Early Entrance

Admission to School District 158 is based on chronological age. To be eligible for admission to kindergarten, the child shall have attained five years on or before September 1. Since some students demonstrate maturity beyond what is typical of their chronological age, grade acceleration is a way to provide for their needs.

Children must exhibit social emotional skills that would match that of their kindergarten peers and they must perform significantly higher on test measures than an average kindergarten student.

To enroll in kindergarten in District 158, a child must be five years of age on or before September 1. Parents seeking early kindergarten enrollment must follow procedures outlined in the Early Entrance Brochure.

This also covers any student who attended a private kindergarten program that is not accredited by ISBE as meeting the school code (for purposes of early kindergarten or first grade enrollment). In these cases, even if the student was tested for early kindergarten enrollment and denied, then attended a private kindergarten, and now wants to attend first grade, the student must still go through this whole procedure again.

Note: There is no appeal to this decision making process. There is no statute requiring a district to offer early kindergarten or first grade enrollment to any student, therefore there is no basis for appeal.

*The same procedure applies to grade acceleration into grade 1.

Grade acceleration, first through ninth grades, is permissible under certain circumstances. A building level committee, comprised of a building administrator, the child’s current teacher(s), a representative from the next grade, a representative from the District Office, and a gifted coordinator is convened. The gifted coordinator will be responsible for gathering all necessary documentation as well as completing the Iowa Acceleration Scale.

Areas of evaluation include, but are not limited to: academic ability, social maturity, and emotional maturity. A decision is based upon a review of the available data. Data to include, but not limited to: Achievement test scores (including out of level), Ability test scores, Teacher/parent recommendation.

For a student to receive a positive recommendation for grade level acceleration, he/she must perform significantly higher on designated assessments than that of the requested grade age students. In cases where agreement cannot be reached, the Superintendent or his/her designee reviews the committee’s decision and makes a final determination. Parents will be notified by the building administrator and/or gifted coordinator.

Placement is closely monitored. If the child experiences difficulty, a reassignment may be made upon consultation with parents, the principal, teachers, and support staff.