Acceleration

District 65 is committed to providing opportunities to accelerate the learning of all students.  This commitment advances the District’s goal of providing educational programs with opportunities for each student to develop to their maximum potential.

This process is reviewed once annually, per state law, and adjustments are made in order to improve the process for all stakeholders, with special attention given to clarity, accuracy, and the overall well-being of students.

Presentations regarding the information on this webpage are given twice each year; for the 2024-2025 school year, these were given October 23 and March 12 via Zoom. Information provided during the information session is the same as what can be found on this website.

March 12 Acceleration Night:

• Presentation
• Zoom recording

For even more information, please see our page of Frequently Asked Questions.

Acceleration for All

Opportunities for acceleration of learning are typically provided through grade-level curriculum and instruction, primarily through the use of materials and methods that create differentiated learning opportunities. This includes not only differentiated instructional materials and techniques, but also additional times set in the school day for further acceleration, such as Acceleration Blocks and WIN ("What I Need") Time.

The middle school math program further accelerates learning for all students by running an accelerated pathway for all students that covers four years of learning in three years. This is done by including High School Algebra standards into the middle school curriculum.  All middle school students in District 65 are automatically placed into this accelerated pathway. To learn more about this pathway, go to the "Pathways" tab on the Middle School Math Structures page.

Neither of the above methods of acceleration require any action by families. They happen for all students as a part of course.

Additional Math-Specific Acceleration

The term “accelerated math” in Evanston often refers to students who choose to accelerate an additional year of math learning - meaning that they complete Geometry prior to starting high school. The result of this form of additional acceleration is being able to take Calculus as a Junior. (Students who follow the traditional accelerated path with Algebra as an 8th grader are on track to take Calculus as a Senior).

District 65 and ETHS offer several  ways to access this particular pathway. The two most common approaches are listed below. Families are encouraged to choose the path that best suits their child.

1. Independent Study:  Strongly motivated students may choose to learn High School Geometry during WIN time in their middle school math class, provided that they are already meeting all expectations of their current math course. This learning is offered by a self-paced, independent learning platform, ALEKS.  If a student or family is interested in this option, they should reach out to their teacher.  If  the student and teacher agree that enrolling in ALEKS makes sense, then the teacher will provide the student with a form to complete and the student will be given login information.  Keep in mind:
   1. Students must be meeting all learning expectations in order to take High School Geometry during middle school. 
   2. Students must understand that completing the ALEKS Geometry course in middle school will result in starting high school in Algebra 2 instead of in Geometry.  
   3. ALEKS is open only to 7th grade students who are in their third trimester and have demonstrated two trimesters of meeting all math domains on their report card, or to any 8th grade student who is demonstrating that they meet all domains as an 8th grader.  
   4. Students have either 12 months to complete the ALEKS course, or until the last day of school as an 8th grader, whichever comes first. 
   5. ALEKS must be done independently (self-paced) - the teacher is not obliged to help in any way.  Work on ALEKS can be done only once all classwork is complete and of high quality.
   6. While WIN time can be used, students will very likely need to spend time at home to complete the course.
   7. Please allow up to two weeks to receive login information once your request for access to ALEKS has been submitted.
2. Summer Geometry: Students may take a High School Geometry course during the summer prior to freshman year. This course is offered at ETHS. Registration and information about this course can be found here.

Other options for math-specific acceleration are also available. Additional information about math-specific acceleration can be found on the "Further Advancement" tab on the Middle School Math Structures page.
 

Acceleration via Grade Skipping

In rare cases, acceleration of learning may be addressed via grade skipping, either:

• “Individual subject grade skipping”: the practice of assigning a student to a higher grade level course in a specific subject than is typical given the student’s age for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. 
  OR
• “Whole grade skipping”: the practice of assigning a student to a higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age on a full-time basis, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities.

These procedures comply with the Illinois Public Act 100-0421.

The process for evaluation of grade skipping is outlined below. Grade skipping will not go into effect until the following school year, unless otherwise stated.

Students who skip a grade will take High School Geometry during their 8th grade year.  High School Geometry is offered by District 65 and follows the same scope and sequences as ETHS's Honors Geometry course.

