Acceleration for gifted girls facilitated by multiplicity and flexibility of provision and practices

Academic acceleration is used as an educational intervention within a majority of girls' schools in New Zealand that provide secondary education. This article reports on the findings of a national survey of single-sex girls' schools (N=40) that allows for a general overview of acceleration practices and provisions for this group. The findings of the study revealed that academic acceleration is being used, typically, as part of a continuum of provisions. Most schools reported that a multiplicity of provisions and practices are being offered to its students, including acceleration and enrichment, flexible school systems, supportive personnel, and an emphasis on personalised learning. The numbers of students accelerated, and the forms of acceleration, did not appear to be dependent on school size, school type, or a school's decile (i.e., its socio-economic level).