Life in the Fast Lane: Effect of Early Grade Acceleration on College Outcomes

• In Event: Acceleration and Underachievement in Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent

Abstract

This study broadens prior research on acceleration by comparing high-school and postsecondary outcomes for students who were and were not accelerated prior to eighth grade. Students who skipped at least one grade were compared with their older eighth-grade classmates, and each group was followed over time. Achievement measures were collected both in high school and in college. Using a representative national sample (the National Educational Longitudinal Study), we examined how accelerated students performed relative to all grade-level peers and how they performed relative to peers with similar backgrounds. Results showed that accelerated students had higher achievement levels than their eighth grade peers. When accelerated students were matched to non-accelerated students on eighth grade achievement, gender, and race, effects were smaller.

Author

• Katie Larsen McClarty, Pearson