Early Entrance Guidelines

Early Admission Guidelines and District Practices

Entrance Age

No child may be admitted to 4-year-old Kindergarten in the District unless the child is four years old on or before September 1 in the year he/she proposes to enter school.  A child may be admitted to 4-year-old kindergarten under the legal age if he/she meets the conditions and standards of the district’s Early Admission to 4-year-old kindergarten policy.

No child may be admitted to 5-year-old Kindergarten in the District unless the child is five years old on or before September 1 in the year he/she proposes to enter school.  A child may be admitted to 5-year-old kindergarten under the legal age if he/she meets the conditions and standards of the district’s Early Admission to 5-year-old kindergarten policy.

No child may be admitted to first grade in the District unless the child is six years old on or before September 1 in the year he/she proposes to enter school and has completed 5-year-old kindergarten.  A child may be admitted to first grade under the legal age if he/she has completed a 5-year-old kindergarten program or its equivalent.  A child may also be admitted to first grade under the legal age and/or without having completed a 5-year-old kindergarten program if he/she has met the conditions and standards for early admission or exemption from kindergarten outlines in the District policy (5112).

Early Entrance for Four-Year-Old Kindergarten

To be considered for early admission to four-year-old kindergarten in the Prescott School District, the school board requires that the following conditions and standards be met.

1. The child must reach the age of four on or before October 1 of the school year he/she proposes to enter school.
2. Parent(s) considering early entrance must submit their request in writing to the elementary school principal and Director of Student Services by April 1 of the proceeding school year.  In the event a family moves into the district after April 1, a letter in writing needs to be submitted no later than August 15 of the proceeding school year.
3. Parent(s) will be required to complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire - 3rd Edition (ASQ-3) and Ages and Stages - Social Emotional (ASQ-SE) or equivalent assessment selected by the school district.
4. The elementary principal, Director of Student Services, and school psychologist will hold a personal interview with the parent/guardian to discuss reasons for requesting early admissions, medical history, summary of developmental milestones, general behavior at home, pre-school experiences, family background, and to inform the parent/guardian of the early admissions criteria.
5. Parent permission to begin testing will be requested.
6. Testing is scheduled by the school psychologist.
7. Assessment begins with the following criteria.
   1. The child must be observed in a 4K classroom setting with like-age peers in order to assess the potential for success in the school setting intellectually, socially, physically, and emotionally.  The observation may include evaluating the child on his/her ability to follow multiple step directions, play with or alongside peers, sit and attend for a minimum of 10 minutes, find his/her name on a list of other names, show understanding/mastery of basic 4K skills (11 basic colors, 8 basic shapes, numbers 1-10, 26 upper and lower-case letters), and ability to demonstrate age appropriate fine motor, gross motor, and self-help skills (potty trained, zipping, buttoning, etc.).
   2. The child must attain a full scale IQ at or above the 95th percentile on the district administered IQ test that is developmentally appropriate.
   3. The child must attain a standard score of greater than 100 in motor ability as assessed by the Beery Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration or on an equivalent assessment selected by the district.
   4. The child must demonstrate physical, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior development at least 20% above his/her chronological age. The child’s development in these areas is assessed utilizing the Developmental Profile 3 or on an equivalent assessment selected by the district.
8. Within two weeks after the evaluation has been completed, the elementary principal or the Director of Student Services shall notify the child’s parent(s) or guardian of the results of the evaluation and the staff recommendation regarding admission to 4-year-old kindergarten.  A written decision regarding the request will be provided to the parent(s) or guardian and a copy kept on file in the district.
   1. If the request is approved, the child’s placement shall be reviewed within 30 days of admission or after the first term to ensure his/her successful adjustment to the school setting and that they are making satisfactory progress. The decision to continue shall be made by the classroom teacher, elementary principal, and Director of Student Services. The decision will be communicated to the child’s parent(s) or guardian once it is made.
   2. A decision not to recommend early admission to school or to discontinue early admission after the 30 days may be appealed in writing to the district administrator.  The district administrator has the final authority for deciding whether or not the child is to be admitted to 4-year-old kindergarten in accordance with the conditions and standards specified in this policy.