421.1

FIRST GRADE ADMISSION

In order to be admitted to first grade in the Appleton Area School District, a child must be the legal age, which is at least 6, on or before September 1 of the year he/she proposes to enter first grade and have successfully completed 5-year-old kindergarten.

A child may be admitted to first grade under the legal age and/or without having completed 5-year-old kindergarten if he/she has met the District’s conditions and standards for Early Admission or Exemption from kindergarten as outlined in District Procedures.

 

Cross References:
Equal Educational Opportunities, 411
School Admissions, 420 and 420-Rule
School Entrance Ages and Early Admission, 421 and 421-Rule
Student Attendance, 430 and 430-Rule

Legal References:
Wisconsin State Statutes 115.76(3), 118.14(1)(a)(b)(c), 118.15(3), 118.16, 118.165, 118.24, 118.33(6)(cm), 120.12(25)

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Adoption Date: July 25, 2011

 

 

421.1-Rule

FIRST GRADE ADMISSION

Procedures

A. Conditions and Standards for Admission Under the Legal Age

A child’s admission to first grade under the legal age may be permitted if the child meets any of the following requirements:

1. The child has successfully completed a 5-year-old kindergarten program or its equivalent, or
    
2. The child has met the conditions and standards for Early Admission as detailed in AASD Policy 421 and 421-Rule, School Entrance and Early Admission. All District Early Admission timelines will adhere.

B. Conditions and Standards for Exemption from Kindergarten Completion Requirement

A child who is 6 years of age on or before September 1 of the year he/she proposes to enter first grade but has not completed 5-year-old kindergarten may be admitted to first grade if the child meets any of the following requirements:

1. The child has successfully completed a program for 5-year-old children that the school district deems equivalent to kindergarten. Documentation of program completion shall be required.
    
2. The child demonstrates academic and developmental readiness skills expected for successful participation in first grade as determined by Appleton Area School District staff.
    
3. Before either commencing or completing first grade, the child moved into Wisconsin from a state, country or territory in which completion of 5-year-old kindergarten is not a prerequisite to entering first grade.
    
4. Before either commencing or completing first grade, the child moved into Wisconsin from a state, country or territory in which completion of 5-year-old kindergarten is a prerequisite to entering first grade and the child was exempted from the requirement to complete 5-year-old kindergarten in the state, country or territory from which the child moved.

C. First Grade Admission Requests

Any child who wishes to enroll in first grade and has not completed 5-year-old kindergarten, regardless of the reason, is required to submit a request to the District for exemption from the mandatory kindergarten completion requirement prior to entering first grade.

1. Kindergarten exemption requests shall be submitted to the appropriate elementary school principal in writing.
    
2. The principal shall meet with the child’s parent or guardian to discuss the reasons for requesting the child’s first grade admission without having completed kindergarten and to review related student record information.
    
3. The principal shall determine whether any additional information or evaluation is needed. If needed, the principal shall request parental permission for evaluating the child and appoint appropriate staff members to complete the evaluation. The evaluation process will concentrate on obtaining information regarding skills and behavioral characteristics that are correlated with success in first grade. The areas evaluated may include: cognitive or intellectual development; math, reading and writing skill development (as outlined on in the Objectives and Evaluation Procedures section of this document); adaptive skill development; social/emotional maturity; communication skills and sensory motor/physical development. Staff shall use a combination of behavioral observation and teacher-made assessment tools to assess developmental and skill levels of the child.
   
   The staff members completing the evaluation shall meet with the building principal to analyze the results of the evaluation and any other data available to determine the appropriateness of the child’s admission to first grade. In order to be admitted to first grade, the child must demonstrate the academic and developmental readiness skills expected for successful participation in first grade and there must be evidence that the child’s educational welfare will be best served by first grade placement.
    
   1. If the request is approved, the principal shall inform the parent or guardian that the first grade placement shall be contingent upon the child’s successful adjustment to the school setting and satisfactory progress. The placement shall be reviewed after the first quarter. The decision to continue or change the placement shall be made by the classroom teacher and principal with input from Students Services personnel and other support staff, if needed. The decision will be communicated to the child’s parent or guardian once it is made.
       
