------------------------------ ERIC Digest --------------------------- 
 
ERIC Digest E526 
 
Should Gifted Students Be Grade-Advanced?        
Written by Sharon J. Lynch, Ph.D. 
 
 
Should Gifted Students Be Grade-Advanced? 
 
 
Intellectually gifted and academically talented  
students are able to learn material rapidly and  
understand concepts deeply. Keeping them challenged  
and learning to their capacity can require changes in  
their regular school programs. Education programs for  
children identified as gifted and talented take many  
forms pull-out programs offering educational  
enrichment, honors classes, after school and summer  
programs featuring special course work, and mentor  
programs in which children are matched with  
professionals in the community for special learning  
experiences.  
 
Sometimes, gifted youngsters may be so advanced in  
knowledge and so clearly operating at an intellectual  
level beyond that of their same-age peers that educa- 
tional acceleration is a realistic and desirable alterna- 

tive to normal grade-level work. Educational accelera- 
tion is often perceived simply as placing a child one or  
more grades ahead with older children. For instance, a  
child who has completed the fourth grade may be  
double-promoted to the sixth, skipping fifth grade en- 
tirely. Sometimes, if children are especially talented  
in one subject area (most often mathematics, science, or  
English), they may be allowed to take advanced  
courses with older students in that subject while re- 
maining in their own grade for other subjects. Another  
alternative is to have gifted children tutored and ad- 
vanced in given subjects, either individually or in small  
groups of children with similar talents. For instance, a  
group of high school students might meet for advanced  
mathematics classes twice a week with a professor  
from a local university. 
 
These arrangements are all appropriate for children  
who are intellectually and academically capable of  
learning at a faster pace and in greater depth than  
their same-age peers, and who are motivated to do so.  
Insisting that gifted and talented students remain with  
their age-mates at all costs may exact too high a cost  
from them. It may result in boredom and daydreaming,  
poor study habits, behavior problems, or school  
avoidance. But the decision to allow a child to accel- 
erate educationally is one that must be made for each  
child, taking into account his or her intellectual and  
emotional needs and the services the school can pro- 
vide. 
 
Is Educational Acceleration Harmful to the Child  
Academically? 
 
The majority of studies have shown that children who  
have been educationally accelerated do not suffer aca- 
demically. Their grades are higher than those of their  
peers who chose not to accelerate, and they compare  
favorably with those of older students in their classes.  
Accelerated students also report heightened interest in  
and enthusiasm for school. 
 
But Won't There Be Gaps in the Child's Knowledge? 
 
If children skip one or more grades, they may occa- 
sionally encounter unfamiliar material from the  
skipped grade. Therefore, arrangements should be  
made to allow the children to cover any such material  
without penalty as it is encountered. Because there is  
repetition in normal curricula, gaps occur less often than  
one might think and are seldom a significant problem  
for the gifted and talented student, who learns quickly  
and well. 
 
Is Educational Acceleration Harmful to the Child  
Emotionally or Socially? 
 
This aspect of educational acceleration seems to worry  
parents and educators most. In general, children who  
are well-adjusted and socially at ease before accelerat- 
ing report having two groups of friendsQthey belong to  
a circle of older students, but they also retain friend- 
ships with children who are the same age.  
 
Children who are socially withdrawn or who have  
difficulty making friends may experience similar prob- 
lems when placed with older children. On the other  
hand, there are cases in which a gifted child is more  
comfortable with older children than with age-mates.  
This may be true more often for girls than boys. The  
receiving classroom teacher in an accelerated setting  
can help the younger student find a niche among the  
older students. 
 
What Do Educators Think of the Educational  
Acceleration Option? 
 
Research about acceleration consistently documents  
positive effects, both academic and social, for children  
who have accelerated, but educators have been slow to  
embrace the option. Fears about social and emotional  
development problems for these children are common.  
However, people who specialize in working with  
gifted and talented children and teachers and parents  
who have had personal experience with educational  
acceleration tend to be more positive. 
 
How Do Parents Know If Their Child Should  
Accelerate? 
 
If children's standardized test scores, particularly  
achievement test scores, are many grades above level or  
off the charts entirely, they are good candidates for  
acceleration. If a child who was previously an avid  
student begins to complain of boredom or starts mis- 
behaving in school, it may be an indication that he or  
she needs additional challenges (but remember that  
any child may be bored or have behavior problems).  
Ideally, the decision to accelerate should be mutualQ 
the child, parents, and school officials all agreeing  
that it would serve the child well. The school  
psychologist or Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)  
committee should be consulted early in the process. 
 
When Should One Be Cautious About Acceleration? 
 
