Accelerated Placement

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RECOMMENDS:

That the Board amend Board Report 22-1026-PO1, Accelerated Placement policy. This policy was posted for public comment from April 21, 2023 until May 22, 2023.

PURPOSE: This policy will ensure compliance with 105 ILCS 5/14A-32 which requires the district to adopt a policy that provides students with the opportunity to participate in accelerated placements.

TEXT:

I. Applicability

This policy outlines the procedures for accelerated placements for early entrance to kindergarten, early entrance to first grade, single subject acceleration, whole grade acceleration, and accelerated high school course placement. If applicable, any changes to the early entrance opportunities will begin in the 2023-2024 application cycle for placement in the 2024-2025 school year, and then changes to the elementary single subject and whole grade acceleration opportunities will begin in the 2023-2024 application cycle for placement in the 2024-2025 school year. New high school automatic course placement will begin using test scores from the 2023-2024 school year for implementation beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

II. Accelerated Placement

Accelerated placement is the placement of a child in an educational setting with a curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older or in higher grades than the student. Accelerated placement is not limited to those students who have been identified as gifted and talented, but rather is open to all students who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement.

III. Consideration of Equity for Acceleration Placement

The district encourages all students who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement to apply. The district will provide a fee waiver for the screening assessment to any family who qualifies. The district will develop equity-based strategies reflecting the CPS Equity Framework in order to mitigate opportunity differences leading to achievement differences in access and success.

IV. Assessment Instruments

The district shall assess students for accelerated placement using a variety of measures that may include: (a) state assessments; (b) district assessments; (c) report cards; and (d) an acceleration scale.

• Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for Grades 3-8: The state mandated test for students in Grades 3-8 covering English language arts (ELA) and mathematics.
• Future district assessments: if the district mandates a new district-wide assessment for students in grades 2-6, this may be used as an Accelerated Placement pre-qualification.
• PSAT: The state mandated test for students in Grades 9-10.
• SAT: The state mandated test for students in Grade 11.
• Report Card Grades: Grade Point Average calculation in final grades in math, science, reading and social science for Whole-Grade Acceleration and quarterly grades in math and/or reading for Single-Subject Acceleration.
• Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS): The IAS is a guide for considering an individual child for academic acceleration. The IAS requires assessment information (test and other data) and utilizes a School Transition team format to come to agreement on a series of assessment questions related to the child’s motivation, school attendance, relationships with teachers and peers, and more.
  • School Factors – The School Transition team will evaluate the school factors to assess the student’s likelihood of success in an accelerated program.
  • Screening – An independent academic assessment billed to the parent or legal guardian unless the student qualifies for a fee waiver.

V. General Process for Accelerated Placement Applications

• Elementary Schools

  1. The general process for accelerated placements will consist of a referral, an application, an assessment, and a decision from the School Transition team. Parents or legal guardians seeking early entrance or accelerated placements must refer their children in accordance with the requirements and deadlines specified in the Accelerated Placement Guidelines. Parents or legal guardians may also apply for accelerated placement programs at a magnet or selective enrollment school in accordance with the Accelerated Placement Guidelines. More information can be found on the Accelerated Placement website.

     The Office of Access and Enrollment (OAE) manages the application process for Elementary accelerated placement. A student must meet the pre-qualifications set forth in this policy and Accelerated Placement Guidelines in order to be considered for accelerated placement. Without a determination from OAE that a student is eligible to be accelerated, principals and school staff may not accelerate students to a higher grade level.

     Notification of the decision for accelerated placement will be made by the school to the parents or legal guardians in accordance with the Accelerated Placement Guidelines.

     Students who qualify for early entrance and accelerated placement will receive those placements at their school along with a written transition plan to facilitate the accelerated placement.

• High Schools
  1. The general process for accelerated placements in high school will consist of automatic placement of a student in the most rigorous class in math, science, reading, and social science offered in their high school the following year based on their standardized test scores. This may also apply to Career and Technical Education, Computer Science, Humanities, and other related subjects. There is no application process. This process also applies to students attending magnet or selective enrollment schools. Students who qualify for automatic accelerated placement will have the opportunity to opt out of such acceleration.