   2. If the request is denied, the principal shall inform the parent or guardian of their opportunity to appeal the decision to the District Administrator or designee. The appeal must be made in writing to the District Administrator or designee within 5 days of receipt of the principal’s decision. The decision of the District Administrator or designee shall be final.

D. Compulsory School Attendance

The state’s compulsory school attendance age begins at the age of 6. Therefore, whether or not a 6-year-old child is determined eligible for first grade admission, the child must attend a private or public school or a home-based private educational program, or be considered truant.

1. A child who is of compulsory attendance age (6 years old), has not completed 5-yearold kindergarten, and has not been granted an exemption to the mandatory kindergarten completion requirement, shall be placed in 5-year-old kindergarten in the District or be expected to meet compulsory attendance requirements through other means authorized by state law.

E. Nondiscrimination

The Appleton Area School District, in accordance with federal law, hereby declares that it does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or physical, cognitive, emotional or learning disability, arrest record or conviction record, as per statute.

All children will be given fair and equal educational opportunities, including children with disabilities and children with limited English proficiency (LEP).

 

Cross References:
Equal Educational Opportunities, 411
School Admissions, 420 and 420-Rule
School Entrance Ages and Early Admission, 421 and 421-Rule
Student Attendance, 430 and 430-Rule

Legal References:
Wisconsin State Statutes 115.76(3), 118.14(1)(a)(b)(c), 118.15(3), 118.16, 118.165, 118.24, 118.33(6)(cm), 120.12(25)

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Adoption Date: July 25, 2011

 

 

421.1-Rule

FIRST GRADE ADMISSION

Objectives and Evaluation Procedures

Conditions and Standards for Exemption from Kindergarten Completion Requirement

A child who is 6 years of age on or before September 1 of the year he/she proposes to enter first grade but has not completed 5-year-old kindergarten may be admitted to first grade if the child demonstrates successful achievement of the following academic and developmental readiness skills described below.

 

Exemption from Kindergarten Checklist

Literacy: A variety of performance assessments will be administered to assess the identified objectives detailed below.

Subject	Objective - What the student should know or be able to do.	Assessment Method - What the student will be asked to do to provide evidence that the objective has been achieved.	Objective Achieved? (yes/no)
Reading/ Language	The student will identify by name uppercase and lowercase letters.	The student will orally identify 48 of 52 letters.
Reading/ Language	The student will identify book awareness concepts.	The student will identify 14 of 16 book awareness concepts as directed by the teacher using text.
Reading/ Language	The student will develop an understanding of basic phonetic principles (letter-sound relationships).	The student will be able to associate 20 of 26 initial letters with the correct corresponding sounds.
Reading/ Language	The student will identify (name) high frequency words.	The student will orally identify 14 of 20 high frequency words.

 

Math: A performance assessment has been developed to assess the identified objectives detailed below.

Subject	Objective - What the student should know or be able to do.	Assessment Method - What the student will be asked to do to provide evidence that the objective has been achieved.	Objective Achieved? (yes/no)
Math	The student will be able to use the position words of above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to, to identify shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres) in a picture.	The Mathematics Assessment for Entry to First Grade will measure student proficiency aligned with the following skill categories and expectations: Mathematical/Spatial Language (3/4) Number Sense Development (8/10) Counting & Cardinality (3/4) Number Operations & Algebraic Thinking (4/5) Measurement/Spatial (1/1) Geometry/Spatial (9/12)
Math	The student will identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group; 1-10 objects in the groups.
Math	The student will decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way; for any numbers from 1 to 9.
Math	The student will represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20.
Math	The student will count to 100 by 1’s.
Math	The student will count to 100 by 10’s.
Math	The student will count forward beginning at any number within the sequence.
Math	The student will write numbers from 0-20.
Math	The student will be able to describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight, and compare the attributes of 2 objects.
Math	The student will be able to solve addition and subtraction word problems using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
Math	The student will compose and decompose the numbers 11-19 into tens and ones using objects, drawings, and/or equations.
Math	The student will be able to identify and describe the following shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, cube, cone, cylinder, and sphere.
Math	The student will be able to compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.
Math	The student will analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts, and other attributes.

 

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Adoption Date: July 25, 2011