Anyone knows the Early Entrance Exam to Kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

My ds's birthday is 3 weeks after the cut-off, so he needs to pass an admission exam to enter Kindergarten in Fall. We heard the exam is very difficult, since only 1 student passed it in the past couple of years in this area. Has anyone known this kind of exam?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Here is the link to MCPS regulation governing the early entrance procedures:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jebrb.pdf

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your link. We are not in the same county, but the process is similar.

Did your kid actually take the exam and pass?

Anonymous wrote:Here is the link to MCPS regulation governing the early entrance procedures:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jebrb.pdf

[Anonymous]

Trying to get him the advanced info so he can study? A lot of factors go into whether or not a kid is really ready for K... I wouldn't worry too much about the actual "exam." If he's ready, he's ready. If he's not, another year won't hurt him, and he'll get to be one of the first kids to have a birthday party at school.

[Anonymous]

"Did your kid actually take the exam and pass?"

Mine isn't eligible until next year, but I have a friend whose daughter took the test last year and passed in MoCo. My friend said the evaluation is like some closely guarded secret - she has no idea what the criteria are. Another friend who teaches kindergarten told me that the decision to allow early entrance is very subjective and lies with the principal. The principal at her school doesn't allow any early entrance. Also MoCo.

[Anonymous]

If you google mcps early entrance to kindergarten and appeals you can access some cases where parents appealed the decision (and lost). There is some discussion in these cases about the content of the assessment.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth would you want him to enter kindergarten early? You do realize that older kids have an advantage all the way through high school, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you want him to enter kindergarten early? You do realize that older kids have an advantage all the way through high school, right?

I don't understand the appeal of this either.

Even if he is K-eligible, that doesn't mean that he'll be keeping up with his peers - socially, emotionally, academically, and otherwise - later on.

Why the rush?

[Anonymous]

"Why on earth would you want him to enter kindergarten early? You do realize that older kids have an advantage all the way through high school, right?

I don't understand the appeal of this either.

Even if he is K-eligible, that doesn't mean that he'll be keeping up with his peers - socially, emotionally, academically, and otherwise - later on."

Entrance ages work for the majority of kids. But, just as there are a small percentage of kids who will need an extra year, there are also a small percentage of kids who are ready early. I plan to have my youngest assessed for early entry next year. She's always been around kids who were older than her because she's way younger than her siblings and the kids of my friends and she's been in preschool with kids 1-2 years older than her since she was 2 - not because I put her there, but because her school felt she didn't fit with kids her age so they kept moving her until they found a class where she fit.

I don't know about other parents of kids who are advanced, but I don't really know what to do with her. It doesn't seem to make sense to keep her in pre-kindergarten for 2.5 years while her friends go off to kindergarten just because of her age. I also have a special needs child and honestly, I find it so much easier to parent and make decisions for that kid than for my youngest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you want him to enter kindergarten early? You do realize that older kids have an advantage all the way through high school, right?

I don't understand the appeal of this either.

Even if he is K-eligible, that doesn't mean that he'll be keeping up with his peers - socially, emotionally, academically, and otherwise - later on.

Why the rush?

This poster is generalizing and passing judgement on the parent and child whom he/she doesn't know. There are children who are advanced and do much better with older children. And there are also the children who were red shirted, who find themselves older than the rest of the children and physically bigger, making them feel awkward and self conscience about being older and not necessarily smarter.

To the PP considering Early Entrance, why not have your child assessed, and then make a decision after your child has been accepted.

[Anonymous]

I have a child who made the cutoff by only a few days and is off the chart short. DC will be going to a GT center for 4th grade and has consistantly out performed grade level peers since day one. Friends have not been a problem either. If my child can excel yours can too, go fo the assessment...especially if they are a solid reader. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you want him to enter kindergarten early? You do realize that older kids have an advantage all the way through high school, right?

I don't understand the appeal of this either.

Even if he is K-eligible, that doesn't mean that he'll be keeping up with his peers - socially, emotionally, academically, and otherwise - later on.

Why the rush?

This poster is generalizing and passing judgement on the parent and child whom he/she doesn't know. There are children who are advanced and do much better with older children. And there are also the children who were red shirted, who find themselves older than the rest of the children and physically bigger, making them feel awkward and self conscience about being older and not necessarily smarter.

To the PP considering Early Entrance, why not have your child assessed, and then make a decision after your child has been accepted.

if she is accepted.

[Anonymous]

if she is accepted.


Our DCs were accepted by EEK and are thriving academically and socially. We couldn't imagine what it would've been like if they were in a grade lower and not nearly as stimulated as they are now.

Good on MCPS for offering EEK. For some kids it is essential! For others, those parents shouldn't even be worried about it. Why the pessimism?

[Anonymous]

I am glad your kids were admitted, which is encouraging. I often heard kids in MCPS were accepted, but not heard in this area (AACP). So I was really wondering, just as someone said, the admission is actually the principal's preference.

Anonymous wrote:

if she is accepted.


Our DCs were accepted by EEK and are thriving academically and socially. We couldn't imagine what it would've been like if they were in a grade lower and not nearly as stimulated as they are now.

Good on MCPS for offering EEK. For some kids it is essential! For others, those parents shouldn't even be worried about it. Why the pessimism?

[Anonymous]

I was told by another parent that they tested letter recognition and the child was expected to recognize all the capital and lower case letters. There is a child at our school who was accelerated and I can't figure out why. This child is extremely immature and does not even read that well. There has to be some subjectivity in the process.