Grade Skipping Parameters

Grade skipping can be used as an intervention to serve students whose academic needs cannot be met at the current grade level. Most students do not grade skip. Even those who access accelerated math typically follow one of the pathways listed in the section above entitled "Additional Math-Specific Acceleration".

To determine eligibility, the following are the primary considerations:

• Student’s level of academic attainment (content knowledge)
• Student’s socio–emotional well being 

Consideration may also be given to:

• Student’s academic aptitude

To measure academic attainment, District 65 utilizes the i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment. This assessment is designed to measure the grade level attainment of a student in comparison to the expectation of the common core standards. 

To evaluate a student’s socio-emotional well-being,  District 65 utilizes the SAEBRS screener. 

All students K-5 are assessed in Math via the i-Ready Diagnostic at least once per year. All students K-8 are screened using SABERS three times  a year.  

To determine a student’s aptitude, District 65 will use the CogAT. This assessment is only administered as needed. 
 

Implications of Single-Subject Grade Skipping

We do our best to keep same age students together as much as possible, but we cannot guarantee that students who have grade-skipping in single subjects will always have same-aged peers in their classes. If skipping a grade for a single subject, such as math, a student is likely to be in a class of other students who are older. Due to scheduling, depending on the situation, students may even have some non-math classes in the day with other-aged students. 

At times there can also be timing implications to the non-math portion of a students schedule, such as shortened Fine Arts exposure. While we do everything we can to avoid such situations, logistical constraints of scheduling sometimes create this situation. We highly recommend speaking with your child’s administrator regarding possible implications of single-subject grade skipping before initiating such a process, especially in elementary school.
 

How to Initiate the Process for Evaluation of Grade Skipping 

Math-Only Grade Skipping - Automatic Notifications
The results of the i-Ready Math Diagnostic assessment and SAEBRS are reviewed during the fall.  District office will reach out directly to any family of a student in grade 2nd through 6th who meets the requirements for grade skipping eligibility in mathematics. Those requirements are:

• Above-Level Content Attainment. i-Ready Diagnostic shows that the student has all met academic standards for the grade level above their current grade.
• Emotional Maturity. The SAEBRS screener reveals a level of “low risk” AND the school’s educators, who know the child well, have no concerns about the student’s maturity level.

These emails arrive before Thanksgiving.

NOTE:  For 6th graders, MAP is used as a screener. For 6th grade students scoring in the 98th percentile or higher in mathematics, families will be notified with the option to take the i-Ready Diagnostic if they have not already. The i-Ready Diagnostic will then indicate whether a student has attained above-level content.

Math-Only Grade Skipping - Requests
If you did not receive a notification by Thanksgiving, but believe that your child should be considered for grade skipping, you may submit an official request for individual evaluation for grade skipping. There are three situations in which this may be appropriate.

situation	course of action
You believe that your child has attained above-level content.	Student is allowed to retake the i-Ready Diagnostic assessment.
Your child has not met above level content, but has exceptional aptitude.	Student’s i-Ready Diagnostic results are reviewed to determine if current grade level standards are fully met. Provided current grade level standards are met, the CogAT quantitative section will be administered to determine mathematical aptitude. If aptitude (CogAT quantitative) is 98th percentile or higher AND student is meeting grade level standards based on the iReady Diagnostic, then grade skipping will be an option, providing that emotional maturity is not a concern (SAEBRS).
You are seeking to skip Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade or Algebra.	We do not recommend skipping these grades, save for extremely exceptional cases. If you believe that skipping one of these grades is right for your child, an official request will prompt a review of attainment and emotional well-being.

 

ELA-Only Grade Skipping - Requests
ELA-only grade skipping is not screened for by District 65. Families seeking grade skipping for ELA only must submit a request for evaluation. 

Literacy uses the following assessments to measure grade level attainment: 

• MAP: Students are at or above the 98% percentile. 
• IAR: Students are at exceeding. 
• End of Unit Assessments: Student scores approximately 95% or above on End of Unit assessments.

To submit a request, fill out the D65 Request for Additional Acceleration.

