Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Following completion of the referral form, the appropriate building principal or designee will contact the family to discuss the referral and how the school may meet the needs of the child. If the family wishes to continue with the process, the principal or designee will initiate the process.

Because the child is not yet enrolled in school, the parent/guardian may be asked to provide informed consent for additional assessments or for school staff to communicate with the child’s preschool or daycare provider. 

For students with a birthday after the school start date and before October 1, students’ development and readiness skills will be evaluated using standardized assessments administered by a teacher or school psychologist. Criteria for eligibility are scores in the average range.

For students with a birthday on October 1 or later, the evaluation team will use the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS). Criteria for eligibility are outlined in the IAS.

If a child’s fifth birthday is on or before the first day of school, no action is required; the student is eligible for Kindergarten.  

If a child’s fifth birthday is after the first day of school but before January 1 of the same school year and the parent/guardian would like the child to attend Kindergarten for the upcoming school year, the parent/guardian should complete an Early Entrance to Kindergarten Referral. The referral form may only be completed between April 1 and May 20.

After receipt of the referral, a district representative will contact the parent/guardian to schedule an evaluation with the child. Most evaluations will be completed in June.

After the evaluation data are collected, a school team will review the results.  

• If the evaluation data indicate that the child may qualify for early entrance, a team member will call the parent and/or schedule a meeting to discuss the results and determine if early entrance is the right fit for the child.
• If the child does not achieve the required level of performance, the parent/guardian will be informed that their child does not qualify for early entrance. Appeals may be made to the superintendent or designee (Dr. Lydia Kruse, kruse_l@shaker.org) within 30 days of the decision.