San Diego Math Circle

Acceleration

Acceleration, in the present context, means the advancement of a student in - say - math, by a grade level or more beyond a student's nominal grade level in school.  Acceleration can be a positive experience, but can also be a very problematic.  Generally speaking, the larger the acceleration, e.g., by two years or more, the more problematic acceleration can become.  The subject is complicated by the fact that there are multiple ways in which acceleration can become problematic, so that any one may or may not apply to a particular student, but the likelihood that others apply is nontrivial.

SDMC is neutral with respect to acceleration, meaning that the enrichment/education we provide is not designed to promote acceleration through the standard school curriculum.  Instead, we build upon the base established by that curriculum by building problem-solving skills and developing subjects in dimensions not normally reached in mainstream schools.  In this sense, the SDMC experience can be viewed as an alternative to acceleration, providing exceptional students with advanced educational challenges while remaining in a more-or-less normal sequence in their traditional schooling.

What can go wrong with acceleration?

Most schools genuinely desire to assist gifted youth, but have limited means and flexibility to do so.  At the same time, there is considerable variance in what specific schools are prepared to accommodate.  Most school systems have a plan that begins in the lower grades with Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) continuing into Honors courses that feed into Advanced Placement (AP) courses.  The practical fact is that this tends to be a baseline for many SDMC students, so that acceleration really means breaking out of the GATE-Honors-AP arc.

Even an acceleration by one year can pose practical problems.  For example, consider an acceleration that puts a 5th grade elementary school student into a 6th grade middle school class, or an 8th grade middle school student into a 9th grade high school class.  For many students this would mean shuttling between schools on a regular basis that could be a challenge for all to accommodate.

Independent of any logistical challenges, some students might experience some social complications, either from some difficulty mixing with mostly older students, or with being "different" among less mature students.

Acceleration is a long-term proposition and the challenges associated with it have the potential to renew themselves year upon year, or even grow.  Any plan for acceleration must consider how the accumulation of accelerations affects a students final years of high school.  Some schools can accommodate a one-year acceleration by inserting an elective math course such as AP Statistics.  Few schools, however have the depth of curriculum to accommodate an acceleration of more than one year.

Accelerations of more than one year almost of necessity require considering options beyond the high school walls, such as local colleges or universities.  Such options introduce new complications relating to scheduling, credits, grades, as well as new logistical and social integration issues.

Distance Education or Online Learning offer opportunities for advanced study outside the standard school curriculum.  However, while such options have certain advantages, they also present their own challenges.

 

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