Early Entrance to Kindergarten
Early Entrance Information
Washington state law requires that students entering kindergarten in the fall turn five before midnight of August 31 of the enrollment year (WAC 392-335-010). However, if a parent/guardian believes their child is sufficiently advanced, and the child turns five years of age by November 30 and resides in district boundaries, they may notify Tahoma School District of their intent to pursue Early Entrance.
Early Entrance to Kindergarten is a rigorous screening process to find out if a student is ready to start kindergarten early. In order to qualify, your child will need to complete and score highly on an advanced series of rigorous assessments and demonstrate an exceptional readiness for school. To increase the likelihood that your child will have a successful first year of school, they will be expected to meet standards at a 5-year, 6-month level in each of the assessed areas below.
Assessment Areas Required:
- Mental Ability (Cognitive)
- Gross Motor Skills
- Fine Motor Skills
- Visual Perceptual Discrimination
- Auditory Discrimination
- Emotional/Social Development
- Speech/Language Development
If your child meets standard in all seven (7) categories, they will be granted a thirty (30) calendar day trial period in Kindergarten. Teachers and principal will review placement during the first thirty (30) calendar days of school, and a determination for permanent admission will be made at that time.
We do encourage you to think seriously about the implications for your child's future. School is more than just academics. Maturity and social competence are as important to a child's overall success as intellectual capacity. Depending on a child's birthdate, early entrance could result in an age difference of up to two years between your child and their grade level peers.
Process for Early Entrance
The process for Early Entrance to Kindergarten includes.:
1. Notification of Interest:
Parents complete the online Early Entrance--Parent Notification of Interest form. Parents attend a meeting in early May with our Teaching and Learning Elementary Director and Early Learning Coordinator to provide information to help parents make this decision. Parent meeting invitations are emailed at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
2. Independent Assessment:
Parents arrange to have their child assessed by an independent, certified child psychologist of their choice – the district does not perform the early entrance testing. The district provides contact information of professionals we have worked with in the past. Parents may select any qualified child psychologist.
3. Independent Assessment Provided to District:
The psychologist provides the district with the assessment results and Tahoma’s Assessment Areas & Approved Instruments form, with age equivalency identified, no later than August 15. Information should be sent to Carole Witruk, Teaching and Learning Executive Assistant, at cwitruk@tahomasd.us.
4. Notification of Decision:
Parents are notified by email on the early entrance decision. A letter indicating eligibility allows them to register their child at their boundary school. All determinations are final and will not be subject to appeal.