Peoria Public Schools is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that help each student reach their maximum potential. Our Accelerated Placement Program (APP) is designed to offer advanced curriculum options for students who demonstrate high ability and could benefit from accelerated learning. The APP includes:

Single Subject Acceleration: Placement in a class at a higher instructional level for one or more subjects to provide access to more challenging learning opportunities.

Full Grade-Level Acceleration: Placement in a higher grade level for the purpose of providing access to more challenging learning opportunities.  

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Applications are open for the 2024-2025 school year.

To have your student considered for acceleration in the 2024-2025 school year, please follow the process outlined below.

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Acceleration Application Process   

Eligibility Criteria:

• Single Subject Acceleration:   Students may be considered if they achieve at or above the 95th percentile in either reading or math on the NWEA MAP assessments for the current school year and all prior years.

• Full Grade-Level Acceleration: Students may be considered if they achieve at or above the 95th percentile in both reading and math on the NWEA MAP assessments for the current and all prior years.

 Application Timeline:

• Submission Window: Applications are accepted only during the first quarter of the school year. For the 2024-2025 school year, the application window starts on the first day of the school year and closes on Friday, October 4, 2024. To be considered for acceleration in the 2024-2025 school year, you must submit your application by October 4, 2024. Applications received after this deadline will be reviewed for consideration in the following school year.

How to Apply: (if the above NWEA MAP criteria have been met)

• Download the Application:  ACCELERATED PLACEMENT APPLICATION

• Complete the Application: The application can be completed by a Peoria Public Schools staff member, administrator, or parent/guardian. If not completed by the parent/guardian, their signature is required.

• Submit the Application: Forward the signed application to the student’s building administrator (principal) for their signature. Then, send the completed application to:

Curriculum & Instruction

Attn: Jason Wynn

3202 N. Wisconsin Ave

Peoria, IL 61603

OR

Email to jason.wynn@psd150.org

Identification Process

Step 1: Gather Assessment Data - Gathering assessment data generally takes 2-3 weeks once the application has been submitted.

Information is collected about the student by district staff from a variety of sources, which may include but are not limited to:

• NWEA MAP Scores (Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress): Standardized tests that measure a student's academic growth in reading, math, and language usage.

• SIGS-2 Home (Scales for Identifying Gifted Students - Second Edition): A tool completed by parents or guardians to identify signs of giftedness in their child.

• SIGS-2 School (Scales for Identifying Gifted Students - Second Edition): A tool completed by teachers to assess a student's giftedness based on classroom observations and performance.

• WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children): An intelligence test that measures cognitive abilities such as verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning. The WISC is administered at Bradley University, and the cost of this assessment is covered by parents.

• CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test): Assesses a student's reasoning abilities in verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal areas.

• IAR Assessments (Illinois Assessment of Readiness): Statewide standardized tests for students in grades 3 through 8 that measure performance in English Language Arts and mathematics.

• BAS (Benchmark Assessment System): Evaluates a student's reading level and progress to determine their reading ability.

• Number Worlds Placement Test: Assesses a student's mathematical skills to determine readiness for advanced math content.

Step 2: Review Process - This review process generally takes 1-2 weeks after all assessment data has been gathered.

• The district’s academic acceleration team reviews the body of evidence collected from various sources.

  The team consists of:

  • Director of Curriculum

  • Curriculum Coordinator of Literacy & Social Sciences

  • Curriculum Coordinator of Math & Science

  • Curriculum Coordinator of MTSS & Gifted Education

  • Online Learning Coordinator

Step 3:  Parent/Guardian Meeting - Parents are notified within 1 week after the district's academic acceleration team review is completed.

• If Acceleration is Not Recommended: A phone call will be made to discuss the findings and the reasons for the decision.

  Parents/guardians will be offered the option to schedule a meeting if they wish to discuss the evaluation in more detail.

• If Acceleration is Recommended: A meeting is held to present the results and create an academic acceleration plan. Parents/guardians may decline the accelerated placement at any time.

Contact Us

For any questions or additional information, please contact Jason Wynn at (309) 672-6536 ext. 22253 or email jason.wynn@psd150.org. 

Click Here for Application:  ACCELERATED PLACEMENT APPLICATION