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Early Kindergarten Entrance

Applying for Early Kindergarten Entrance

Confirm Student Eligibility

Students who are eligible for early entrance turn five between Sept. 2 and Oct. 31. Students who have birthdays after Oct.31 are not eligible for early entrance.

Schedule and Complete Early Childhood Screening

The child must go through early childhood screening and obtain a passing score. This process is required for entry to kindergarten for all students by the State of Minnesota. For EC Screening contact: 763-497-6528 or ecscreening@mystma.org.

Kindergarten Early Entrance Process

The Kindergarten early entrance process consists of several steps. These include:

  • Contacting the Albertville Primary principal to review procedures. Every effort should be made to contact the principal by May 1. This allows sufficient time for all steps to be completed.
  • A Cognitive assessment by a certified psychologist, obtained at the parent's time and expense. Must be completed by May 15.
  • Social/emotional readiness screening
  • Review of results by a district school psychologist and written recommendation to the superintendent

Cognitive Assessment

Cognitive assessments are obtained at the parent’s time and expense. These assessments involve obtaining scores from an individualized, standardized test of intellectual abilities (also known as intelligence tests, ability tests, IQ tests, etc.). The following professionals are generally considered qualified to complete this testing: psychologists, including a clinical or educational psychologist, or a  neuropsychologist. These professionals have received training in the administration/interpretation of intellectual testing and hold a license in psychology (or work under the supervision of a licensed psychologist).  Principles and guidelines for non-discriminatory ways of assessing students of diverse cultures who may be gifted must be followed and documented by the psychologist.

A written report outlining the assessment results and interpretation details will be provided to the parents after these assessments are complete. The report will include a statement as to the validity of obtained scores, according to nondiscriminatory assessment guidelines. When valid scores are obtained, a minimum IQ of 125 is required for early entrance to kindergarten. When valid scores cannot be obtained, the psychologist will provide a recommendation regarding the student’s readiness for the academic requirements of kindergarten. The parent/guardian shares this report with the Albertville Primary principal. Children who do not meet the criteria will not advance in the process.

Social/emotional Readiness Screening is an observation of the student and parent interview, which will be scheduled with a school social worker or school counselor at Albertville Primary School. The principal will facilitate the scheduling of this screening upon receiving the required results of the cognitive assessment.

Written Report to the Superintendent

Once all assessments have been completed, the information is reviewed by a district school psychologist, who writes a summary report for the superintendent outlining the student’s performance on all early entrance requirements.

Communication

End of May: Families will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance into kindergarten in writing. All early entrance students accepted to kindergarten are accepted on a probationary basis.

All decisions of the early entrance team are final.