Student Progression Plan

Acceleration

Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) Options

Each school offers Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) options: whole-grade and mid-year promotion, subject matter acceleration, and virtual instruction in higher grade-level subjects.

Promotion by Acceleration in Grades K-5

When outstanding abilities and skills are demonstrated, a student may be considered for accelerated grade placement. The student must also demonstrate physical, social, and emotional maturity. In each acceleration case considered, the recommendation shall be communicated to the student’s parent/ legal guardian in a conference with the principal (or designee), and a written confirmation of the decision shall be furnished to the parent or guardian. In the event that a conference is not possible, written communication to the parent/legal guardian is deemed sufficient. The District’s Whole Grade Acceleration Protocol must be used for all acceleration requests; the Elementary Whole Grade Acceleration Checklist is available from the Gifted Program Specialist. Consistent with school board rules and in accordance with state statute 1012.28 (5) F.S., the Superintendent has designated the principal of the school as the final authority in the placement of students in programs or classes. The acceleration process does not supersede initial placement age criteria provided in Florida Statute 1003.21:

For kindergarten, the student must be 5 years on or before September 1 of the school year.
For first grade, the student must be 6 years old on or before September 1 of the school year.

Whole Grade Acceleration

Acceleration is the skipping of a grade, or part of a grade, based on exceptionally high achievement by a student. This is documented on the St. Johns County Acceleration Form, FAST Level 5 in reading and mathematics, evidence that the student will benefit from the instructional program at the advanced grade level and that acceleration is appropriate. No student can be eligible for acceleration if he/she has ever been retained. Requests & protocol for Whole Grade Acceleration should be completed before November 1.

When such administrative assignment of a student involves two schools, an agreement between the two principals is required. The probable long-range academic, social, and emotional effect of the decision shall be reviewed by the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Team. The principal, with the recommendation of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Team and with the approval of the superintendent or designee, has the responsibility for making such assignments. However, a student shall not be accelerated without parent/legal guardian consent. Student progress shall be reviewed to maintain continuous advanced placement. The student should be monitored for the first six weeks of the change of placement to assess progress. If acceleration is not appropriate for the student, the student may return to the former placement.

The student’s cumulative guidance record and report card shall be noted to indicate “accelerated grade placement” and the major reasons for the acceleration. In the cumulative record, the name of the principal making the assignment is indicated. Parents/legal guardians must be notified formally in writing that their child is receiving an accelerated grade placement to the next higher grade. A copy of this notification must also be filed in the cumulative folder.

Whole Grade Acceleration Procedures

A teacher or parent/legal guardian who believes a student might be a candidate for whole grade acceleration shall contact the school counselor and share classroom evidence and FAST performance or progress monitoring data in support of the student’s possible assignment to the next grade level.
The school counselor shall review the classroom evidence of 80% mastery of standards in English language arts, math, science, and social studies, and discuss the long-term ramifications of whole grade acceleration and review the Whole Grade Acceleration Checklist with the parent.
If testing is authorized by the parent, the school counselor shall notify the principal and obtain the appropriate assessments from the K-12 Gifted Program Specialist
The school counselor shall complete all required components of the Whole Grade Acceleration checklist with the assistance of the curriculum specialist for the independent reading and writing assessment and school psychologist for the Iowa Acceleration Scale Booklet.
The principal and school counselor shall sign and submit the complete acceleration packet to the K-12 Gifted Program Specialist. The professional opinion of school staff will be considered as part of the criteria.
The Gifted Program Specialist will review the documentation of 80% mastery and use the preponderance of evidence to make a recommendation of whole grade acceleration and shall notify the school within five days of the decision.
The accelerated student should be closely monitored for the first six weeks of the new grade level placement. If acceleration is not appropriate, the student may return to the former placement.

Single Subject Acceleration

To allow students to progress on their own customized learning paths (CLPs), the following procedures allow for demonstration of mastery and single course acceleration. It is necessary to complete the District’s Course Acceleration Checklist and Course Acceleration Request, available from the K-12 Gifted Program Specialist. Consistent with school board rules and in accordance with state statute 1012.28 (5) F.S., the Superintendent has designated the principal of the school as the final authority in the placement of students in programs or classes.

