is involved in competitive school athletics?

Whole-grade advancement may place some students at a competitive disadvantage in their particular sport. Parents and students should be aware of this and encouraged to discuss any concerns with the school.

Susan Assouline, Ph.D. et al (1998). Iowa Acceleration Scale: A Guide for Whole-Grade Acceleration K-8  Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology

Whole Grade Advancement Nomination Process

What are the procedures for Whole Grade Adv

• A Whole Grade Advancement (WGA) nomination is submitted to your child’s AIG teacher. The AIG teacher will then submit the information to the Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education (SBCGE). This nomination must be received by SBCGE well before instructional day 135. Requesting WGA before instructional day 135 allows the AIG teacher time to collect and present portfolio evidence to the SBCGE. It also provides time for ALS Central Services to schedule the psychological evaluation if needed.

• The Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education reviews performance data, which includes reading, writing, and math work samples and observational data. The collected data should showcase the student's academic ability to perform one or more grade levels above the current grade placement. The SBCGE will recommend further evaluation or will not recommend WGA. 

• If the Woods Creek Elementary School's School Based Committee for Gifted Education recommends further evaluation, parents will be notified by their school’s AIG teacher and receive the parent checklist and the Prior Notice and Consent for Referral.  Both documents must be completed and returned for the WGA process to continue.  

• If the Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education does not recommend further evaluation, the process will not continue. Parents may request to meet with the SBCGE team to review the data and discuss the decision.

• Students recommended for further evaluation will be tested by the WCPSS AIG Psychologist and the AIG teacher. The psychologist schedules conducts and interprets the required Evaluations. Parents may obtain an individual independent psychological assessment at their own expense.