North Carolina Early Entry to Kindergarten Process

The North Carolina General Assembly passed BH-1099, allowing early admission to Kindergarten of a

child who has reached his/her fourth birthday by April 16

if the child demonstrates extraordinary

academic ability and maturity. North Carolina has created standards for principals to use in

determining if early entrance to kindergarten is an appropriate placement for a child. Once the

principal receives the minimum requirements, the principal shall confer with a committee of

professional educators to consider various standards that will indicate readiness for a child.

Standards established by North Carolina are described as follows:

● Student Aptitude:The child shall score at the 98

percentile on a standardized assessment of

aptitude such as the

Stanford-Binet, The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence,

the Kaufman Anderson

, or any other comparable tests, that shall be administered by a licensed

psychologist.*

● Achievement: The child shall score at the 98

percentile on either Reading or Mathematics on

a standardized assessment such as the

Metropolitan Readiness Test, the Stanford Early School

Achievement test, the Mini Battery of Achievement, the Woodcock-Johnson, the Test of Early

Mathematics (TEMA), the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA)

or any other comparable tests

that shall be administered by a licensed psychologist.*

● Performance: The child shall be able to perform tasks well above same-age peers as

evidenced by behaviors in one or more areas such as independent reading, problem-solving

skills, advanced vocabulary, and some writing ﬂuency. The parent shall submit a sample of the

child’s work that shows outstanding examples of ability in any area including, but not limited

to, art, mathematics, writing, dramatic play, creative productions, science, or social

interactions.

● Observable Student Behavior/Student Interest: The child shall demonstrate social and

developmental maturity sufﬁcient to participate in a structured setting for a full school day. The

child shall be capable of following verbal instructions and functioning independently within a

group. The parent shall provide two recommendation letters (from non-family members) with

speciﬁc documentation of physical and social maturity from preschool teachers, child care

workers, pediatricians, or others who have direct knowledge of the child. Useful

documentation checklists include

The California Preschool Competency Scale, The Harrison

Scale

or any other comparable scale of early social development.

● Motivation/ Student Interest: The principal or principal’s designee shall conduct an informal

interview with the child and a more structured interview to determine if the child displays a

thirst for knowledge and seeks new and challenging learning situations.

*Families are responsible for arranging and paying for this test. The district is not permitted to

recommend a psychologist. It is recommended that families obtain recommendations from the child’s

pediatrician or primary care physician.

Parents who wish to have their children considered must submit information within the ﬁrst 30

calendar days of the school’s instructional year. All testing should be administered after the April 16

that followsthe child’s fourth birthday. The principal shall decide whether to grant the parents’ request

for enrollment within three weeks of receiving this information. The principal may conditionally enroll

the child for

up to

90 days in order to observe whether the child is able to adjust to the school

setting. If the principal determines that the child has not adjusted to the school setting, the principal

shall deny the request for enrollment. However, before the child is exited from school, the principal

shall invite the parent to assist in the development of intervention strategies for the child. If those

strategies are not successful, the principal shall provide the parents at least 10 days notice before

exiting the child from school so the parent may arrange child care, if needed.

Early admission to kindergarten shall not automatically result in gifted identiﬁcation. By the time the

child has been enrolled for 90 calendar days, or at any earlier time that school ofﬁcials determine that

the child has adjusted satisfactorily and shall be allowed to remain in school, the Talent Development

(TD) Site-Based Committee shall review the child’s information to determine if the child meets the

expectations established by the LEA’s

AIG Plan

. If the committee determines the child is eligible to

receive gifted services, they shall develop an Individual Differentiated Education Plan (IDEP) for the

child.

Steps for Families to Take

**Please note that students wishing to be considered for Early Entry to Kindergarten are not eligible

to participate in a magnet program for their kindergarten year.

Visit http://mcmap.org/geoportal to determine home/neighborhood school.**

Is Early Entry to Kindergarten the best choice for your child?

The early entrance for kindergarten process provides an opportunity for students to enter kindergarten early.

