Policy Details Page

Regulation 3110R

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Kindergarten Admission Requirements – Entry Age

A child must be five (5) years of age as of midnight, August 31, of the year of entry to be entitled to enter kindergarten in Tacoma School District No. 10. The child’s birth certificate shall be furnished at registration as proof of age. Reasonable substitutes, such as baptismal, hospital, or insurance records, may be accepted when a birth certificate is not available.

Exception
Children who do not meet the above age restriction, but who will be five years of age by December 31 of that same year and who have completed at least eight (8) weeks of kindergarten in a school approved by a state department of education, shall be admitted conditionally to kindergarten. Verification of state department of education approval shall be obtained through the Office of Elementary Education/Early Childhood. Final determination of admission will be made no later than thirty (30) calendar days following the child’s first day of attendance. The principal shall make the determination after consultation with the kindergarten teacher and other staff, as appropriate.

First Grade Admission Requirements – Entry Age

A child must be six (6) years of age as of midnight, August 31, of the year of entry to be entitled to enter first grade. If the child did not attend kindergarten in the district, the child’s birth certificate shall be furnished at registration as proof of age. Reasonable substitutes, such as baptismal, hospital, or insurance records, may be accepted when a birth certificate is not available. Kindergarten experience shall not be required for first grade placement.

Exceptions
Any child who does not meet the above age restriction, who has successfully completed a kindergarten program in a public or private school approved by a state department of education, shall be permitted entry to first grade. Verification of state department of education approval shall be obtained through the Office of Elementary Education/Early Childhood.

Any child who does not meet the above age restriction, but who has successfully completed a kindergarten program in a school which is not approved by a state department of education, shall be permitted entry to first grade, provided that the kindergarten program standards substantially equaled or exceeded the applicable basic education program requirements of RCW 28A.150.220 and WAC 180-16-200 through 180-16-220, as now or hereafter amended. The director for Elementary Education/Early Childhood shall determine if the above requirements have been met.

Any child who does not meet the above age restriction, and who is at least five years old, but who has no formal kindergarten experience, shall be placed in kindergarten and may be considered for first-grade placement based on district screening. The screening shall be conducted at the school site and shall include assessment in the following areas:

• Mental ability
• Gross motor skills
• Fine motor skills
• Visual discrimination
• Auditory discrimination
• Emotional/social development

If the principal has reason to believe that a child qualified to enter first grade under the exceptions listed above may not succeed in the district’s first grade program, the principal, after consultation with the kindergarten and first grade teachers, shall have the option of placing the child in either kindergarten or the first grade for evaluation in the areas specified in WAC 180-39-025. Final determination of the child’s appropriate grade level placement will be made by the principal no later than thirty (30) calendar days following the child’s first day of attendance.

Placement – Second through Twelfth Grades

Grade placement from another public or nonpublic school shall be accepted for all grade levels from second through twelfth grade.

Appeal Process
Rulings related to admission requirements may be appealed through the following process: If a parent is dissatisfied with the placement of a student, the principal shall be notified in writing of the intent to appeal. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the superintendent or his/her designee within five (5) school days of notification of the principal’s decision. A written reply will be provided within ten (10) school days from date of receipt of appeal. While the appeal is pending, the student’s placement shall be as previously determined by the principal.

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Adoption Date: 2/6/01