The Blue Sky BOCES Gifted Education Department uses the IOWA Acceleration Scale, IAS, to gather both academic and social considerations for potential whole grade acceleration. The IAS guides a child study team (including educators, teachers, parents, and other professionals) through a discussion of the academic and social characteristics of the student.

The IAS provides:

✓ A more objective look at the student;

✓ An analysis of the major factors to be considered in making a decision;

✓ Guidelines for weighting the relative importance of the major factors;

✓ Documentation of the student’s strengths and concerns

✓ A numerical range to guide the discussion and decision of acceleration; and,

✓ A standard of comparison with students who have had successful accelerations.

This entire process can take about 4 to 6 weeks.

The process timeline includes:

1. Data collection, evaluation and analysis done by the Gifted Education Team

2. Parent IAS Grade Acceleration Questionnaire-Google Form

3. School IAS Grade Acceleration Questionnaire-Google Form completed by teacher

4. Interview student individually (during the school day)

5. Stakeholder meeting (parents, teacher(s), principal, social worker/counselor (if applicable) & Gifted Education Team representative)

6. Decision