A Nation Deceived
Encyclopedia
A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students is The Templeton National Report on Acceleration, a report which was written in 2004 by Nicholas Colangelo, Susan G. Assouline, and Miraca Gross
. This report argues for the academic acceleration
of qualified gifted and talented students, based on the results of studies on outcomes of accelerating and not accelerating high-achieving students. Despite the evidence that acceleration is a beneficial practice when implemented correctly, many teachers and parents are reluctant to accelerate students. The report presents the research on acceleration in an effort to increase the number of students who have access to acceleration.
The report is divided into two parts: Volume I, which summarizes the research and provides an introduction to acceleration as an academic intervention for gifted students; and Volume II, an edited volume that provides a more detailed overview of relevant research studies.
The success of A Nation Deceived led to the creation of the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, which is dedicated to the study and support of educational acceleration for academically talented students.
Among other points, the report also indicates that:
Miraca Gross
Miraca Una Murdoch Gross AM is an Australian author and scholar recognised as an authority on the academic, social and emotional needs of gifted children....
. This report argues for the academic acceleration
Academic acceleration
Academic acceleration is the advancement of students in subjects at a rate that places them ahead of where they would be in the regular school curriculum. Acceleration is most often used as an intervention to accommodate the learning needs of gifted and talented students...
of qualified gifted and talented students, based on the results of studies on outcomes of accelerating and not accelerating high-achieving students. Despite the evidence that acceleration is a beneficial practice when implemented correctly, many teachers and parents are reluctant to accelerate students. The report presents the research on acceleration in an effort to increase the number of students who have access to acceleration.
The report is divided into two parts: Volume I, which summarizes the research and provides an introduction to acceleration as an academic intervention for gifted students; and Volume II, an edited volume that provides a more detailed overview of relevant research studies.
The success of A Nation Deceived led to the creation of the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, which is dedicated to the study and support of educational acceleration for academically talented students.
Contents
The first three of its "20 Most Important Points from Volume II" are:- Acceleration is the most effective curriculum intervention for gifted children.
- For bright students, acceleration has long-term beneficial effects, both academically and socially.
- Acceleration, especially in the form of grade skippingGrade skippingGrade skipping is a form of academic acceleration, often used for academically talented students, that involves the student entirely skipping the curriculum of one year of school...
, is a virtually cost-free intervention.
Among other points, the report also indicates that:
- Gifted students are frequently better matched with their cognitive peers (older peers) rather than age peers.
- Above-level testing is useful in identifying candidates for acceleration. Above-level testing is defined as testing that is two or more grade levels above a student’s current placement. For example, a fourth grader might take a test intended for sixth graders. Above-level testing helps eliminate the ceiling effectCeiling effectThe term ceiling effect has two distinct meanings, referring to the level at which an independent variable no longer has an effect on a dependent variable, or to the level above which variance in an independent variable is no longer measured or estimated...
that often makes it difficult to determine appropriate placement for high-ability students. - Early entry to kindergarten benefits some gifted children both academically and socially.
- Skipping two or more years of school is academically and socially beneficial for highly gifted students.
- Although significant evidence for the validity of acceleration exists, many educators remain negative about the practice.