Acceleration Program

For those students who perform above their grade levels –

based on Ohio’s academic content model –

an Acceleration Program is a most effective intervention

for enhancing academic growth in advanced students

(Kulik & Kulik 2004).

Students served through an acceleration model have demonstrated long term social and academic benefits.  Cuyahoga Heights Schools embraced the concepts of acceleration when designing educational programs for students Pre-K to 12.

The Ohio Department of Education provides parents with information regarding the identification of advanced students:           

• District Policy and Plan
• Eligibility Criteria
• Assessment Instruments

How Are Students Identified for the Acceleration Program?

Each school has an identification team composed of the building principal, counselor and teachers. All students are screened in kindergarten per HB 282 using state approved assessment instruments.  Students may be assessed again in future grades upon recommendation of the parents, teachers or principal.  Criteria for identification includes

Cognitive scores and specific achievement scores (95% or higher in reading and mathematics)

Documented superior performance in the classroom

Teacher input

Serving the 21st Century Advanced Learner

Engineering a well-thought out plan for challenging our most advanced students includes those 21st Century skills we hear so much about – divergent thinking, integration of technology, problem-solving, real-world connections, globalization and self-directness.  Our acceleration plan includes all of these skills and promotes students as independent learners.  Students are asked to do more in different ways and explore the world for up-to-date information and answers. 

How Does Acceleration Work ?

Students and families in Cuyahoga Heights Schools have several options based on the Ohio Model and best practices.  These options include

• Early Admission to Kindergarten
• Subject Acceleration
• Grade Acceleration
• Grouping for Instruction
• High School Courses in Middle School
• Honors, Pre-Advanced Placement,  and Advanced Placement Courses
• Earned College Credit While in High School

Parents and school personnel – teachers, administrators, counselors and psychologists – review academic performance, socialization and data from a variety of tests to determine how a student’s needs are best met.

Extensions to Learning

An essential component of our district’s drive to meet the needs of our advanced students is making connections between school and global learning experiences.  Just a few of these “extensions to learning” include

For additional information, please refer to the Cuyahoga Heights Schools’ Acceleration Policy            

District Acceleration Policy