Application and testing process for early Kindergarten entrance
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Anonymous
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Can someone explain the process of the Kindergarten early entrance testing and timeline for kids who just miss the cutoff?
Thanks! |
Anonymous
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http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/earlychildhood/early-entrance.aspx
Test is difficult and think carefully about your child's later years.... its not always fun being the youngest. Take it from someone that's been there. |
Anonymous
| Agree test is difficult and another factor is that you get the times lot assigned. My youngest got the nap time time slot and got perfect scores on all but one test and didn't make the cut. The test is long and Appeals are a waste of time - read the cases, they are NEVER overturned. Regardless, dC was accepted at every private we applied to and is thriving at a much higher level than MCPS even offers. |
Anonymous
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DD's birthday was 5 days past the cutoff. My request for early acceptance was denied. I appealed- my letter was thoughtful and very specific as to why the decision should be reversed.
The appeal was decided in DD's favor. She is now is 4th grade and is one of the highest acheivers in the grade (in both reading and math). She's a leader, is very social and 'popular'. DD's K teacher told me that she (and the other K teachers) didn't think DD was ready (she's an experienced teacher and was pissed that she didn't get her way). I volunteered in her class once a week and for the first half of the year the teacher gave me reason after reason why DD wasn't ready. Even into October she tried to convince me that DD should switch to a preschool. She was a good teacher but her ego was a bit too large. Truthfully DD wasn't any different than most of the kids in the class. DD has always been a perfectionist when it comes to school work (something I try to discourage because it stresses her out) so it takes her longer than most to finish her work. It's not her age- it's her personality. I think that some kids are not ready but some are. My point is that if you are denied, it doesn't hurt to appeal. Just be sure you want it for the right reasons. |
Anonymous
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well, other factor to consider - number of reg K students. In our school all early-entrance applications were denied: school is overcrowded, so they simply did not accept any more kids that they required to.
just saying |
Anonymous
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Are they writing or oral test? How long did it take?
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Anonymous
| 13:32 again- I don't remember exactly how long it took. DD was in ther room with the rest of the rising K students and everyone was asked to perform the same tasks, write name, use scissors, follow simple steps, etc. Then DD was pulled into a different room with a teacher and was asked to identify numbers, letters, body parts, sight words, basic patterns, draw a person,etc. I think they were in there for about 30 minutes. They also look for separation issues, ability to follow directions, willingness to share. They didn't share a lot of details with me (I guess they don't want parents to prep their kids) but I was alble to get some info from DD. |
Anonymous
| Story telling, maths tasks and a running record tests will be carried out to check the aptitude of the child. The maturity level and social development and interaction skills will also be taken into account, to allow him an entry into the <a href="http://www.sunnybrookschool.com/curriculum/kindergarten.html">kindergarten</a> |
Anonymous
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DC was in a Montessori before Kindergarten, and while we LOVED it - I really thought that the money would be better used for college. Missed the cut-off by 12 days, so we were eligible to apply for early entrance.
Get in touch with the ES early so that you can be informed about the testing date etc. Helps to be a squeaky wheel. DC was already academically and socially advanced so that was not an issue. I carried with me a portfolio of the kind of work he was doing in Montessori - maybe an overkill - but I wanted to use whatever I had. They tested him for 30 minutes in a different room. DC was accepted and was at the head of his class academically and socially. Was the youngest and smallest kid in the class but did fit in well. |
Anonymous
Wow - I looked at the site you mentioned in your post (http://www.sunnybrookschool.com/curriculum/kindergarten.html) and found out that this is a Canadian private school. I was impressed with everything the school had to offer and then out of curiosity looked at the fees ( http://www.sunnybrookschool.com/admission/fees.html ) - it is expensive! Wonder how much MCPS spends per child? |
Anonymous
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Has any decision been made for this year yet?
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Anonymous
We just received the acceptance letter. Actually I called the school one week after the EEK evaluation. I was told that DS's application was approved and the letter would be mailed out right away. Then I got the letter the second day. You can call for the decision. |
Anonymous
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Our school is one of the last to have KG orientation and the EEK assessment. I'm hoping that my child will do well on the assessment considering she knows the school, wants to go to KG, and has an older sibling in KG at the same school now. Ugh...if we were in VA, it would be a non-issue. Their cut-off for at least some counties in Sept. 30!
The KG orientation is May 23-24, but we won't know for another week. It'll be June by then, and I'll have to come up with a backup plan. I'll post again to let you know what I learn from my child about the MCPS assessment! |
Anonymous
What back up plan. If you kid doesn't make early entrance, they wait another year and go in the proper year to KG. It's not hard. Your backup plan is childcare or private K or preK. |
Anonymous
Yes, I also always wonder why other people find it so hard to solve their problems, when it's so easy for me to solve their problems! Could it be because other people are incompetent fools and I know everything? Or could it be because they actually know more about their own problems than I do? Hmmm. |