Whole-Grade Skipping - Requests
Whole grade skipping is not screened for by District 65. Families seeking to skip an entire grade in all subjects must submit a request for evaluation. 

To submit a request, fill out the D65 Request for Additional Acceleration.
 

Timeline

• Families who are contacted automatically can expect notifications by Thanksgiving.
• Families who submit a request by November 22 can expect a decision by January 21.
• Families who submit a request by April 11 can expect a decision by May 19.
• Requests for the 2025-2026 school year will not be accepted after April 11, 2025. Requests for the 2026-2027 school year will open at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.

 

Likelihood of Grade Skipping

If you are interested in knowing whether grade skipping is a likely outcome for your student, one can typically use a student’s MAP score as an indication.  This table shows historical trends based on MAP scores.

MAP SCORES	LIKELIHOOD OF SKIPPING A GRADE
Each of the last three MAP scores are at the 99th percentile	About 25%
The average of the last three MAP scores is 95-98	Less than 20%
The average of the last three MAP scores is 94 or below	Less than 0.05%

Historically, alternate placement is rare, accounting for about 1% of students.  

 

Appeal Process for Grade Skipping

Final decisions of requests may be appealed should a family find any error or otherwise believe that the process has not been justly followed. Appeals should be in the form of an email to alternateplacement@district65.net.

Families have five working days to appeal any decision. Appeals are reviewed by the Acceleration Committee. The committee has one month to review and respond to any appeal. After the review of an appeal, all decisions are final, as are any decisions that are not appealed within five days.
 

Process for Evaluation of Early Start (Kindergarten / 1st Grade)

 Illinois Public Act 100-0421 allows for the following forms of early entrance:

• “Early entrance to kindergarten”: the admission of a student to kindergarten who will not yet be five years old by September 1 of that school year.
• “Early entrance to first grade”: the admission of a student to first grade who will not yet be six years old by September 1 of that school year and who has not completed kindergarten. Students who are younger than six upon starting first grade but who were admitted early to kindergarten do not need to be reevaluated prior to admission to first grade.

The Early Start procedures for students enrolled in Pre-K and kindergarten are outlined below.

STEP 1: Alternate Placement Request

• Parent/Guardian completes the Student Early Start Request Form.  Completing this form initiates the process for assessment.
• Please note the expected thresholds outlined in Step 3 (in bold). We recommend only completing the form if you believe your child may meet these thresholds.

STEP 2: Parent/Guardian Arranges Assessment

• Once the form is complete, a District 65 representative will contact you to arrange for testing. Please note that forms are not  reviewed until May 2025.  Additionally, forms are no longer reviewed after August 1, 2025.

STEP 3: Student Testing

• On the test date, student will be assessed in literacy and math in a 1:1 setting. 
• You can expect the assessment to look at a basic set of foundation skills using the FastBridge assessment. 
• For an early start to Kindergarten, students must place at the 80th percentile or higher compared to would-be peers. An example of skills assessed for early entrance to Kindergarten are:
  • Letter Names  - can name all lower and upper case letters
  • Letter Sounds - can identify and produce sounds for all letters
  • Word Segmenting - can identify and produce sounds for each letter within words
  • Sight Words - can read sight words
  • Decodable Words - can sound out words
  • Sentence Reading - can read simple sentences
  • Number - identifies all numbers through 30
  • Number Sequence - can put numbers in order
  • Decomposing - can fluently make ten in different ways
• For an early start to 1st Grade, students must either have successfully completed an accredited Kindergarten program  or be assessed by D65 and found to place at the 80th percentile or higher compared to would-be peers. If assessed for an early start to 1st grade, students would need to meet all Kindergarten skills plus additional skills such as the following:
  • Sounding out Nonsense Words 
  • Reading Passages
  • Comprehension of Reading
  • Can write out a sentence that is said aloud to them
  • Understand Place Value 
  • Solve simple story problems involving basic addition and subtraction

STEP 4: Parent/Guardian Notification

• Parent/guardian is notified if student meets the thresholds for Early Start to K/1.  A Determination Letter is sent to the family and Registration.

Additional questions related to alternate placement?
Please view our page of Frequently Asked Questions or email alternateplacement@district65.net.