Westchester Public School follows Illinois law which specifies that to enter kindergarten or first grade, children must be five years of age by September 1st of their kindergarten year or six years of age by September 1st of their first-grade year (105 ILCS 5/34-19, Sec. 34-19). However, Westchester School District has an acceleration policy that addresses exceptions for children whose potential and skills are in the very superior range when compared with their peers.

Westchester School District has identified early entrance to kindergarten and first grade as full-grade acceleration, appropriate only for those students who demonstrate compelling evidence that they are intellectually and socially advanced. The decision to allow a student early entrance is solely at the discretion of the school district based on a comprehensive assessment conducted by the school district.

Please Consider

The decision for a child to enter school early can have a profound effect on his or her academic and social performance for the remainder of the child’s school career. It is a decision that needs to be taken very seriously. Research indicates that early entrance and/or early reading ability is not a predictor of success in school. In fact, children with strong early reading skills often plateau by third grade. For these reasons, we apply rigorous criteria when considering qualifications. Academic readiness, academic potential, and social-emotional maturity are all equally important considerations. Parents requesting Early Entrance should be aware that very few children screened meet the criteria to enter kindergarten or first grade early.

Early entrance to kindergarten is the admission to kindergarten of a student who: (a) will not be five years of age on or before September 1 of that school term; or (b) is admitted prior to the dates established in the School Code based upon an assessment of his or her readiness to attend school.

Early entrance to first grade is the admission to first grade of a student who: (a) is assessed for readiness, attended a nonpublic preschool and continued his or her education at that school through kindergarten, was taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher, and will attain the age of six years on or before December 31; or (b) is admitted prior to the dates established in the School Code based upon an assessment of his or her readiness to attend school.

Process

General Timeline

• Family proves residency in District 92.5.

• Parents/guardians wishing to apply for early entrance to kindergarten or first grade for their child must submit the Request for Early Entrance Form no later than May 1 of the prior school year. Applications received after this date will be considered after the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Students will be placed with their age-appropriate peers until further review and placement determination can be made.

• Parents/guardians must submit the following before screening:

  • • Request for Early Entrance Form

    • Early Admission Parent/Guardian Questionnaire

    • Early Admission Teacher Questionnaire (if applicable). 

• District 92.5 will confirm the request for consideration and notify families of the procedures for evaluation.

• Evaluation will take place between the last day of school and July 1.

Students must exhibit functional and social-emotional skills that are comparable with those of their kindergarten or first-grade peers and they must perform significantly higher academically than an average kindergartener or first-grade student. 

Criteria for Early Admission to Kindergarten

• With the consent of the parent/guardian, District 92.5 staff will administer a FastBridge screening exam in the areas of reading and math, the results of which will be shared with parents/guardians. 

  • • Upon review of the FastBridge test results, the Brigance early childhood screener will be given to any student that attains a score at the 90th percentile or above in FastBridge. Students must score at the 90th percentile or above in both screeners to be considered for early entry into kindergarten. This assessment will be administered by the Westchester Pubic School's evaluation team.

Criteria for Early Admission to First Grade

• With the consent of the parent/guardian, District 92.5 staff will administer a FastBridge screening exam in the areas of reading and math, the results of which will be shared with parents/guardians. 

  • • Upon review of the FastBridge test results, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test 4th edition will be given to any student that attains a score at the 90th percentile or above in FastBridge. Students must score in the 90th percentile or above on the Total Achievement Composite on the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test 4th edition and FastBridge screener to be considered for early entry into first grade. The assessments will be administered by the Westchester Pubic School's evaluation team.

This includes subtests in the areas of:

Word Reading

Reading Comprehension

Spelling

Alphabet Writing Fluency

Math Problem Solving

Numerical Operations

District 92.5 has identified whole-grade acceleration as appropriate for those students who are significantly advanced in multiple subject areas. To be eligible for acceleration, the student must have superior academic performance at their current grade level. Students can be considered on a case-by-case basis with input from the parents and in consultation with the educational team. Parents/guardians wishing to apply for acceleration for their child must contact their building principal and complete a Request For Whole Grade Acceleration Form to begin the process.

Accelerated Math

1. All students will be considered for math acceleration.

2. Multiple measures will be considered to determine placement.

a. Universal Screener - MAP

i. Spring MAP score

b.  Achievement Measure - FastBridge

i.   K-1: earlyMath Spring Score

ii.  2-8: aMath Spring Score

c.  Curriculum Based Measure

i.  Following Grade Level End-of-Year Assessment

1.  K-5: Bridges Assessment

2. 6-8: Math Techbook Assessment

d.  Teacher Recommendation

3.  All students will be reviewed annually for potential placement.

Qualifying Initial Placement Criteria

i.  Minimum of 2 total points on the Universal Screener and Achievement Measure.

Accelerated Placement Criteria

i.  Curriculum-Based Measure - Mastered at least 80% of the following grade-level concepts.

ii.  Teacher Recommendation

We are excited to be working with the Proviso Township High Schools D209 and the earning of high school credit for students in grades 7 and 8. Students who qualify for our Integrated Math I course in grades 7 and 8 and successfully complete the course, shall receive academic credit for the course. That academic credit shall satisfy the requirements of Section 27-22 of the School Code for purposes of receiving a high school diploma. The student’s grade in the course shall also be included in the student’s grade point average.