Early Entrance and Acceleration
Early Entrance
Per District policy 6:135, please follow the appropriate application process.
The deadline for applications is Friday, March 22 for consideration of early entrance for the following school year. Early Entrance applies to Kindergarten and 1st Grade.
Early Entrance into Kindergarten
Your child's 5th birthday must fall between September 2 and October 31 of the school year term. We will not assess or consider children for early entrance whose birthday falls after October 31 of the school year term.
Early Entrance into First Grade
Early Entrance to first grade is the admission to first grade of a student who: a) is assessed for readiness, attended a non-public 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.
Your child's 6th birthday must fall between September 2 and December 31 of that school year term. We will not assess or consider children whose birthday falls after December 31 of the school year term.
Decision Making Processes
All decisions regarding early entrance will involve multiple individuals inclusive of parents, teachers, evaluators, and administrators. Processes will be fair and equitable and based upon quantitative and qualitative data that has been collected for determination of appropriateness of early entrance or acceleration.
Assessment Processes for Early Entrance
Prior to initiation of any additional assessment outside of the district assessment plan, parents/guardians must provide written consent to conduct the assessment. Assessments will be completed by properly certified school personnel who have the knowledge and skills necessary to administer, score and interpret the results of the assessments given. Assessment results will be provided to parents inclusive of data points required for consideration of early entrance.
Assessment review for potential Early Entrance may include any of the following:
- Social Emotional Checklist
- Assessment of School Readiness
- Young Children’s Achievement Test (YCAT)
- Bracken Basic Concept Scale
- Classroom observation in current educational setting (preschool or kindergarten)
- Interview with current teacher
Click here to begin the Early Entrance application process.
Communication Processes
Parents/guardians will be notified in writing throughout the process of determining eligibility for early entrance or acceleration. This notification process will include the following as needed for each request:
-
Initial notification that a request for early entrance or acceleration has been received and referral determination.
-
Within ten school days after receiving referral, written notification regarding whether assessment for acceleration is warranted will be communicated to parents/guardians. This includes a written outline regarding timeline for completion of assessment when determination to assess has been made and written consent has been obtained.
-
Notification of a meeting in which assessment results will be discussed and shared with parents.
-
Notification regarding the decision whether the student is eligible for early entrance or acceleration which includes processes to appeal the eligibility determination.
Additional Resources:
Acceleration
Per District policy 6:135 please follow the appropriate application process.
The state defines accelerated placement as “the placement of a child in an educational setting with curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older or in a higher grades than the child.” The types of accelerated placement are defined below.
Conversations with parents, educational professionals including classroom teachers and licensed staff members, and the building principal are essential during the acceleration referral and application process.
The deadline for applications is March 22 for consideration of acceleration for the following school year.
Grade Acceleration
Grade acceleration 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 in all subject areas. Grade acceleration applies to incoming 2nd-8th grade students.
Single Subject Acceleration
Single subject acceleration is the practice of assigning a student to a higher subject level than is typical, given the student’s age, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities in one or more subject areas. It may be accomplished by either: a) physically moving the student to a higher level class for instruction; or b) using higher level curricular or study materials in the student’s current classroom. Single subject acceleration applies to 2nd-8th Grade.
Decision Making Processes
All decisions regarding acceleration will involve multiple individuals inclusive of parents, teachers, evaluators, and administrators. Processes will be fair and equitable and based upon quantitative and qualitative data that has been collected for determination of appropriateness of early entrance or acceleration.
Assessment Processes
Prior to initiation of any additional assessment outside of the district assessment plan, parents/guardians must provide written consent to conduct the assessment. Assessments will be completed by properly certified school personnel who have the knowledge and skills necessary to administer, score and interpret the results of the assessments given. Assessment results will be provided to parents inclusive of data points required for consideration of acceleration.
Assessment review for potential Subject or Grade Acceleration may include any of the following:
-
Social Emotional Screening Tool
- Data from Universal Screening tools or curriculum based measures
- MAP (grades 3-8)
- Curriculum Based Measures (all grades)
- IAR State Assessment (grades 3-8)
-
Teacher questionnaire (current teacher or content area specialist)
-
Student questionnaire (interview or google form)
Additionally it is important to consider the impact of decisions and placement on the overall grade level programming and schedules for students.
Acceleration Request Form
Click here to begin the Acceleration process. Google form opens on Monday, February 26, 2024 and closes on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Complete the form to begin the accelerated placement request process. The placement change would take place the following school year. For example, requests granted in the spring of 2024 will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2024.
Communication Processes
Parents/guardians will be notified in writing throughout the process of determining eligibility for early entrance or acceleration. This notification process will include the following as needed for each request:
-
Initial notification that a request for early entrance or acceleration has been received and referral determination.
-
Within ten school days after receiving referral, written notification regarding whether assessment for acceleration is warranted will be communicated to parents/guardians. This includes a written outline regarding timeline for completion of assessment(s) when determination to assess has been made and written consent has been obtained.
-
Notification of a meeting in which the assessment results will be discussed and shared with parents.
-
Notification regarding the decision whether the student is eligible for early entrance or acceleration which includes processes to appeal the eligibility determination.
Additional Resources:
Request Form (PDF version- not a live form)
MAP RIT Score and Percentile Comparisons
Winnetka Parent Institute January 2023: Acceleration