ADMINISTRATIVE RULE 421

AR 421 -      Early Admission Procedures

A.           Kindergarten

1.       A written application shall be made by the parent to the District Administrator, postmarked not later than March 1^st prior to the school year of requested attendance.

2.       A personal interview shall be held to determine the parents’ reasons for requesting entrance prior to the legal age. The Board, at its discretion may accept a written statement from the parent(s), guardian(s) as to the reason for the request.

3.       The child shall participate in the District’s kindergarten screening program for the District to assess the child’s emotional stability, social and emotional maturity, and physical health. Follow-up evaluations may be conducted by school psychologists and/or other pupil services staff. The screening and/or evaluations shall be at no cost to the parents.

4.       After the evaluation has been completed, a conference shall be held with the parents and school personnel to consider the appropriateness of entrance into kindergarten.

5.       Exceptions to these procedural timelines may be granted to families moving into the School District after March 1^st.

The School Board shall have final authority for determining admission if the child is superior in the full range of abilities and needs including social, emotional, physical and mental maturity; or the child is very superior in intelligence but due to asynchronous development, may lag behind in the other areas of abilities.

B.           First Grade

Recognizing that some children can greatly benefit from formal education prior to

reaching the legal age of entrance, the Board may grant permission for early entrance under the following procedures:                       

1.               Application shall be made by the parent to the District Administrator, postmarked no later than April 1 prior to the school year of requested attendance.

2.               A personal interview shall be held to determine the parents’ reasons for requesting entrance prior to the legal age. The Board, at its discretion, may accept a written statement from the parent(s)/guardian(s) as to the reason for the request.

3.               An evaluation of the child’s potential to benefit from early admission to first grade shall be required. The evaluation shall consider emotional stability, social and mental maturity and physical health. The individual evaluation shall be conducted by a certified school psychologist in conjunction with other pupil services workers. The evaluation shall be at no cost to the parents.

4.               After the evaluation has been completed, a conference shall be held with the parents to consider the appropriateness of early entrance to first grade.

The Board shall have final authority for determining admission and its decision shall be based on the following conditions and standards:

5.               The child was admitted to and successfully completed kindergarten under Wisconsin Statute 115.28 (8); or

6.               The child successfully completed a program for five year old children which the school district deems equivalent to kindergarten;

7.               The child does not meet the conditions of (5) or (6) above. However, as a result of favorable evaluations conducted by District staff, the child is considered capable of being successful in school and the child’s educational welfare would best be served by placement in first grade.

8.               Exceptions to these procedural timelines may be granted to families moving into the School District after April 1^st.

Cross Ref.:     Board Policy 421 – Entrance Age

Revised: March 1, 2006