Accelerated Placement

Program Overview

At Central CUSD 301, we take pride in our curriculum, yet we recognize a growing population of students who are ready for even greater intellectual challenges. To cultivate the talents of our intellectually talented students, we are excited to announce the development of a dedicated Academically Advanced Learners (AAL) curriculum program.

Enhancing the Student Experience

The AAL program is designed to meet students’ needs through two distinct instructional models:

• Accelerated Math: This model focuses on faster pacing to incorporate standards beyond a student’s current grade level. By moving through the linear progression of math more quickly, students can begin earning high school credit for Math 1 as early as 8th grade.
• Enriched ELA (English Language Arts): This model keeps students within their grade-level standards but encourages them to go deeper. The focus is on fostering a love for literature through complex texts, inquiry-based learning, and high-level analytical discussion.

Implementation Timeline

We are committed to a thoughtful rollout for students to avoid “academic skill gaps” that can occur with rapid acceleration.

• Accelerated Math: Implementation begins at the 4th-grade level in the 2026–2027 school year, progressing one grade level each year.
• Enriched ELA: We are focusing on curriculum development and rollout plans for middle school ELA to be implemented in the 2027–2028 school year.

Qualification and Identification

To identify students who would best thrive in this program, the district will utilize a comprehensive rubric. Qualification will be based on a combination of data points, including:

• MAP/iReady Diagnostic scores
• IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) scores
• CogAT cognitive assessments
• Common Assessment Data from the classroom

We look forward to providing our students with the support they need to reach their full potential.