Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
I'm sort of perplexed since I think that the term "radical" is being used differently given context in this thread.

My daughter, for example, has been "triple-skipped" and will graduate from high school just before her 15th birthday.

There is little question that educators consider that "radical acceleration."

But I am getting the impression that being a 15yo college student is not a circumstance which calls for that particular term. (Which is fine-- I don't really care one way or the other-- it's just perplexing given the duality and seemingly contradictory nature of the way it's being used, that's all.)

So what constitutes "radical" acceleration, then?

Following the paper below, I suggest defining "radical acceleration" as being an educational path leading to high school graduation (or college entry) three or more years before the usual age.

http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10349.aspx
Radical acceleration and early entry to college: A review of the research.
Gross, M. & Van Vliet, H.
Gifted Child Quarterly
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
Vol. 49, No. 2
Spring 2005

"Few educational interventions have been as comprehensively studied as acceleration and few have acquired as compelling a body of empirical evidence for their success. Acceleration was one of the few educational procedures endorsed by Shore, Cornell, Robinson, and Ward (1991) in their comprehensive analysis of research in gifted education as being strongly validated by research. Yet, many educators are wary of possible ill effects of acceleration, citing fears for both the intellectual and affective well-being of students (Daurio, 1979; Southern, Jones, & Fiscus 1989). Particular concern is expressed when the acceleration under consideration is radical, that is, it employs a range of procedures leading to school graduation 3 or more years earlier than usual."


"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell