Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Guidance and Application for the 
2022-2023 School Year
State of Ohio laws and Reynoldsburg policy require that a child entering Kindergarten be five years of age on or before August 1st.

Parents of children who will become five (5) years of age between August 2nd and before January 1st may request testing for early entrance to Kindergarten.

Parents of children who will become five (5) years of age after January 1st will be referred for early entrance testing at the discretion of the building Principal.

The techniques used to evaluate a child’s readiness include tests designed to assess the degree of that child’s physical, intellectual, social, and emotional maturity.  Test scores alone will not determine the child’s readiness for school, but rather a clinical evaluation that measures the balance or imbalance of the child’s development and its relationship to his/her readiness for school.

Procedures for Early Entrance

1.	The parent / guardian must submit a written request to:
James Young, Coordinator of Gifted Services
Fax: (614) 501-1050
James.Young@reyn.org

2.	An application packet will be provided to the parent by the District (see attached).
3.	An individual evaluation of the child shall be initiated when the completed packet is returned. Completed applications must be submitted by 4:00 PM on May 31 in order to be processed. The packet is provided to both the building administrator and the School Psychologist. The evaluation should and will include the following:
•	Cognitive Assessment 
•	Academic Achievement Assessment (Mathematics, Reading, Language)
•	Iowa Acceleration Scale
4.	The Psychologist shall provide a written summary of the initial evaluation to the Building Principal and Gifted Coordinator who will schedule a conference with the parent to discuss the results and make recommendations.  
5.	The building team, including the Principal, Grade-Appropriate Teacher, School Psychologist, Gifted Services Coordinator, and parents shall meet to discuss the evaluation and make recommendations. The recommendation for advanced placement shall be based upon:
•	Formal application and applicable checklists
•	Recommendations from preschool personnel (if applicable)
•	Evaluation information
6.	The Building Principal will provide the parent with a copy of the written summary of the evaluation and the team decision and/or recommendations for entrance or delay of entrance. 
7.	In the event that a child has been evaluated by a certified or licensed Psychologist outside of Reynoldsburg City Schools, the decision for acceptance of the student in the school program rests solely with Reynoldsburg City Schools.

 Early Entrance to First Grade
The procedures for consideration for placement at the traditional grade one level at an age less than six (6) years of age is the same as those listed for kindergarten, except that a mental age of eight years, 0 months or a corresponding IQ score, and developmental age scores of one (1) year greater than those required for early entrance to kindergarten.

Transition to the Recommended Placement

Written Acceleration Plans
Students qualifying for early entrance will be placed on a Written Acceleration Plan.  Written Acceleration Plans (WAPs) are plans that detail the commitment by both the school and the parent / guardian to ensure that the student’s transition to the new placement is successful, as well as steps to be taken by the parent / guardian or school if the student struggles to transition successfully to the new placement.

Transition Period
Students qualifying for early entrance will be given a four (4) week transition period at the beginning of the school year where they will be carefully observed by the teacher. Following the four-week transition period, a conference will be scheduled to review progress with the parent and determine if the early entrance placement will be finalized.

Reynoldsburg City Schools
Parent Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Name of child: ________________________________________________________________________
		Last Name			First Name			MI

Date of Birth: __________________________________			 Gender: __________________
		Month	      	Day		Year

Home Address: ___________________________________________	Telephone: ________________

Email Address: ___________________________________________

School to be attended: __________________________________________________________________

Father’s Name: ___________________________	Mother’s Name: _________________________

Who has custody of the child: ___________________	     Child Resides with: ____________________

Number of Siblings: ____________	Age of Sibling(s): _____________________________________

Has the child had any preschool experience:       Yes	No	Where/when? _____________________

Please state your intent for requesting the early entrance evaluation of your child:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please explain why you feel your child should be considered for early entrance to kindergarten: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I understand that I must return this form and the completed packet no later than May 31 prior to the start of the school year for which admission is desired in order for my child to be considered for early entrance to kindergarten.

_____________________________________________		_____________________
Signature of Parent / Guardian					Date
Attach two (2) recommendations from preschool teachers or other instructors to this application (included in the packet).  These should not be completed by family members.

Return Completed Packet no later than 4:00 PM on May 31 to:

James Young, Coordinator of Gifted Services
Fax: (614) 501-1050
James.Young@reyn.org

Early Entrance to Kindergarten
Recommendation Form

Name of Child: ___________________________________	Date of Birth: _____________________

The above-named child is applying for early entrance to kindergarten.  You are being asked to recommend this child for consideration as an early entrance applicant.

