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Deerfield Public Schools District 109

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Early Entrance

A boy and girl student show each other Alphabetic flash cards

Kindergarten

Early entrance to Kindergarten is the admission to Kindergarten of a student who:
A). Will not be five years of age on or before September 1st of that school term
B). Is admitted prior to the dates established in the school code based upon an assessment of his or her readiness to attend school. 

This unique type of whole-grade acceleration may be an excellent option for some children. Due to the years of impact early entrance can have on a child, we give this decision very careful consideration. We will not assess or consider children for early entrance whose birthday falls after October 31 of the school year term. 

Two boys showing off their muscles

1st Grade

Early entrance to first grade is the admission to first grade of a student who:
A). Is assessed for readiness, attended a non-public preschool and continued his or her education at that school through kindergarten, was taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher, and will attain the age of six years on or before December 31st
OR
B). Is admitted prior to the dates established in the School Code based upon an assessment of his or her readiness to attend school.

The child's 6th birthday must fall between September 2 and December 31 of the school term. We will not assess or consider children whose birthday falls after December 31. 

Requests should be directed to our Director of Learning

Jason Jezuit

Jason Jezuit

Director of Learning and Instruction

 

The Typical Timeline for Early Entrance:

  • Registration Request
    • February - April
  • Assessment & Decision
    • May-June

Click here to read directly from the Board Policy Manual online (reference 6:135 Accelerated Placement Program).

Below are the steps required for Early Entry

Step 1:

  • Registration
  • Parents will be asked to provide two documents for proof of residency (options listed below) and their child's birth certificate:
    • One (1) from this list:
      • Property tax bill
      • Warranty deed
      • Signed lease with proof of payment
    • Two (2) from this list:
      • Driver's IL License
      • License plate registration
      • Voter registration 
      • Auto insurance card/statement
      • Gas, electric, or water utility bill (no cable or phone bills)

Step 2:

First page of the PDF file: EarlyEntranceRequestForm

Step 3:

  • May/June
    • Records Review: Information collected from preschool/kindergarten, including interview with current teacher.
    • NWEA MAP: Math and Reading: need to score in the 90th percentile or above in both reading and math to be considered for Early Entrance
    • Local Assessments: math assessment, reading assessment, and writing sample.
    • Observational Data: Indepedent and functional skills.

Step 4:

  • Data review & follow-up with family.

Step 5 (if needed):

  • An intelligence test administered by a school psychologist
  • An adaptive measure administered by a psychologist

Step 6:

  • District decision - made by a team consisting of a district administrator, the school principal, the school psychologist, and supporting school staff.