Early Kindergarten

IS EARLY ENTRANCE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?

This is an important decision that can affect a student’s academic and social performance for the remainder of their school career, thus we urge parents to take this decision very seriously.

• Kindergarten is a full day program. It is an academically rigorous program that stresses language arts, math, social studies, science, and health as well as social, emotional and physical development.

• Young children are emotionally vulnerable and may become stressed and anxious when adult expectations for their performance exceed their development capabilities. They may also demonstrate social or emotional difficulties.

• Your child will be the youngest in his or her class, often a year younger than many peers. As s/he progress through school there may be difficulty fitting in with peers in social situations.

• Although a capable young child needs to be challenged, those challenges should be closely aligned with his or her social and emotional development.

• The standards for early entrance are high to ensure that students are not frustrated by their advanced placement.

• Research indicates that early entrance and/or early reading ability is not a predictor of success in school.

KINDERGARTEN ENTRANCE EXPECTATIONS

In order for your child to qualify for early entrance into Kindergarten, students must be able to demonstrate most of the following skills.

Social-Emotional

• Attend to task/listen for extended period of time

• Follow simple instructions with 2 to 3 step directions

• Interact easily with adults asking for help or communicating needs

• Separate easily from parents/caregivers without getting upset

• Respond appropriately to limits and directions

• Shows eagerness to learn

Academic Skills

• Recognize and name some letters, especially those in their name

• Associate sounds with words or letters

• Recognize and name some numbers

• Identify basic colors and shapes

• Ability to listen and respond to stories and books

• Ability to sort items into groups by color, shape and size

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

1. If my child does not pass can s/he retake the assessment?  No. Each child will only be administered the assessment one time; if s/he does not pass s/he will have to wait to start kindergarten for the next school year.
2. What is the application deadline? There are no deadlines for early application; however school capacity may be an issue as the year progresses.
3. What if my child was accepted for Early Entrance to Kindergarten in another school district? <Or> Can I use this assessment to get them into another school district? Each school district’s early entrance to kindergarten process is specific to that school district. Crane Schools do not accept assessments from other districts. If your child completes and passes our assessments, s/he is granted enrollment into the Crane School District. If you want to use our assessment for a neighboring district(s) it is your responsibility as a parent to check with the other school districts to see if our assessment is acceptable for entrance into other districts.
4. We would like our child to attend a different elementary school than the boundary in which we reside. Can we enroll him/her in another school? You may fill out an open enrollment application; however enrollment is contingent on enrollment numbers and the Principal’s approval at the school to which you are applying.