Acceleration is Still the Lodestone for Gifted Program Development

This column reviews research related to acceleration. The author discusses myths about acceleration, truths about the use of acceleration, and strategies for acceleration in classrooms. Policy recommendations are provided for responsible school decision making. Based on 100 years of evidence, the author concludes that acceleration opportunities for gifted students throughout the schooling process is a basic right and a necessity to an appropriate education for them, a key tenet for inclusion in school district mission statements.