A child who turns four years old on or before April 16 of the current school year can apply for Early Kindergarten Entry (EKE) for the following year. A candidate for Early Kindergarten Entry must show advanced development in intellectual, academic, social and emotional maturity in addition to an interest in learning.
Parents and guardians can download an EKE application packet. The packets contain additional information about students who are prepared for EKE, dates and directions.
The dates which parents and guardians can submit the completed packets are based on the child’s base school assignment. Please be aware that EKE applications will be reviewed no earlier than five business days prior to the first day of the school year at the applicant’s base school. Therefore, it is probable that an EKE applicant will not be starting school on the first day of the school year.
Completed application packets can be mailed or delivered to:
Advanced Learning Services
Wake County Public School System
5625 Dillard Drive
Cary, NC 27518
If you have questions about EKE, call the office of Intervention and Advanced Learning Services at (919) 694-0355 or email eke@wcpss.net.
Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) is the practice of assigning a student to a higher-grade level than is typical, given the student's age, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. SSA is an acceleration practice that allows students to show mastery of the content of a course without having taken the course.
Does an AIG student receive gifted services even if they are participating in SSA or WGA?
Yes. Participating in SSA or WGA is not considered AIG services, therefore identified AIG students will receive gifted services as outlined in their Differentiated Education Plan (DEP), as an extension of grade-level standards. A student does not have to be identified in the Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Program to participate in SSA or WGA.
What is the process for Single Subject Acceleration?
Parents can nominate his/her child to skip a grade level of content in either Language Arts OR Mathematics.
Nomination forms will be available from your child’s school or through the online site listed below during the specified Nomination Windows. (See our dates below.)
Only students who are enrolled and attending WCPSS schools during the previous Nomination and Testing Windows will be eligible to participate in the in SSA during the upcoming school year. Schools will offer differentiation as needed for students entering WCPSS after the SSA deadlines.
Parents may nominate students for this accelerated practice ONLY within our school’s specified nomination window.
Whole Grade Advancement occurs when students move through the traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. It means matching the curriculum's level and complexity with the student's readiness and motivation.
The student who is a whole grade advanced is placed into the next grade and should achieve at the same level as the top students in the next grade. The student should be able to maintain this high level of performance throughout their school career.
Whole Grade Advancement (WGA) is an option that can be considered for the few highly gifted students who:
consistently perform one or more grade levels above their current grade level in all subject areas.
are cognitively and conceptually capable of handling the increased demands of the next grade level by transferring previous learning and acquired knowledge to accomplish complex cognitive tasks.
are socially and emotionally mature and typically demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in their interactions with adults, age-mates, and older and younger students.
may be strong learners who actively seek and persist in new, rigorous academic challenges. These students may be self-motivated and self-sustainable.
Things to Consider
When is the best time to Whole Grade Advance a student?
Research suggests that the younger the student is when accelerated, the better they can adjust. For these early decisions, it is essential that a student has experienced a structured classroom, interacted with peers, and learned the challenges of sharing adult attention with other children. The start of an academic year would be an excellent time to consider whole grade advancement.
How important are siblings' age and school grade when considering grade advancement?
It is not recommended that a student be skipped into the same grade as an older sibling. However, these students still need to be challenged and exposed to rigorous content, so though not recommended, this practice would be considered.
How important are non-academic developmental characteristics such as age and physical size?
Physical characteristics such as a child’s age and physical size are important factors to consider in the whole grade process but are not the main determining factors for advancement. This process considers the whole child when deciding what might be best for their academic future.
What about acceleration for the student who is advanced academically/intellectually but not socially-emotionally?
Grade skipping tends to substantially improve social adjustment (along with a slight gain in self-esteem). When children do move to the higher grade, they are, in fact, more likely to make friends, perhaps because the older children may have similar interests or are slightly more socially mature. Holding back gifted students is much more likely to be stressful for them or harmful in other ways (such as teaching them to ‘coast’ along, which may deny them the opportunity to learn to cope with intellectual challenges). Davidson Institute
What if the student is involved in competitive school athletics?
Whole-grade advancement may place some students at a competitive disadvantage in their particular sport. Parents and students should be aware of this and encouraged to discuss any concerns with the school.
Susan Assouline, Ph.D. et al (1998). Iowa Acceleration Scale: A Guide for Whole-Grade Acceleration K-8 Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology
What are the procedures for Whole Grade Adv
A Whole Grade Advancement (WGA) nomination is submitted to your child’s AIG teacher. The AIG teacher will then submit the information to the Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education (SBCGE). This nomination must be received by SBCGE well before instructional day 135. Requesting WGA before instructional day 135 allows the AIG teacher time to collect and present portfolio evidence to the SBCGE. It also provides time for ALS Central Services to schedule the psychological evaluation if needed.
The Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education reviews performance data, which includes reading, writing, and math work samples and observational data. The collected data should showcase the student's academic ability to perform one or more grade levels above the current grade placement. The SBCGE will recommend further evaluation or will not recommend WGA.
If the Woods Creek Elementary School's School Based Committee for Gifted Education recommends further evaluation, parents will be notified by their school’s AIG teacher and receive the parent checklist and the Prior Notice and Consent for Referral. Both documents must be completed and returned for the WGA process to continue.
If the Woods Creek Elementary School's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education does not recommend further evaluation, the process will not continue. Parents may request to meet with the SBCGE team to review the data and discuss the decision.
Students recommended for further evaluation will be tested by the WCPSS AIG Psychologist and the AIG teacher. The psychologist schedules conducts and interprets the required Evaluations. Parents may obtain an individual independent psychological assessment at their own expense.