Peoria Public Schools provides an Accelerated Placement Program (APP). The APP advances the district’s goal of providing educational programs with opportunities for each student to develop to their maximum potential. The APP provides an educational opportunity with curriculum options usually reserved for students who are older or at higher grade levels than the student participating in the APP. APP options include but may not be limited to: (a) accelerating a student in a single subject or (b) full grade-level acceleration. Participation in the APP is open to all current Peoria Public Schools students who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement.

Individual Subject Acceleration is the practice of placing a student in a class at a higher instructional level than is typical given the student’s grade level, to provide access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities in one or more subject areas.  

Full Grade Level Acceleration is the practice of assigning a student to a higher grade level than is typical, given the student’s age, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities.  

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Applications are now closed for the 2023-2024 school year.

If you wish to have your student considered for acceleration in the 2024-2025 school year, please follow the process below.

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Acceleration Application Process  

Peoria Public Schools accepts referrals for single-subject acceleration or full grade level acceleration from parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators. All students in grades K-8 participate in the initial screening process via the NWEA Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment every school year. Applications for Accelerated Placement will only be accepted during the first quarter of the school year.  Applications received after Friday, October 5, 2024, will wait to be considered until the following school year.

Initial Qualifications for Referral

Single Subject Acceleration:   Students can be considered for acceleration in either reading or math. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile in the given subject area on all prior and current NWEA MAP assessments may be considered for subject acceleration.

Grade Acceleration: Students can be considered for full grade-level acceleration. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile in both reading and math, on all prior and current NWEA MAP assessments may be considered for grade acceleration.

Identification Process

Step 1: Complete an application (if the above NWEA MAP criteria have been met). Download the application at the bottom of this page. 

1. A Peoria Public Schools certified staff member, administrator, or a parent/guardian completes the application.

2. If the application is not initially completed by the student's parent/guardian, their signature is obtained on the application.  

3. The completed application is submitted to the student's current building administrator (principal) to be signed. 

4. The original application, signed by the building administrator and the parent/guardian, should be forwarded to the district office using the following information:

Curriculum & Instruction

Attn: Amanda Brown

3202 N. Wisconsin Ave

Peoria, IL 61603

OR

Email to amanda.brown@psd150.org

Step 2: Assessment data is gathered as a body of evidence.

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)

• Parent SIGS (Scales for Identifying Gifted Students) Form- Characteristics and behaviors of gifted

• Teacher SIGS Form- Characteristics and behaviors of gifted

• WISC (Weschler's Intelligence Test for Children) - Intellectual Ability and/or CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test)

• State Assessments (PARCC or Illinois Assessment of Readiness) - If applicable for 3rd - 8th graders

• Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) reading assessment

• Number Worlds Placement Test

Step 3: The district’s academic acceleration team meets to review the body of evidence.

Step 4:  A parent/guardian meeting is held to share results. 

• If the body of evidence does not suggest academic acceleration is the best option for the student, a parent/guardian meeting is held to discuss the findings.

• If the body of evidence suggests single-subject or grade-level acceleration is the best programming option for the student, a parent/guardian meeting is held to share results and create an academic acceleration plan.  The parents/guardians have the right to decline accelerated placement at any time.

Questions?  Call Amanda Brown at (309) 672-6536 ext. 22253

Click Here for Application:  ACCELERATED PLACEMENT APPLICATION