How long have you known this child? ______________________________________________________

In what capacity do you know this child (e.g. preschool teacher, Sunday School teacher, daycare, etc.)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please describe below the reasons you believe this child is ready for kindergarten:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________		______________________________________
Name (Type or Print)					Business / Organization
______________________________________		______________________________________
Signature						Telephone Number
______________________________________		______________________________________
Email Address						Date

Early Entrance to Kindergarten
Recommendation Form

Name of Child: ___________________________________	Date of Birth: _____________________

The above-named child is applying for early entrance to kindergarten.  You are being asked to recommend this child for consideration as an early entrance applicant.

How long have you known this child? ______________________________________________________

In what capacity do you know this child (e.g. preschool teacher, Sunday School teacher, daycare, etc.)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please describe below the reasons you believe this child is ready for kindergarten:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________		______________________________________
Name (Type or Print)					Business / Organization
______________________________________		______________________________________
Signature						Telephone Number
______________________________________		______________________________________
Email Address						Date

Skills Checklist for Ages 3 Through 5

Child’s Name: __________________________________________	Date of Birth: _____________________

Person Completing Checklist: ______________________________	Date Completed: ___________________

Please rate each skill according to the follow rating scale:

	1	2	3	4	5
	Always	Frequently	Occasionally	Seldom	Never

General Knowledge
	Matches colors
	Points to colors when requested
	Can name colors when adult points to them	
List colors your child can name: ________________________________________________
	Matches shapes (including: ☐ circle     ☐ square     ☐ triangle     ☐ rectangle
	Points to shapes when requested (incl: ☐ circle     ☐ square     ☐ triangle     ☐ rectangle
List other shapes known: ______________________________________________________
	Can orally state:    ☐ First Name     ☐ Last Name     ☐ Age
	Can recognize own printed name	
	Can name some letters: (including: ______________________________________________
	Can rote count up to: _________
	Can name some numerals: _____________________________________________________
	Can point to body parts when asked
How many body parts does your child know? _________

Self-Help Skills
	Uses bathroom without help, including washing hands and flushing
	Eats with minimal assistance
	Cleans up eating area
	Can dress self
	Puts shoes on correct feet
	Puts on outdoor clothing
	Takes off outdoor clothing
	Zips coat
	Snaps clothing
	Keeps nose and hands clean, hair neat, adjusts clothing
	Is aware of obvious dangers and avoids them
	Locates own possession and returns them to appropriate place
	Seeks out adult if hurt or injured

Social/Play/Behavioral Skills
	Plays and interacts with __________ (Number of) children
	Separates from parents
	Shares toys or work materials with peers
	Takes turns in games
	Does not fight with other children
	Does not disturb or disrupt activities of others
	Makes choices about preferred activities
	Stops an activity when instructed by an adult

Social/Play/Behavioral Skills, continued
	Works on a task for: (circle one)	1   -   3   -   5   - 10   -   15    minutes
	Stays in seat for about __________ (number of) minutes
	Comes to adult when signaled
	Can pay attention, wait turn and participate in small group of children
	Plays pretend
	Can wait quietly

Gross Motor Skills
	Balances on one foot for five seconds
	Hops two hops on one foot
	Gallops
	Steers and pedals a tricycle
	Can turn a somersault
	Throws a ball over hand	
	Catches a bounced ball
	Jumps over 6” object landing on both feet
	Can jump from 12” landing on toes
	Can walk on tiptoes three steps
	Can walk a balance beam
	Bends from waist to pick things up
	Walks up/down steps alone with alternating feet

Fine / Visual Motor Skills
	Shows a hand preference
	Grasps a pencil with fingers, not fist
	Can copy a:  ☐ Circle     ☐ Horizontal line    ☐ Vertical line    ☐ Cross     ☐ Square
	Can place small pegs in a pegboard	
	Can print capital letters
	Can cut a line continuously
	Can cut out simple shapes

Language Skills
	Follows directions with a location word.  For example: “Put the ball under the table”
	Follows direction with more than one step
	Maintains interest in story books
	Speaks in complete sentences
	Number of words in a typical sentence _____________
	Uses plural “S” on words
	Adds “-ing” to verbs
	Can talk about something that happened in the past
	Uses past tense (walked)
	Can give answers to questions like “What do you do when you’re sleepy?”
	Uses is, are, and am in sentences
	Uses contractions like don’t and can’t
	Uses pronouns like he, she, I, you, me, and mine
	Can identify and name common objects and pictures
	Relates experiences, ideas, and feelings to others
	Speaks clearly enough that an outsider can understand
	Uses words that tell location (in., out, on, under, etc.)
	Can tell the functions of common objects (“Ride in a car”, “Eat with a spoon”, etc.)