Policies Supporting Acceleration in Canadian Provinces and Territories

• In Event: National Trends and Research and Policy Issues in the United States and Canada

Abstract

Documents addressing each of 17 forms of acceleration were collected from every Canadian province and territory in order to determine: which forms had government support, which were endorsed in the most jurisdictions, which were related to student enrolment, and any regional differences in support. Enormous variability was found in the extent of documentation including gifted education, from nothing in 5 provinces and 3 territories, to Alberta’s four extensive documents. Credit by examination was supported in the greatest number of provinces (n=8; 62%), followed by subject acceleration and curriculum compacting (n=7; 54%). Our data indicates a need for the development of policy to ensure highly able learners have greater access to a wider range of accelerative options in the future.

Authors

• Lannie S. Kanevsky, Simon Fraser University

• Debbie Clelland, Adler School of Professional Psychology