Early Entrance

Kindergarten and First-Grade Early Entrance


Early Entrance Screening Applications Due by April 1 for the following school year.


"Early Entrance" is defined as the following...

Early Kindergarten Entrance refers to the practice of a student who will not yet be five years of age by September 1 demonstrating the emotional maturity and academic readiness in order to be successful in kindergarten.

Early First-Grade Entrance refers to the practice of a student entering first grade before natural matriculation due to showing the social-emotional maturity and academic readiness in order to be successful in first grade.


Early Kindergarten Entrance Screening

Families wishing to have their student(s) tested for early entrance to kindergarten will first need to make sure that they have met the District Residency Requirements, unless the family already has a student attending a Dunlap school . This information will need to be submitted along with the Early Entrance Screening Form linked at the bottom of this page.

Additionally, families wishing to apply for early entrance will need to provide the following information for the student(s) to be screened (can be submitted in the form below or dropped off at the Dunlap School District Offices):

  • Birth Certificate
  • Attendance Records for Preschool Program Attended

Early First-Grade Entrance Screening

Families wishing to have their student(s) tested for early entrance for first grade will first need to make sure that they have met the District Residency Requirements, unless the family already has a student attending a Dunlap school . This information will need to be submitted along with the Early Entrance Screening Form linked at the bottom of this page.

Additionally, families wishing to apply for early entrance will need to provide the following information for the student(s) to be screened (can be submitted in the form below or dropped off at the Dunlap School District Offices):

  • Birth Certificate
  • Attendance Records for Preschool Program AND Kindergarten Program Attended
  • If your student attended a kindergarten program led by an Illinois Certified Educator, we will need the following at the time of application submission:
    • Teacher's Name
    • Teacher's Illinois Educator License Identification Number (IEIN) **Request from the teacher

Early Entrance Screening Application Form

After reviewing the information above (including the Residency Requirements), families requesting their student(s) to be screened for Early Entrance to Kindergarten or First Grade can complete the screening request submit. Applications are due no later than April 1 for the following school year consideration. Required materials can also be dropped off or mailed to the Dunlap School District Office:

Matt Andrews

Dunlap CUSD #323

400 S Fourth Street

Dunlap, IL 61525

Families will be contacted shortly after the April 1 deadline to set up screening times on the following dates:

Early Kindergarten Entrance

  • Phase I
    • Monday, April 15, 2024
  • Phase II (For those students who pass "Phase I" only)
    • Monday, April 29, 2024

Early First-Grade Entrance

  • Phase I
    • Tuesday, April 22, 2024
  • Phase II (For those students who pass "Phase I" only)
    • Monday, April 29, 2024

EARLY ENTRANCE SCREENING FORM


What to Expect during Each Screening Phase

Phase I - Kindergarten

During Phase I of the Kindergarten Early Entrance Screening, prospective students are given three different assessments to determine if they are cognitively and developmentally ready for kindergarten, as this is a process to identify those students exhibiting true signs of readiness for early entrance. Below is a list of the three assessments:

Brigance Kindergarten Screener

  • This assesses a prospective student's emergent literacy and numeracy abilities, as well as a student's gross and fine-motor development.

Fountas and Pinnell Assessment

  • Students are given an assessment that is comprised of portions of the Fountas and Pinnell leveled reading resources.

PLS-5 Speech Screener

  • This screening assessment is used to determine any potential speech delays that would require intervention. This assessment is purpose informational and is not part of the decision-making process as to whether or not a student will move on to the second phase of testing.

Phase I - First Grade

During Phase I of First-Grade Early Entrance Screening, prospective students are given two different assessments to determine if they are cognitively and developmentally ready for early entrance to first grade, as this is also a process to identify those students exhibiting true signs of readiness for early entrance. Below is a list of the two assessments:

Brigance First-Grade Screener

  • This assesses a prospective student's literacy and numeracy abilities, as well as a student's gross and fine-motor development.

Fountas and Pinnell Assessment

  • Students are given an assessment that is comprised of portions of the Fountas and Pinnell leveled reading resources.

Phase II - Kindergarten & First Grade

During the Phase II, students will meet with two different school psychologists who will administer intelligence and achievement tests. At the same time, parents will undergo an interview with the Director of Curriculum & Instruction and/or his/her designee. The results of testing along with the parent survey will be entered into the Iowa Acceleration Scales to determine whether or not a student will be granted early entrance into kindergarten or first grade.