Board reviews proposal to restore Sept. 1 cutoff for 4K/5K early admittance

At the meeting’s first review of changes to the early admittance policy for 4K and kindergarten, administrators said they would recommend returning to a September 1 cutoff after testing the district’s prior early‑admittance process. “We’re going to be making the recommendation to go back to having it just the September 1st start date,” the presenter said, noting DPI’s guidance that most area districts use Sept. 1 as the cut‑off.

Staff outlined the current early‑admittance procedures: applications between Sept. 2–16, an IQ test administered by the school psychologist, a basic developmental screener by special education staff, a meeting with principals and a third‑party letter about social/emotional readiness. Administrators raised concerns that IQ testing at age four is not strongly valid—school psychologist Neil Eckan said such tests are more reliable closer to third grade—and that the process uses significant staff resources for relatively few students. The item will return for a second review and a vote next month.