Early Entrance to Kindergarten

For children who will not be five years old by the first day of instruction of the school year, but who will turn five on or before January 1 of that school year, a multi-step evaluation is administered annually by qualified school personnel. This research-based evaluation aligns with Ohio law and is approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce as part of the early admission to kindergarten process.

After completing enrollment, a parent or guardian completes the Complete an Early Entrance to Kindergarten Referral Form, notifying the district of their request for evaluation. The Early Entrance to Kindergarten referral process opens annually on April 1. Applications received for eligible students between April 1 and May 20 will have the early entrance assessment completed during the month of June. Families will be notified at the start of the assessment window to schedule their child’s evaluation.

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 assemble an acceleration team, which includes the parent or guardian, the principal, a school psychologist, and a teacher. 

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

Prior to a decision regarding early entrance to kindergarten, the team will complete the The Iowa Acceleration Scale and review multiple sources of data. The acceleration team will use this information to determine whether early entrance to kindergarten is appropriate, consistent with the district’s Academic Acceleration Policy.

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. The evaluation team will use the Iowa Acceleration Scale, the only ODEW-approved assessment for early entrance.  Most evaluations will be completed in June.

After the evaluation data are collected, a school team will review the results of the Iowa Acceleration Scale.  

• If the evaluation data indicate that the child may qualify for early entrance, a team member will invite the parent/guardian to a meeting to assess the social-emotional and behavioral readiness of the child.  At this meeting, the team will make a determination about whether early entrance is recommended 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.