Acceleration Timeline for 2023-24 Academic Year

Timeline for schools who start the study in 2023-2024 

September – January

  • NCRGE Recruits 30 schools to participate (Cohort 1).
  • School representative signs agreement with expectations for school and NCRGE.
  • Schools share recruitment video and distribute informed consent to classroom teachers at grades 3-5 and other educators (g/t specialist, counselor/psychologist, and administrator) working with 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students.

January – March

  • NCRGE assigns schools to treatment (Group A) and control (Group B) within districts.
  • Participating educators complete “Educators’ Attitudes about Acceleration Survey.”
  • Schools organize 3rd grade students’ achievement and aptitude data and select potential student participants following NCRGE guidance.

February – March

  • Potential parent and student participants in treatment schools (Group A) receive printed or email-linked Qualtrics Parent Permission Form A from school (requesting agreement to complete “Parents’ Perceptions of Students’ Academic Challenge Survey” and “Students’ Perceptions About School Challenge Survey,” allow NCRGE use of student’s school data, and participate in IAS meeting).
  • Potential parent and student participants in control schools (Group B) receive Parent Permission Form B from school (requesting agreement to complete “Parents’ Perceptions of Students’ Academic Challenge Survey” and “Students’ Perceptions About School Challenge Survey” and allow NCRGE use of student’s school data).
  • Parent and student participants who agree to participate return permission forms to schools.
  • Parent/Student pairs who agreed to participate complete “Parents’ Perceptions of Students’ Academic Challenge Survey” and “Students’ Perceptions About School Challenge Survey.”
  • Participating educators complete four professional learning modules.

April – May

  • Educators in treatment schools prepare for and participate in IAS meetings.
  • Parents in treatment schools (Group A) who agreed to the study participate in IAS meetings with educators.

May – June

  • Teachers complete post “Educators’ Attitudes about Acceleration Survey.”
  • Treatment schools (Group A) begin transition for students who will participate in subject-specific or whole-grade acceleration.
  • Schools share students’ achievement and aptitude scores, students’ grades, and report on acceleration decisions with NCRGE researchers.

2024-2025 (Year 2)

  • Repeat all student- and parent-related Year 1 steps and timeline for students at grades 2 and 3.
  • Grade 2 teachers complete consent process and professional learning modules.
  • Schools share achievement data and grades for students who were considered for acceleration in Year 1 (grade 4 or 5 data, depending on whether accelerated).
  • Parents and students who were part of those acceleration decisions in Year 1 are asked to complete the online “Parents’ Perceptions of Students’ Academic Challenge Survey” and “Students’ Perceptions About School Challenge Survey” again.
  • Educators complete “Educators’ Attitudes about Acceleration Survey” at the end of the year.

2025-2026 (Year 3)

  • Schools share achievement data and grades for students who were considered for acceleration in Year 2 (grade 3, 4, or 5 data, depending on whether accelerated).
  • Parents and students who were part of those acceleration decisions in Year 2 are asked to complete the online “Parents’ Perceptions of Students’ Academic Challenge Survey” and “Students’ Perceptions About School Challenge Survey” again.
  • Educators complete “Educators’ Attitudes about Acceleration Survey” at the end of the year.
  • NCRGE provides control school educators (Group B) with professional learning modules and access to Integrated Acceleration System.