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Early Entrance

Will County School District 92 follows the Illinois law, which specifies that a child must be five years old on or before September 1st of their kindergarten year or six years old on or before September 1st of their first-grade year in order to be age-eligible for enrollment (105 ILCS 5/10-20.12).

WCSD 92 recognizes that there may be exceptional circumstances where children who are not yet five years old demonstrate the ability to succeed in kindergarten or six years old to have success in first grade. The district provides an opportunity for early entrance into kindergarten and first grade under the provisions of the Accelerated Placement Act. Early entrance will be considered for intellectually advanced children whose potential and skills are within the superior range compared to their peers.

An early entrance can have a significant impact on a child’s academic and social-emotional performance; therefore, entering school early should be carefully considered. Aside from academic readiness, other factors should be considered, such as:

  • physical maturation and social-emotional development compared to their peers in elementary, junior high, and high school years.
  • societal milestones, such as driving and starting college.
  • participation in extracurricular activities and sports with older students.

Parents should consider all of these factors when determining whether early entrance is best for their child.

If you believe your child qualifies to enter kindergarten or first grade early, please contact Megan Urban, Walsh School's principal. She can be reached at murban@d92.org or 815.838.7858.

Kindergarten Early Entrance Requirements

  • Early placement for kindergarten will be considered if all of the following criteria have been met: 
  • An application for early entrance review is submitted by the parent/guardian.
  • The child’s fifth birthday falls between September 2 and October 1 of the academic school year, in which the kindergarten placement is requested.
  • The parent/guardian provides proof of residency.
  • A child must have attended a preschool taught by a licensed early childhood teacher.
  • Both parent and current preschool teacher complete questionnaires. Parent signature gives District 92 staff permission to observe your child in their preschool setting and conference with the preschool teacher.
  • A screening process will take place at a District 92 school in June. The screening will include an observation and/or assessment of the following:
    • Social Interaction
    • Emotional Regulation/Behavior
    • Attention and Engagement
    • Gross/Fine Motor Skills
    • Speech and Language
    • Reading and Math Skills
  • The parent/guardian agrees that the early entrance kindergarten student will have a probationary period of eight weeks (mid-October). The school will review the child’s progress to determine whether the child will continue the kindergarten year. The team reserves the right to discontinue the child’s placement at any time during the probationary period. 
  • District registration will be required upon acceptance to early kindergarten. At any point during the screening process, the District 92 team reserves the right to discontinue the evaluation if they deem that the child will not qualify for early entrance. Decisions regarding eligibility for early entrance to kindergarten will be emailed within two weeks of the screening. All decisions will be final.

Timeline

  • March 1 - Application window for early entrance consideration begins
  • April 1 - Parent application is due
  • April 1 - Proof of Residency Documents
  • May/June - Screening Process

 

Application for Kindergarten Early Entrance

First-Grade Early Entrance Requirements

Early placement for first grade will be considered if all of the following criteria have been met:

  • The child’s sixth birthday falls between September 2 and September 30 of the academic school year, in which the first-grade placement is requested.
  • An official letter from the school where your child attends preschool/kindergarten. This letter must state that your child has successfully completed preschool/kindergarten, demonstrated good attendance, and is ready to enter first grade.
  • A progress report that reviews your child’s progress in the following areas: language arts, mathematics, social-emotional development, and fine motor development.
  • The child must demonstrate above-average social-emotional development as determined by interview, parent questionnaire, observation, and/or professional judgment.
  • The child must score in the superior range of administered assessments.