Requirements
- Applicants for Whole-Grade Acceleration must be currently enrolled in 4th-6th grade.
- Students can only apply for Whole-Grade Acceleration for the school in which they are currently enrolled; the outcome of the Whole-Grade Acceleration process cannot be applied to a different school to which the student may apply.
Whole-Grade Acceleration Info Sheet
Steps to Apply
1
The parent/legal guardian completes and submits an online application to the Office of Access and Enrollment during the application window. No late applications will be accepted.
The application for acceleration beginning in the 2025-26 school year is now closed
2
In order to be considered for Whole-Grade Acceleration, the student must meet the following pre-qualifications no exceptions):
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.75 in the core areas of reading, math, science, and social science, calculated from final grades from the previous school year.
- Performance in the “Exceeds” test category from the previous school year on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in both reading and math.
- The student must currently be in grades 4-6.
3
If the student meets the minimum requirements, the school will conduct a final pre-qualification assessment/questionnaire on the following school factors identified on the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS): school and academic factors, interpersonal skills, and attitude and support. The student must achieve a minimum of 27 points out of a possible 32.
4
If the student achieves the minimum points required on the IAS, the student will take evaluation exams in Academic Ability, Aptitude, and Achievement. The evaluations are administered on separate days at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The parent/legal guardian will receive a test ticket via email with the test dates, times, and locations. The student must score a minimum of 10 points out of a possible 22. Please see the Information Sheet for more information on scoring.
5
If the student scores the minimum required points on the exam, the student’s points will be tallied from the Iowa Acceleration Scale and the Academic Ability, Aptitude, and Achievement exams. Students must have a final score of between 40 and 54 points to be considered for Whole-Grade Acceleration. Final approval must be provided by the school’s Acceleration Team and principal. If approved, the parent/legal guardian will receive a letter of notification from the school, along with the next steps for planning for the coming school year.