Early Entrance to Kindergarten
District policies for early entrance to kindergarten are outlined in the Maumee City Schools Board Policy Manual (Section 5408). Prospective students with a birthday after August 1 may request screening for advanced placement. Children whose birth date falls after December 31st may also apply for early entrance, and a district acceleration team will follow the protocol of the Iowa Acceleration Scale per ORC 3324.10.
To qualify for Early Entrance, a child must demonstrate marked high ability and maturation in the areas of intellectual ability, language development, social and emotional maturity, and physical development and motor coordination. The purpose of these procedures is to determine if a child is at the 95th percentile or above in these areas. Thus, a child must be functioning as many as 18 months above his/her chronological age mates with superior ratings in these areas.
The first step to Early Entrance evaluation is the district’s Early Start: Entrance Screening Tool. This tool can be implemented within a short amount of time and will give parents and educators a snapshot of how a student’s current skills compare to those required to pass an approved achievement and aptitude assessment used in the Early Entrance to Kindergarten process. This is a tool to inform and prompt further discussion. If a child scores 95%-100% on the Early Start: Entrance Screening Tool, a recommendation is made as to whether or not to continue with the kindergarten early entrance process.
If the decision is made to continue the early entrance process, the Gifted Coordinator will schedule an extensive formal evaluation, which is typically scheduled in April/May.
For questions or to begin the process of early entrance testing, please contact the Gifted Coordinator by April 15. Screenings are conducted during April and May.