Acceleration: Two case studies of access to tertiary courses while still at school

Introducing Elise and Kerr. Elise and Kerr attended a small, rural, relatively isolated high school in an economically depressed area. They were exceptional students, and, following their prompting, exceptional educational provisions were made for them.* Both students academically accelerated their studies. If this had not happened for Elise, it is most likely that she would not have survived past Year Ten.* Elise completed 18 units for your HSC whilst Kerr completed 23 units for his. They managed this by completing Preliminary and HSC requirements up to three years ahead of their cohort and at times concurrently, by compressing courses, and by studying independently.* Elise and Kerr also completed several university courses while still at school. These courses included Mathematics, Computing Science, Latin, Indonesian and Philosophy, and their results ranged from Credit to High Distinction. Both students saw these courses as an integral component of the curriculum which their school was able to offer them.