Thank you for inquiring about Troy’s process for identifying students that are prepared to enter Kindergarten or Grade One early. The Illinois legislature passed the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act, Public Act 100-0421, effective July 1, 2018. This act allows Illinois public school districts to provide early access to educational services for Kindergarten and first grade students to meet the needs of the highly advanced gifted child. Children are normally admitted to kindergarten if their 5th birthday is on or before September 1st of that school year, and to first grade if their 6th birthday is on or before September 1st of that school year.
This plan will include the steps needed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation that aligns to Kindergarten state expectations, cognitive, social, emotional, and functional developmental domains and indicators, and provides both parent reports and Troy Staff observations of the child's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Overall determination is based on this comprehensive evaluation to determine the child’s ability to meet Kindergarten expectations and progress to first grade the following year, and the many years to come.
For questions please contact:
Jessica McCaslin, Director of Early Childhood Education, at 815-577-7314.
Members of The Child Study Team will include:
Building Administrator (Principal and/or Assistant Principal)
Director of Early Childhood (as available)
Kindergarten or Grade One Teacher (Depending on the Request)
School Psychologist
Specialist(s) (Reading and/or Math Specialist)
Instructional Coach (as available)
School Social Worker or Counselor
Parent/Guardian
Logistics/ Procedures:
Step 1: Parent/Guardian inquires about the early entrance process.
A. Residency in the Troy CCSD 30C School District must be established by the parent/guardian by calling the school or district office and verifying location in the district.
B. Parent/guardian must provide the child’s birth certificate. Chronological age will be considered for early entrance.
C. The deadline for parents to initiate the process and submit all completed forms and information will be July 1st prior to the start of the new school year.
Step 2: Parent/Guardian completes all required documents to move forward in the process. (Once inquiry is made you will be contacted by the Director of Early Childhood Education to proceed)
A. Parent/Guardian fills out the Request for Early Entrance to Kindergarten or Grade One Application and submits it no later than July 1st.
B. Parent/Guardian completes Ages and Stages Questionnaire and submits it no later than July 1st.
Step 3: An appointment is scheduled for all screenings necessary.
A. After all components of Step 1 & 2 are verified at the school, school staff reach out to the parent/guardian to schedule screenings.
B. The screening process will be completed prior to the first day of school. These screenings will be conducted at the home school during Kindergarten screenings in August and with the school psychologist in July or August.
Step 4: Placement is determined based on the data.
A. After all screenings are completed from Step 3, the Child Study Team will convene to review the results prior to the first day of school.
B. School staff reach out to parent/guardian to schedule a meeting to discuss results and possible placement options. The data will include information provided from the parent/guardian and data collected from the screenings within the school district to provide a comprehensive understanding of the child cognitively, socially, emotionally, and functionally. Observations, checklists, and assessments will be compiled and compared to a weighted scale to determine early entry to kindergarten or first grade.
C. If early entrance is granted the school team will schedule a meeting with the parent/guardian approximately 30 days into the school year to review the student’s progress and discuss whether the placement is appropriate. A change in placement may be recommended. Placement within any alternative programming is not guaranteed.
D. If early entrance is not granted a different outside psychological report (paid for by the family) can be provided for additional consideration. Any outside agency providing a service or evaluation for the student would be paid at the families expense.
Right to Withdraw:
The child’s parent/guardian has the right to withdraw the request at any point in the process. Additionally, the child’s parent/guardian has the right to decline early admission, even if the recommendation of the team is for early admission.