Students in all grades are eligible for single course acceleration after demonstrating mastery of the current grade level course standards. When a student is accelerated, they are still responsible for mastering all standards in the current grade level courses and will be required to take all district and FAST Assessments at the grade level of the accelerated course. Integrated curriculum standards such as literacy and social studies may be missed through acceleration yet included on future assessments required for middle school promotion. In addition, math and science topics are presented only once rather than being repeated year after year. Therefore, the parent/legal guardian should consider carefully the full academic and social ramifications of acceleration and confer with the school counselor to determine if single course acceleration is appropriate for the student based on the student’s academic history, teacher recommendation, ability to work independently and the long-range academic, social, and emotional effect of acceleration. The Course Acceleration Request should be completed before November 1.

Examples of single course acceleration:

A fourth-grade student who earned a level 5 on the FAST in reading or math and demonstrates at least 80% mastery of the fourth-grade level course standards as identified by district assessments is eligible to request single course acceleration to a fifth-grade level course in reading or math. If the student also demonstrates 80% mastery of fifth grade level course standards and district assessments, they are eligible to take a sixth-grade level course.
A fifth-grade students who earned a level 5 on the FAST in reading and demonstrates at least 80% mastery of the fifth-grade level course standards in reading and writing might advance to M/J Language Arts I Advanced, M/J World History Advanced, or M/J Science I Advanced.
A fifth-grade student who earned a level 5 on the FAST in math and demonstrates at least 80% mastery on the fifth-grade level course standards in math might advance to M/J Math I Advanced (1001.42 F.S.).
A second-grade student who can show 80% mastery of the second-grade standards in math as identified by district assessments and progress monitoring assessments might advance to another classroom for third grade math or do third grade math virtually.

Students who do not have a FAST score can show 80% mastery by progress monitoring assessments and district formative assessments. Middle school courses are accessible only through virtual instruction and require the approval of the principal, Director for Instructional Services and the Director of Guidance and Choice.

St. Johns Virtual School (SJVS) is the provider of first choice for virtual instruction; however, in situations in which SJVS cannot fulfill the need, students may qualify to access the services of Florida Virtual School (FLVS).

Procedure for Single Course Acceleration

A teacher or parent/legal guardian who believes a student might be a candidate for course acceleration shall contact the school counselor and share classroom evidence and FAST performance or progress monitoring data in support of the student’s possible assignment to the next grade level course.

The school counselor shall review the classroom evidence of potential course mastery and complete the Course Acceleration Checklist with the parent.
If testing is authorized by the parent on the Course Acceleration Checklist, the school counselor shall notify the principal and obtain the appropriate assessments from the Instructional Services department.
The teacher shall administer the recommended assessments and consult with the Curriculum Specialist to determine if the student demonstrates mastery, defined as 80% or better.
If the student achieves a mastery score of 80% or above, the teacher shall note the areas that the student has not yet mastered and instruct the student in those areas prior to or while the student is taking the next course in the sequence.
The principal and school counselor shall complete and submit the Course Acceleration Request to the K-12 Gifted Program Specialist.
K-12 Gifted Program Specialist will review the documentation of 80% mastery and make a final determination of single course acceleration and shall notify the school within five days of the decision.
If virtual school is required for the next course level, the K-12 Gift Program Specialist will send the Course Acceleration Request to the Director of Guidance and Choice for registration.
If the acceleration is to a virtual course, the progress of the student in the new course shall be monitored by the virtual teacher.
If the acceleration is to another teacher’s classroom, the sending teacher shall monitor the student’s mastery of the items not mastered on the assessments and keep the teacher of the accelerated course apprised of the student’s progress on the missed items.
At the end of the accelerated course, the classroom teacher(s) and a school administrator shall review FAST/progress monitoring and course performance to determine appropriate placement for the student in the next school year. The student’s CLP would include one of the following two scenarios in elementary school:
- the student would remain in the same grade level course the following year with differentiated instruction to expand the student’s knowledge and skills.
- the student would move to the next course in the sequence.

For example, a grade 4 student who demonstrated mastery of grade 4 math and was accelerated to grade 5 math might progress adequately through the year but be a candidate for more and differentiated instruction in grade 5 math the following year, or he/she might demonstrate mastery of the grade 5 math standards and be moved to the comparable course at the next level during the fifth grade school year – in this case M/J Math I Advanced through SJVS or FLVS.