Early Entrance to Kindergarten or Grade 1
Early entrance is a type of grade acceleration provided when the District determines a student is academically and intellectually advanced for their age and is prepared for the rigor of the District 15 kindergarten or first grade program.
Applying for Early Entrance
Parents/guardians should begin the early entrance process by completing the Early Entrance Google Form. This form initiates the consideration process and must be submitted between February 15 and July 15 of each school year. Please note that applications are not accepted before February 15 or after July 15.
Assessment
After you submit the Early Entrance Google Form, your child's school will contact you to schedule a series of four standardized tests, which are conducted at your child’s District 15 school:
- CogAT Verbal Test: Measures verbal reasoning skills.
- CogAT Quantitative Test: Measures early language and mathematical thinking.
- MAP for Early Math: Assesses early math skills.
- MAP for Early Reading: Evaluates early reading abilities, focusing on classroom-relevant academic skills and prerequisites for Kindergarten or First Grade.
If a language other than English is spoken in the child’s home, the District’s Multilingual Department will coordinate any necessary supports or accommodations. Additionally, if your child attends preschool or kindergarten, the teacher you listed when completing the Early Entrance Google Form will be emailed and asked to complete an online questionnaire summarizing their observations of your child’s classroom performance and observed skills.
Decision-Making Format and Eligibility
After testing, the national percentiles (which range from 1 to 99) from each of the four tests are totaled and compared against the following eligibility categories:
- Sum of 360 or above: Early entrance/grade acceleration is indicated.
- Sum of 325–359: Early entrance is possible. In this range, the team will review the test scores to ensure that no individual score is less than 75 and will also review the teacher’s checklist to inform a final decision. Additional testing may be recommended by the team.
- Sum of 324 or fewer: Early entrance/grade acceleration is not indicated.
Eligibility, Pre-Registration, and Notification
You will be emailed a document outlining your child’s test results and how they compare to the eligibility categories. If your child meets the eligibility criteria, you will need to pre-register your child through PowerSchool. Once pre-registration is completed, your school’s secretary will review and approve the application.
Parent/Guardian Appeals
In unique circumstances, Parents may appeal if they believe a factor influenced their child’s test performance (disruption, sickness, technology failure, etc.) and results. Appealing is started by completing the District 15 Early Entrance Appeal Form. Appeals must be submitted no later than 10 calendar days after receiving the early entrance decision document. Appeals received after July 15 may not be reviewed before the first day of the upcoming school year. Appeals are reviewed by a three person administrative committee.
Click on this link to practice the MAP for the Primary Grades
FAQs
- Who do I contact about having my child assessed for Early Entrance to Kindergarten or First Grade?
- My student is very high achieving but just missed qualifying based on the criteria. How will he/she be challenged and supported?
- What if I do not agree with the test results or the team's decision for my child?
- Who makes the decision about whether my child is eligible for Early Entrance?
- How will I be informed about my child's results?
- When will the assessment process take place?
- If my child completed/is completing private kindergarten early, will he/she automatically be eligible for early entrance into first grade the following year?
- Why are the criteria for early entrance so high?
- How can I prepare my child for the assessments?