If the child under consideration for acceleration is  
physically or emotionally immature, is pushed into the  
process by adults, or receives constant negative feed- 
back at school from peers or educators, problems could  
occur. If the school accelerates students routinely so  
that an accelerated youngster does not stand out as  
peculiar and has a small support group of similar  
youngsters, then chances for an easy adjustment in- 
crease.  
 
A child who has been accelerated may find that he or  
she is no longer the best in the class. Both parents and  
the child should be ready for this. Parents should be  
supportive, but never put undue pressure on the gifted  
and talented child to performQcertainly not when he  
or she is adjusting to a new environment. The decision to  
academically accelerate a child may be reversed at  
any time if it appears not to be working out for the  
child academically, socially, or emotionally. Adults  
should help children in this situation understand that  
the change is not a failure. 
 
What About Acceleration in a Single Subject? 
 
This option tends to meet with less resistance from ed- 
ucators than grade-skipping because children still take  
most classes with their age-mates, alleviating concerns  
about social problems. Here, continuity is crucial.  
Accelerating students one year, only to have them re- 
peat the material the next, is no solution. Teachers or  
curriculum specialists can be helpful in determining  
what aspects of a subject are covered in each grade.  
Accelerated students may need to make special ar- 
rangements to travel to a junior high or high school, or  
even take a college course before high school  
graduation. It is important to obtain the cooperation of  
the school district throughout the child's educational  
career. Transportation problems may prove more dif- 
ficult to solve than academic or social ones. 
 
What Are the Steps in Making the Decision To  
Accelerate? 
 
Assuming that parents and student agree to explore this  
option, parents might begin by discussing it with the  
school's coordinator for the gifted and talented,  
guidance counselor, or principalQwhichever person  
knows the child best. The classroom teachers' opinions  
also should be sought. Next, the child's academic po- 
tential and social and emotional adjustment should be  
evaluated by a school psychologist. The final decision  
will probably be made by the school's IEP committee or  
the principal. It helps to have the enthusiastic support  
and understanding of the teachers who will be working  
with the accelerated child, as well as commitments for  
continuity and coordination from school authorities.  
Parents considering this option may find it helpful to  
contact the coordinator for gifted and talented  
education at their state department of education. 
 
Sources 
 
Most of the following referencesQthose identified with an ED  
or EJ numberQhave been abstracted and are in the ERIC  
database. The journal articles should be available at most re- 
search libraries. For a list of ERIC collections in your area,  
contact ACCESS ERIC at 1-800-LET-ERIC. 
 
Brody, L.E. and C.P. Benbow (Summer 1987). Accelerative  
Strategies: How Effective Are They for the Gifted?  Gifted  
Child Quarterly, 31 (3), 105-109. EJ 363 446. 
Cornell, D.G., C.M. Callahan, L.E. Bassin, and S.G. Ramsey  
(1991). Chapter 3:  Affective Development in Accelerated  
Students.  In W. T. Southern and E.D. Jones (Eds.), Academic  
Acceleration of Gifted Children. New York: Teachers College  
Press. 
Davis, G.A. and S.B. Rimm (1989). Education of the Gifted and  
Talented. Chapter 5: Acceleration. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  
Prentice Hall.  
Feldhusen, J.F., T.B. Proctor, and K.N. Black (September 1986).  
Guidelines for Grade Advancement of Precocious Children.  
Roeper Review, 9 (1), 25-27. EJ 343 937. 
Kulik, J.A. and C.C. Kulik (October 1984).  Synthesis of  
Research on Effects of Accelerated Instruction. Educational  
Leadership, 42 (2), 84-89. EJ 308 281. 
Lynch, S. (Winter 1990).  Credit and Placement Issues for the  
Academically Talented Following Summer Studies in Science  
and Mathematics. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34 (1), 27-30. EJ  
408 556. 
Southern, W.T., E.D. Jones, and E.D. Fiscus. (Winter 1989).  
Practitioner Objections to the Academic Acceleration of  
Gifted Children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 33 (1), 29-35. EJ 392  
219. 
 
For more information on this subject, contact: 
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education 
Council for Exceptional Children 
1920 Association Drive Reston, VA 22091-1589 
(703) 264-9474 
 
Written by Sharon J. Lynch, Ph.D., The George Washington  
University, School of Education and Human Development. 
  
This publication was prepared by ACCESS ERIC with funding  
from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.  
Department of Education, under Contract No. RI890120. The  
opinions expressed in this brochure do not necessarily reflect  
the positions or policies of the Department of Education. The  
brochure is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it  
in whole or in part is granted.