The process is designed for students who are not only academically ready and advanced, but who are also

demonstrating advanced characteristics socially, emotionally, and developmentally that would demonstrate

readiness for the elementary classroom environment. Students who are ready for kindergarten early are

advanced in multiple areas when compared to their same-age peers, or other four-year-olds of the same birth

month. Advancement is necessary for multiple areas as kindergarten’s expectations are heavily based on

academics and preparing our students for the 21

century. Many students can demonstrate academic ability

based on the exposure provided by parents and daycare settings; however, few children will demonstrate the

aptitude, or thinking ability, needed to enter kindergarten early. When considering early entrance into

kindergarten, keep in mind it is a process designed to meet the academic and social needs of the child, not as

a replacement for child care. Students accepted into kindergarten early will be placed in a class where peers

could be up to two years older.

The following factors and questions should be considered when determining if the early entrance process is

something you wish to pursue for your child:

Questions to Consider

Factors & Characteristics to Consider

● Is my child capable of working

successfully with children who are one

year older?

● Does my child adapt well to change, or

will the adjustment frustrate him/her?

● What long-term impacts will early

kindergarten placement have on my

child’s long-term academic career (e.g.

beginning college and high school a year

early)?

● Does my child ask questions to advance

his/her learning?

● Can my child read, comprehend, and/or

make connections to a story? Can my

child decode challenging words?

● Does my child have an understanding of

basic math concepts, such as shapes,

time, number recognition?

● Does my child demonstrate leadership

with their same-age peers?

● Is my child able to maintain interest for

long periods of time?

● Does my child demonstrate curiosity

about learning new things?

● Does my child demonstrate strong

memory and recall skills?

● Is my child able to maintain a structured

schedule for longer periods of time than

same-age peers?

My child…

● Believes he/she can experience success at

new tasks

● Can maintain personal care and hygiene with

little assistance from adults (e.g. use the

bathroom, tie shoes, button and zip garments)

● Thoughtfully considers feedback and adjusts

behavior appropriately

● Has the ability to focus attention for long

periods of instruction

● Demonstrates ﬁne and large motor skills

coordination

● Can be separated from a parent without being

upset

● Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills with

age-mates and older peers

● Follows routines and schedules

● Is enthusiastic about elementary school

● Follow given and multi-step directions

APPLICATION FOR EARLY ADMISSION TO KINDERGARTEN

Based on North Carolina Law and State Standards for Early Admission

Families are responsible for gathering and presenting all required information to the home/neighborhood

school to support that the child has extraordinary academic ability and is appropriately mature to justify

early admission.

STUDENT NAME: ________________________________________________________________________

BIRTHDATE: _____________________________________________________________________________

PARENTS’ NAMES: _______________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________ EMAIL: ____________________________________

HOME/NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL: _______________________________________________________

Information to Submit

Meets Expectation

Test Score

APTITUDE TEST SCORE OF 98th

percentile on a standardized individual

test of intelligence administered by a

licensed psychologist after April 16

Yes _______ No ______

Full Scale IQ Percentile ______

ACHIEVEMENT TESTS SCORE OF

98th percentile on a standardized

individual test in reading or math

administered by a licensed

psychologist after April 16

Yes _______ No ______

*Score meets or exceeds 98th

percentile in reading or math.

Reading Percentile _______

Math Percentile _______

North Carolina Standards for Early Entry to Kindergarten state that a child meets the aptitude and

achievement test expectations. If a child does not meet both aptitude and achievement test expectations

the process stops here and a submission to the school is not necessary.

Information to Submit

Initials

STUDENT WORK showing outstanding ability in any of the following areas: art,

math, writing, dramatic play, creative productions, science, reading, social

interactions, etc.

Maximum of six items

. Quality will be given greater consideration

than quantity.

TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION with speciﬁc documentation of physical

and social maturity from child care workers, pediatricians, or others with direct

knowledge of the child (non-family members).

When submission of the information listed above meets the minimum eligibility requirements, separate

interviews by school personnel with both the child and the parent(s) will evaluate the child’s level of

motivation and interest in learning. In addition, the school will conduct an assessment of the child to

determine an extraordinary level of kindergarten readiness.

Parent Signature ______________________________Date Submitted: _____________________________