PRAGMATIC PSYCHOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
TESTING AND EVALUATION SERVICES
1800 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Ste 104, Durham, NC 27707
919-908-8674
Early Entry to Kindergarten
The early entrance for kindergarten process is designed to provide an opportunity for students to start school 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.
The State of North Carolina has created standards for the principal to use in determining if a child is appropriate for early entrance to kindergarten. Once the principal receives the minimum requirements the principal shall confer with a committee of professional educators to consider for each child various standards that will indicate readiness. Standards established by the state of North Carolina are described as follows:
Student Aptitude - The child shall score at the 98th percentile on a standard individual test of intelligence 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 98th percentile on either Reading or Mathematics on a standard test 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.
As part of the application process for EEK, parents must submit a portfolio which includes current test scores from IQ and Achievement measures. The process for psychological assessment of kindergarten readiness includes a brief consultation, administration of specific test measures (WPPSI-IV and WJ-IV) and feedback session.