Acceleration

OCS offers several opportunities for acceleration when there is a demonstrated need. This includes early entrance to kindergarten and first grade, whole grade level acceleration, single subject acceleration, Credit by Demonstrated Mastery, AP and IB courses, and dual enrollment at an institution of higher education. 

 

An early entrance to kindergarten and first grade letter, flowchart, checklist, and notification and consent form will be available on the OCS website. Families who wish to enroll children in kindergarten who are not yet 5, or enroll their children in first grade who are not yet 6, by the August 31st cutoff date may pursue this option. The steps for early entry are outlined below: 

1: Parents/guardians contact the district AIG facilitator in writing to indicate their interest in early entry to kindergarten or 1st grade. 

2: The AIG facilitator conducts a phone call or in-person meeting with the parents/guardians to discuss the early entry process. 

3: The parents/guardians arrange for required testing and documentation to be completed. Parents/guardians are responsible for any costs related to testing and documentation. 

4: The child visits the school to participate in activities for the grade they wish to enter. A kindergarten or first grade teacher will administer additional assessments. 

5: All documentation is shared with the AIG facilitator. The AIG facilitator and the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction review the documentation and make a placement recommendation to  the receiving school principal. 

6: The parents/guardians meet with the principal of the receiving school to learn the placement results.  

For whole grade level acceleration in elementary and middle school, the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) is used to determine student readiness. The IAS examines student aptitude, achievement, and social and emotional readiness. The steps for whole-grade level acceleration are outlined below: 

1: Parents/guardians notify the principal and the AIG specialist in writing that they are interested in whole grade level acceleration. 

2: The principal and the AIG specialist meet with the parents/guardians to explain the whole grade acceleration process. If requested by the principal, the district AIG facilitator may be present at the meeting.  

3: Testing is conducted by an Orange County Schools psychologist. If the parents/guardians choose, they may have the testing conducted by an independent licensed psychologist at their expense. 

4: Additional data is gathered from classroom teachers and parents/guardians. 

5: The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and other district leadership personnel, reviews the data and makes a placement recommendation to the principal. It is recommended that students receive a score of 46 or higher on the Iowa Acceleration Scale to be recommended for whole grade level acceleration. 

6: The principal and AIG specialist meet with the parents/guardians to learn the placement results. If requested by the principal, the district AIG facilitator may join this meeting. 

Single-subject acceleration opportunities are available for grades K-8. In grades K-7, students may single subject accelerate in one area, reading or math, only; students who need acceleration in both areas should pursue whole grade level acceleration. In grade 8, students may accelerate in more than one subject. Historically, opportunities for single-subject acceleration in math have been provided to students in grades K-8. That opportunity will continue in the 2022-2025 plan cycle. Historically, opportunities for single-subject acceleration in reading have been provided to students in grades K-8. That opportunity will continue in the 2022-2025 plan cycle. The AIG department, through communications and collaborations with district leadership, will work to strengthen the awareness of these opportunities to parents/guardians and families.  

The steps for single-subject acceleration in reading grades K-7 are outlined below: 

1. Parents/guardians contact the district AIG facilitator and/or the school-based AIG specialist in writing to indicate their interest in single-subject acceleration in reading. Both parties will be made aware of the parents’/guardians’ initial communication.  

Classroom teachers are also able to contact the district AIG facilitator and/or school-based AIG specialist regarding single-subject acceleration for a student(s) who demonstrates the need in reading. During the 2022-2025 plan cycle, professional learning opportunities regarding single-subject acceleration will be provided to classroom teachers so that they are aware, informed, and empowered to ensure that acceleration opportunities are considered for students who demonstrate a need in reading.

2. The district AIG facilitator or school-based AIG specialist meets with the parents/guardians to explain the single-subject acceleration process. 

3. The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and the Director of K-12 Literacy, will communicate with the parents/guardians the intended day(s) for testing. 

4. The testing is administered by the AIG specialist or an instructional support personnel in two-phases. In phase 1, students must score 90% correct or higher on a reading test of the grade level they wish to skip. In phase 2, students must complete a writing sample and score proficient on a rubric of the grade level they wish to skip.

5. Additional data is gathered from classroom teachers and parents/guardians. 

6. The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and the Director of K-12 literacy, reviews the data and makes a placement recommendation to the principal.

7. The school-based principal reviews the assessments, the AIG Specialist recommendation, and may include district leadership or teacher feedback to make the final recommendation for student’s placement.  

8th graders who demonstrate strong performance on their 7th grade reading End-of-Grade test and strong work ethic in class are placed in English I, a high school level English course, in 8th grade.

The steps for single-subject acceleration in math grades K-7 are outlined below: 

1. Parents/guardians contact the district AIG facilitator and/or the school-based AIG specialist in writing to indicate their interest in single-subject acceleration in math. Both parties will be made aware of the parents’/guardians’ initial communication.

