Acceleration Academies

An Acceleration Academy is a week-long academic program designed to accelerate student learning through engaging, standards-aligned lessons that meet the specific academic needs of students participating in the program. Each Acceleration Academy focuses on a specific content area and students who attend an Academy receive the equivalent of approximately one extra month of learning in one week. Acceleration Academy classes can either provide students with targeted supports to master grade-level standards or provide accelerated learning opportunities for advanced learners.

Program Model

Below is a list of key components of the Acceleration Academy model:

• Instruction is provided in-person
• Lessons are tailored to the specific needs of students and involve engaging, hands-on learning experiences
• Multiple forms of student data (MCAS, benchmark assessments, attendance, etc.) are used to determine which students are invited to participate in an Academy
• Students receive 4+ hours of in-person core content instruction each day within a given week or a total of 20+ hours of core content instruction in a week
• Students in elementary and middle school grades attend at least 1 specials or enrichment class each day, such as art, PE, music, etc. (Highly recommended)
• Class sizes are small (10–12 students per core content teacher)
• Students are taught by the same core content teacher for the duration of an Acceleration Academy
• Classes are taught by highly effective teachers who are hired through a selective application process

Grant Opportunities

The Department has supported district implementation of Acceleration Academies through several grant opportunities. Past grant opportunities include:

• Summer Acceleration Academies
• Math Acceleration Academies

Current Acceleration Academy Grant Opportunities:

• There are no open grant opportunities posted at this time

Last Updated: June 27, 2024