Early Entrance Process (PDF)
Definition:
Early entrance is the admission of a student who will not yet be five years old on or before September 1 of the school year for a kindergarten student, or six years old on or before September 1 of the school year for a first grade student. Parents may or may not be interested in having their child tested for early entrance. Only those parents who have children who meet the eligibility criteria below will be considered. Please note that having a child assessed does not automatically qualify them for an early entry.
Eligibility:
Any child whose birthday falls between September 2 and December 31, as documented by a certified copy of the birth certificate, is eligible for consideration. Children being considered must demonstrate academic readiness skills , emotional and behavioral regulation skills, attention, gross and fine motor skills, cooperative play, and expressive and receptive language that mirror that of children age-eligible for the school year. In addition, children must demonstrate superior global cognition relative to same age peers.
Referral Procedure:
Any student residing in the District who meets the eligibility criteria may be considered for early entrance. The parent/guardian must complete the Early Entrance Parent Questionnaire no later than April 15 and testing must be completed and results received no later than June 30.
Deadlines:
The Early Entrance to Kindergarten process should begin no earlier than March 1 and must be completed no later than June 30. Any evaluations received by the Central Office after June 30 will not be accepted.
Process:
1. The parent/guardian should contact the building principal for the school that they will attend.
2. The building principal will e-mail a copy of the Early Entrance Parent Questionnaire to the parent and should schedule an appointment to meet with the parent/guardian. At this meeting, the child will be administered the Fastbridge subtests in the area of reading and math for that grade level. The building reading teacher/school psychologist can administer the Fastbridge subtests. The parent/guardian and the building principal will also review the Early Entrance Parent Questionnaire and the List of Considerations.
3. The building principal will complete the Early Entry Tracking form and will mail a copy, along with FastBridge screening results, to Hadley House, Attention: Curriculum & Instruction.
4. Should the parent/guardian choose to access District #7 psychological services, the building principal will provide the phone number to the Student Services Department who will connect the parent with a District #7 school psychologist to administer the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – (Most recent edition). First grade early entry must also include a standardized measure of achievement in ELA and Math.
5. The parent/guardian may also choose to secure an appointment with a licensed or certified school psychologist outside of District #7.
6. All costs associated with the evaluation will be covered by the parent/guardian. The cost associated with evaluation through District #7 is $450.
7. Upon completion, the signed psychological report should be mailed to: 708 St. Louis Street, Edwardsville, IL 62025 Attn: Curriculum and Instruction. Results must be received no later than June 30.
8. District 7 Central Office Administration, the parent/guardian, building principal, and a school psychologist will review the results and make a determination on placement. All decisions are final.
