Early Entrance to Kindergarten application packets will be available in January 2022.
Completed Early Entrance to Kindergarten packets are due no later than May 31, 2022.
Early entrance to kindergarten is a referral process used to evaluate students for enrollment into kindergarten when they do not meet the age requirement set by the District. Reynoldsburg City Schools policy dictates a child is eligible for entrance into kindergarten if s/he attains the age of five (5) on or before August 1st of the year in which s/he applies for entrance. The Board of Education may admit a younger child to kindergarten if the child satisfies the Board's early entrance criteria. A child under age six (6) who is enrolled in kindergarten will be considered of compulsory school age.
The early entrance to kindergarten process begins with a referral initiated by the parent or guardian. A child's pre-school teacher or daycare may recommend a parent to consider early entrance to kindergarten. In order to be considered for early entrance to kindergarten, a referral must be received by the District no later than May 31 preceding the year of potential enrollment. Any referrals received after may not be considered for early entrance evaluation.
Once a referral is received, the student will be evaluated using assessments approved by the Ohio Department of Education in the following areas:
- Ability (often in the form of an IQ test)
- Achievement in Mathematics, Reading, and Language (based on the student's current age)
- Aptitude in Mathematics, Reading, and Language (based on above-level testing)
The first assessment administered is the ability test. If the student demonstrates a full-scale IQ score of 115 or higher, s/he will then be tested for achievement and aptitude in mathematics, reading, and language. If the student's full-scale IQ score is less than 115, no further testing will be completed and the student will not be recommended for early entrance to kindergarten.
Once all testing is complete, an acceleration committee will be formed consisting of, but not limited to, the following participants:
- The parents/guardians
- The building principal
- The school psychologist evaluating the student
- The gifted coordinator
- (If possible) Kindergarten teacher
The acceleration committee will meet to review the results from the assessments and complete an Iowa Acceleration Scale, which will be used to determine if early entrance to kindergarten is recommended. The Iowa Acceleration Scale is a rubric which considers both academic testing and social and emotional readiness for accelerated placement, and is recommended for use by professional educators and the Ohio Department of Education.
The Board will admit to kindergarten any child who has not attained the entrance age requirement of this District, but who was properly enrolled in a public or chartered nonpublic school kindergarten before transferring to the District.