Whole-Grade Acceleration in Saudi Arabian Schools in the Light of the International Standards: What Does the Research Say?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which the whole-grade acceleration policy in the Saudi Arabian context is consistent with the international standards as conducted by well-known institutions. Applying the quantitative research design through the analytical descriptive method and purposive sampling, the findings indicated that teachers of accelerated students were quite different in their responses to the principal factors of developing the effective acceleration policy. The overall findings posed critical questions about the gap between the written document of acceleration policy and its implementation in practice. A significant challenge emerged from the findings revolved around the inclusive aspects of the acceleration policy in which all students, including those with twice-exceptionality, have the opportunity to be nominated for the whole-grade acceleration. The findings brought important implications for developing research-based policies of academic acceleration and the need for evaluating the short-term and long-term effects of acceleration on students’ development and careers.