Single Subject Acceleration
-
Single Subject Acceleration (SSA)
WCPSS Acceleration Opportunity
-
What is SSA?
Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) 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. SSA is an accelerative practice in WCPSS that allows students to show mastery of the content of a course without having taken the course. Single Subject Acceleration means that your child will skip a grade in math or ELA, not both, if they pass the SSA test.
For example, if your child is currently in 3rd grade and takes the SSA 4th grade math test and passes, then the following year, in 4th grade, they will take 5th grade math. They would skip 4th grade math because they passed the SSA test. Any student who passes the SSA test in the spring does not begin SSA services until the following school year.
Is the schedule for an SSA student a traditional schedule?
Not typically. The school-wide schedule does not match up perfectly for most SSA students. The school-wide schedule does its best to account for all PreK-5 students in the building, but it is often impossible to catch everything. Therefore, most SSA students have non-traditional schedules. This means they have a different schedule than their homeroom peers and their SSA peers. Oftentimes, students have independent blocks during their day when they are assigned independent work to complete. This is the result of them attending an SSA class, which causes them to miss other core instruction. Sometimes SSA students have to eat lunch and/or attend recess with other grade levels. Again, this is a result of them attending their SSA class.
What is the process for Single Subject Acceleration?
Parents and guardians can nominate his/her child to skip a grade level of content in either Language Arts OR Mathematics. This nomination allows the school to test that student to see if SSA is appropriate according to the WCPSS's cut off scores. All students who test must earn a certain score determined by county leadership in order to qualify for SSA services.
Who do I contact at Turner Creek Elementary regarding SSA?
Anne Sheehan is the SSA contact for TCES. Email her at asheehan@wcpss.net with any questions regarding SSA testing and SSA student schedules.
Where can I find information about Spring 2024 SSA Testing?
Open the links below to access updated SSA information for Spring 2024 testing.
-
