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Acceleration Procedures

Public Act 100-0421 – also known as the Accelerated Placement Act – was passed by the Illinois General Assembly on November 19, 2017, and went into effect on August 25, 2017.  Guidelines for the bill are as follows:

  • Illinois public school districts to adopt and implement policies on acceleration that, at minimum, provide opportunities for... 
    • early entrance to kindergarten,
    • early entrance to first grade,
    • opportunities for accelerating a student in a single subject area and 
    • opportunities for “whole grade” acceleration (sometimes referred to as “grade skipping”).

The law requires that district acceleration policies include:

  • A provision that states that participation in accelerated placement is not limited to those children who have been identified as gifted and talented, but rather is open to all children who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement;
  • A fair and equitable decision-making process that involves multiple persons and includes a student’s parents or guardians;
  • Procedures for notifying parents or guardians of a child of a decision affecting that child’s participation in an accelerated placement program; and
  • An assessment process that includes multiple valid, reliable indicators.

If you would like more information about having your child considered for early entry into kindergarten or first grade, or acceleration, please contact your building principal. Download a full description of acceleration procedures here.