BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT 501

3111P

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE

ENTRANCE AGE

Entrance Qualifications

Pursuant to WAC180 – 39 the Bellingham School District establishes the following procedure for early entrance of kindergarten and first grade pupils. Early admittance will be considered for children born September 1 to October 1. This allows children who are sufficiently advanced to enter kindergarten or first grade prior to the uniform entry age.

Application/Assessment Process

1. Applications for early entrance for children living within the Bellingham School District must be made prior to June 15 of the desired entry year. The application form can be obtained at any elementary school. Proof of age and residency will be required. For students new to the district, the cutoff date is August 15 of the desired entry year.
2. An early entrance assessment is required. This assessment will include but may not be limited to seven areas: (1) mental ability (2) gross-motor skills, (3) fine-motor skills, (4) visual discrimination, (5) auditory discrimination, (6) social/emotional development and, (7) language development.
3. The district shall annually establish a fee to pay for the cost of the assessments noted above.
4.  Parents for whom the cost of an assessment would cause undue hardship may request exemption or reduction from fees. These requests will be considered on the basis of submission of a “Free and Reduced Meals” application and qualifying for free or reduced meals.
5.  Parents contact the Student Services Department to make an appointment for the assessment.
6.  The assessment is conducted by a certificated school psychologist.
7.  The evaluator will use the following standards to determine early entrance:
   • Kindergarten: Students must perform at the five-year, six-month level for early entry into kindergarten, in all seven assessment areas.
   • 1st grade: Students must perform at the six-year, six-month level for early entry into first grade, in all seven assessment areas.

Notification Process

1. Assessment results are sent to the Director of Student Services for evaluation according to district criteria by the third Friday of August. The student must pass the screening criteria in all areas and receive a recommendation from the evaluator that early entry is indicated.
2.  The Director of Student Services will notify parents of the assessment results and admission decision after reviewing all assessments with the evaluator. The parent notification will be completed no later than seven school business days before the first day of school. The Director of Student Services is responsible for notifying the appropriate school. The parent will proceed to the school with the child to complete the registration process.
3. Students determined eligible for early entry, will receive consideration for placement by the local school principal along with any other entering student.
4. The teacher and principal will observe the student throughout an eight-week trial period. If after that period, it is determined that early placement was not appropriate, the student may be withdrawn from the program after a conference with the parent.

Appeal Process

Appeal of a removal decision may be made to the Executive Director who supervises the school. The appeal must be submitted in writing within 10 days of receipt of notification of removal. The student's placement will be “hold in place,” pending final decision of the Executive Director.

Admission of Students Aged Twenty-One or Older

A student aged 21 or older may enroll in a school in the district under the following conditions:

1. There is available space in the school and program which the student shall attend;
2. Tuition is prepaid;
3. The student provides his/her own transportation;
4. The student resides in the state of Washington; and
5. In the judgment of the superintendent, no adult education program is available at reasonable costs and the district's program is appropriate to the needs of the student.

Placement of Students on Admission

The decision of where to place a student seeking admission to the district rests with the principal. Generally students meeting the age of admission requirements or transferring from a public or approved private school shall be placed in kindergarten or first grade, or the grade from which they transferred. The principal shall evaluate the educational record and assessments of all other students to determine their appropriate placement. A temporary classroom assignment may be made for no more than thirty calendar days for the purpose of evaluation prior to making the final placement decision.

Adopted:   March 17, 2005

Dale E. Kinsley  

Superintendent of Schools

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