Classroom teachers are also able to contact the district AIG facilitator and/or school-based AIG specialist regarding single-subject acceleration for a student(s) who demonstrates the need in math. During the 2022-2025 plan cycle, professional learning opportunities regarding single-subject acceleration will be provided to classroom teachers so that they are aware, informed, and empowered to ensure that acceleration opportunities are considered for students who demonstrate a need in math.

2. The district AIG facilitator or school-based AIG specialist meets with the parents/guardians to explain the single-subject acceleration process. 3. The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and the PreK-12 math facilitator, will communicate with the parents/guardians the intended day(s) for testing. 

3. The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and the PreK-12 math facilitator, will communicate with the parents/guardians the intended day(s) for testing. 

4.The testing is administered by the AIG specialist or an instructional support personnel in two-phases. In phase 1, students must score 90% correct or higher on a math test of the grade level they wish to skip. In phase 2, students must complete a math performance tasks assessment, consisting of open-ended questions. Students must score 80% or higher and score proficient on a rubric of the grade level they wish to skip. 

5. Additional data is gathered from classroom teachers and parents/guardians. 

6. The AIG specialist, with support from the AIG facilitator and the PreK-12 math facilitator, reviews the data and makes a placement recommendation to the principal.

7. The school-based principal reviews the assessments, the AIG Specialist recommendation, and may include district leadership or teacher feedback to make the final recommendation for student’s placement.

Compacted Math Course Opportunities

Restructured compacted math course opportunities will be made available to middle school students during year 1 of the 2022-2025 OCS AIG plan. An outline of the plan is found below:

6th grade Math: This will be offered during the core math instructional block. 

In designing class rosters for the 2022-23 school year, classroom teachers should have an active role in designing the rosters to enable the best environment for all students to learn mathematics. In designing class rosters, flexibility may be necessary to allow movement of students to best meet their needs. Shifts can occur at the end of each nine weeks or semesters with parent input and notice. 

Differentiated instruction will be provided within the classroom instructional time. Differentiated instructional activities will be developed during the summer of 2022 for the 2022-23 school year.

Focus support for students will occur for 6th grade. The following supports will be considered:

• AVID may be utilized to provide support through a tutorial process.  We hope the tutorial process will be supported by partnerships with high schools/local universities.  This idea will be explored with middle school AVID teachers.

• Afterschool Program & Tutoring

• MTSS support groups for math

• Enrichment during the Advanced 6th grade math enrichment block.

• AIG specialists will be used to provide support for students in both the classroom and advanced 6th grade Math through advanced planning of differentiated lessons as well as push in support.

Advanced 6th Grade Math: This course content will be offered during the enrichment block. Students may have a 6th grade Math and Advanced 6th Grade Math in their schedule.

The additional 7th grade standards will also be taught within the enrichment block. 

The enrichment block may include an opportunity to use Jo Boaler’s Mathematical Mindsets visual mathematics to focus on identifying talent and additional resources that promote critical thinking.  

Enrichment activities will be developed during the summer of 2022 for the 2022-23 school year.

The Advanced 6th Grade Math course will need to be flexible allowing students the opportunity to participate if they are showing the need for enrichment opportunities.

7th Grade Math /Advanced 7th Grade Math 

8th Grade Math Math 1

Students may qualify for advanced math based on placement guidelines. An overview of the placement guidelines is shared below. The placement guidelines in their entirety can be located on the OCS district website. 

Pathway 1:

Students must qualify in at least one of the following criteria below:

• Advanced score of level 5 on the current or previous year’s EOG.

• Minimum of 85th percentile on the math portion of a nationally recognized achievement test

Pathway 2: 

Students who do not qualify by way of Pathway 1 may be accelerated into a middle school advanced math class or Math 1 in 8th grade by using the following matrix. Students must qualify in at least two criterias from column A or one criteria from column A and one criteria from column B.

 

Highly advanced math students may take Math II (online via North Carolina Virtual Public School) in 8th grade.  

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) is available for eligible high school courses. CDM offers middle and high school students the opportunity to personalize and accelerate their learning by earning credit for a high school course through demonstrating mastery of course content, without being required to complete classroom instruction for a certain amount of seat time. Students who wish to pursue CDM will need to show mastery of course content by completing two phases. In phase I, students must complete an exam of course content. In phase II, students must create a product/performance that exhibits a deeper understanding and application of course content. The CDM process, application, timeline, and school contacts are available on the Curriculum and Instruction page (see Secondary Education) of the OCS website.  

Advanced learners may also take college-level courses while still in high school. A wide array of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are available at the high school level. These include in-person classes and online options. Students may also enroll in community college courses via the Middle College or College and Career Pathways programs.