Accelerating Saudi Students into Higher Education Programs: Identifying Potential Educational Interventions to Expedite Development

Abstract

Academic acceleration is an intervention that can reduce the effort, time and cost required for the educational process. In 2014 Saudi Arabia released a new regulation for acceleration (grade skipping) as one of the provisions for gifted students: it allows gifted students in the fourth grade (age ten) to move to the sixth grade (age twelve), and from the seventh grade (age thirteen) to the ninth grade (age fifteen) after passing several criteria. Although these practices are useful for talented students (Col Angelo et al., 2004), a clear policy for acceleration at tertiary-level education was missed in Saudi Arabia. This article discusses the potential educational interventions that can be offered to those students, in addition to the possibility for inserting a university-based school as one of the suggested options to smooth the transfer to university life for gifted students; key educational components to support the implementation of such interventions are also highlighted.