ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we report on acceleration in American schools. There may be cultural and educational nuances elsewhere that require modifications to the way acceleration is implemented in the United States. However, the essential elegance and simplicity of both the rationale behind acceleration (academic readiness) and intervention (providing more advanced curriculum to a student) remains true across settings. We encourage our colleagues elsewhere to analyse their own acceleration practices, so that we may learn more about how acceleration can work worldwide. We believe that in the not-too-distant future, acceleration will no longer carry the burden of ambiguity and misunderstanding. Instead, it simply will be seen as a more effective curricular intervention for gifted students that has a robust research base. This will be true, not just for US schools, but for schools around the world.