Residential District 44 families who have children that will reach age 5 after September 1 may apply and request consideration for early entrance to kindergarten. This process begins by parents contacting their residential elementary building principal, in writing, by March 15th to state their intent to apply and begin the Early Entrance Application Process. Students will participate in a thorough Readiness to Attend School testing and assessment process to determine eligibility for early entrance.
To Apply: Contact resident building principal in writing between January 1st - March 15th. The completed application must be turned in to the resident building principal by April 1st.
Checklist: The following checklist can guide parents who may be considering pursuing this process:
- The child demonstrates skills and abilities that are well above age peers.
- The child demonstrates strong and mature social interaction skills.
- The child demonstrates independence and motivation to learn.
- The child has a long attention span.
- The child has an extraordinary memory.
- The child demonstrates strong mathematical understanding.
- The child demonstrates early verbal ability, e.g., early use of complex sentences and advanced vocabulary; may be an early reader who understands what he/she reads.
Areas of potential assessment:
- Early math and literacy skills.
- Cognitive learning potential.
- Adaptive behavior functioning.
- Social-emotional functioning.
- Functional performance in the school setting.