VI. Criteria for Qualifying for Different Accelerated Placements in Elementary Schools

The Chicago Public Schools offers different accelerated placement options for its elementary school students at the students’ current elementary school (for acceleration) or incoming elementary school (for early entrance) provided the students meet the criteria for qualifying:

• Early Entrance to Kindergarten - To enroll in kindergarten and first grade, a student must satisfy the age eligibility requirements specified in Board Rule 6-2. However, parents may seek early entrance into kindergarten or first grade for students who qualify.

  1. Early Entrance to Kindergarten is the admission of a student to kindergarten who will not be five years old by September 1st of that school year but will reach the age five years old on or before December 31st.

     As noted in the accelerated placement guidelines, a student will qualify for early entrance to kindergarten if they:

     • provided satisfactory evidence via a letter from the student’s preschool that the student had or will have completed a full year of preschool by the first day they wish to enter kindergarten (this does not include homeschooling);
     • scored in the 91st percentile or higher on the developmental survey and;

     • received a score of the 91st percentile or higher on all of the academic and cognitive tests

       Students will not be permitted to test more than once for early entrance to kindergarten.

  2. Early Entrance to First Grade is the admission of a student to first grade who will not yet be six years old by September 1st of that school year but will reach the age of six years old on or before December 31st and who has not completed kindergarten at a public school in Chicago.

     The student will qualify for early entrance to first grade after providing a letter from the student’s school to the Office of Access and Enrollment that states that the student:

     • attended a non-CPS preschool and continued their education at that school through kindergarten;
     • was taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher, and;

     • is ready for first grade

     Students who are younger than six upon starting first grade but who were admitted early entrance to kindergarten do not need to be reevaluated prior to admission to first grade.

• Acceleration - While all schools are encouraged to use accelerated reading or math groupings within a grade level, parents or legal guardians may seek subject or whole grade acceleration at a higher grade level than is typical for the age of a student. Students who demonstrate high ability are assessed for accelerated placements based on the use of multiple valid, reliable indicators. The district will provide notification to parent(s)/guardian(s) of all students who may be eligible for single-subject or whole-grade acceleration based on the results of their IAR or other state test. In the event the district does not have the required data to determine a student’s eligibility, the district's notification requirement will be waived.

  1. Single subject acceleration is the admission of assigning a student in 4th through 6th grade to math and/or reading at a higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities.

     Students will qualify for single subject acceleration for the next grade level upon meeting the pre-qualifications, school factors, and screening:

     • Pre-qualifications:
       • In the previous year, student performs in the “Exceeds” test category on the IAR or state assessment in the subject in which acceleration is sought;
       • If a district assessment is administered, the student must perform in the 95-99 percentile for two (2) consecutive district assessment tests in the subject in which acceleration is sought; and
       • Student achieved a 3.75 grade point average per quarter for the past two years (eight consecutive quarters), in the subject(s) in which acceleration is sought.

       If a student’s district assessment results are incomplete or inaccessible through no fault of the student, the Office of Access and Enrollment and Department of Advanced Learning & Special Programs may make a determination using the best available data consistent with the standards described in this Policy.

     • School factors: School personnel will use the Iowa Acceleration Scale questionnaire to evaluate the student’s readiness for Accelerated Placement, and the student must score in the range designated in the Accelerated Placement guidelines.
     • Screening: If a student meets the prequalification criteria and school factors criteria determined by the Office of Access and Enrollment and parents wish to pursue single subject acceleration, then that student will be given an aptitude test one grade level higher than the student’s current grade level and must score in the score range designated in the Accelerated Placement guidelines. Students who attend Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools will be assessed one grade level higher than their current grade level of instruction.

  2. Whole grade acceleration acceleration is the admission of assigning a student in 4th through 6th grade to a higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age on a full-time basis for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities.

     Students will qualify for whole grade acceleration for the next grade level upon meeting the pre-qualifications, school factors, and screening:

     • Pre-qualifications:
       • In the previous year, student performs in the “Exceeds” test category on the IAR or state assessment in both English/language arts and math;
       • If a district assessment is administered, the student must perform in the 95-99 percentile for two (2) consecutive district assessment tests in the subject in both reading and math; and
       • Student achieved between 3.7 and 4.0 grade point average in final grades in the core areas of reading, math, science, and social studies in the previous year.

