All students at Piqua City Schools may be eligible for academic acceleration. Students interested in academic acceleration must meet the criteria determined by the District and complete the processes outlined in the District's acceleration policy. Following the guidelines set by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Piqua City Schools offers the following academic acceleration options:
- Early Entrance to Kindergarten
- Early entrance to kindergarten is an acceleration format available for students whose 5th birthday falls after August 1 but before January 1 of the year he or she plan to enter school. More information is available on the Early Entrance to Kindergarten page.
- Early Entrance to First Grade
- Early entrance to first grade is an acceleration format available to students of school age who are academically, socially, and emotionally prepared for advanced content. If your child is currently enrolled in kindergarten, or will be enrolling in kindergarten, and is academically ready for 1st grade, this acceleration option may be an appropriate option for your child.
- Whole Grade Acceleration
- Whole grade acceleration occurs most often during elementary school years and is designed for students whose ability and aptitude have developed well beyond their current grade level. An example of whole grade acceleration would be a student advancing from 1st grade to 3rd grade by skipping the 2nd grade. An acceleration team will consider many developmental factors before recommending whole grade acceleration, including but not limited to: academic performance, student ability, student aptitude, social development, emotional development, and readiness for advanced content. Both early entrance to kindergarten and whole grade acceleration are evaluated by a team of district administrators, school psychologists, teachers, and parents/guardians.
- Single Subject Acceleration
- Single-subject acceleration or subject area acceleration is designed for students whose ability and aptitude are highly advanced in a particular subject area. For students enrolling in an accelerated course, such as Algebra I during a student's 8th grade year, factors such as previous testing results, teacher recommendation, and gifted identification may be considered. If a student is referred for subject area acceleration, an acceleration team will be assembled to review testing and observational data to determine if subject acceleration is the best option for the student.
- Early Graduation from High School
- A less common form of acceleration is early graduation from high school. For students who desire to graduate early, such as students enrolling in college, seeking employment, participating in spring athletic training programs, etc., early graduation may be a desirable or necessary pursuit. Early graduation from high school does not exempt a student from any of the State or District graduation requirements. When an acceleration team meets to review the referral for early graduation, the student's academic standing, including the number of graduation credits, number of points obtained on state assessments, etc., will be considered before a decision to approve the acceleration is made.
All students seeking academic acceleration must initiate the process by submitting a completed referral form from the District's gifted department or the student's building principal. No acceleration will be finalized until all relevant factors are considered and a team has agreed that acceleration for the student is academically, socially, and emotionally appropriate for the student.