       If a student’s district assessment results are incomplete or inaccessible through no fault of the student, the Office of Access and Enrollment and Department of Advanced Learning & Special Programs may make a determination using the best available data consistent with the standards described in this Policy.

     • School factors: School personnel will use the Iowa Acceleration Scale questionnaire to evaluate the student’s readiness for Accelerated Placement, and the student must score in the range designated in the Accelerated Placement guidelines.
     • Screening: If a student meets the prequalification and the school factors criteria determined by the Office of Access and Enrollment, and parents wish to pursue whole grade acceleration, the student will be assessed using a variety of achievement tests two grade levels higher than the student’s current grade level and must score in the score range designated in the Accelerated Placement guidelines. Students who attend Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools will be assessed two grade levels higher than their current grade level of instruction.

VII. Criteria for Qualifying for Different Accelerated Placements in High Schools

Students who meet or exceed state standards on their state assessment shall be automatically enrolled in the next most rigorous level of coursework offered by their high school in the following grade level. For a student entering grade 12, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in English language arts or mathematics shall be a college credit course (dual credit course, an Advanced Placement course, or an IB course); otherwise, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework may include an honors class, an enrichment opportunity, a gifted program, or another program offered by the District.

Parents/guardians will be provided with the option to instead have the student enroll in alternative coursework that better aligns with the student’s postsecondary education or goals.

Nothing in this section may be interpreted to preclude other students from enrolling in advanced coursework per the policy of the district.

• Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Science
  1. A student in Grades 8-11 who meets or exceeds State standards in English language arts shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced high school coursework available in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects in the following year.
     1. Pre-qualifications
        • 9th grade
          1. The student’s 8th grade English IAR score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 9th grade course placement in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
        • 10th grade
          1. The student’s PSAT 9 score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 10th grade course placement in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
        • 11th grade
          1. The student’s 10th grade PSAT 10 score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 11th grade course placement in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
        • 12th grade
          1. The student’s 11th grade English SAT score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 12th grade course placement in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
• Math
  1. A student in Grades 8-11 who meets or exceeds State standards in math shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced high school coursework available in math and/or computer science in the following year.
     1. Pre-qualifications
        • 9th grade
          1. The student’s 8th grade math IAR score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 9th grade course placement in math and/or computer science.
        • 10th grade
          1. The student’s 9th grade math PSAT 9 score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 10th grade course placement in math and/or computer science.
        • 11th grade
          1. The student’s 10th grade math PSAT 10 score or nationally normed assessment scores scores will be used for 11th grade course placement in math and/or computer science.
        • 12th grade
          1. The student’s 11th grade math SAT score or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 12th grade course placement in math and/or computer science.

• Science

  1. A student in Grades 8-11 who meets or exceeds State standards in math and reading shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework available in science in the following year.
     1. Pre-qualifications
        • 9th grade
          1. The student’s 8th grade math and reading IAR scores or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 9th grade course placement in science.
        • 10th grade
          1. The student’s 9th grade math and reading PSAT 9 scores or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 10th grade course placement in science.
        • 11th grade
          1. The student’s 10th grade math and reading PSAT 10 scores or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 11th grade course placement in science.
        • 12th grade
          1. The student’s 11th grade math and reading SAT scores or other nationally normed assessment scores will be used for 12th grade course placement in science.

VIII. Continuation of Accelerated Placement

Absent extenuating circumstances that may affect the best interest of the student, once a student is admitted into an accelerated placement, that student may remain in the accelerated placement until completion of elementary school or high school; provided that remaining in the accelerated placement does not adversely affect the student’s social, emotional, and/or academic well-being. If the student transfers from a neighborhood or choice school to a Selective Enrollment Elementary School, the continuation of single-subject accelerated placement is at the discretion of the selective enrollment elementary school principal.

IX. Authorization to Issue Procedures and Guidelines

The CEO or designee is authorized to establish application procedures and requirements as necessary to effectively administer applications for accelerated placements and to establish an appeals process. The CEO or designee may also issue revised or updated procedures, rules and guidelines as necessary for effective implementation of the requirements of this policy.