At what age is a child
eligible to enroll in prekindergarten, kindergarten,
and first grade?
According to COMAR 13A.08.01.02, the age
for school attendance is as follows:
-
Prekindergarten –
A child admitted to the prekindergarten program in the public school shall
be 4 years old or older on September 1 of the school
year in which the child applies for entrance.
-
Kindergarten -
A child admitted to the
kindergarten program in the public school shall be 5
years old or older on September 1 of the school year
in which the child applies for entrance.
-
First Grade –
A child admitted to the
first grade in the public schools shall be 6 years
old or older on September 1 of the school year in
which the child applies for entrance.
Can a child be
admitted early to public prekindergarten, kindergarten,
or first grade?
Yes, if they meet the Anne Arundel County
Public Schools early admission criteria. Per COMAR
13A.08.01.02 Age for School Attendance, all local boards
of education adopted a regulation permitting early
admission to prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first
grade. While COMAR requires that local school systems
adopt regulations for early admission, the content of
the policies and procedures must be determined by the
local boards of education. Regulation IFA-RA lists the
Anne Arundel County Public Schools requirements for
Early Admission.
-
Prekindergarten –
A 3-year-old child upon request by the parent or
guardian, may be admitted to prekindergarten if the
child is determined to be “economically
disadvantaged,” has an active Individual Educational
Plan (IEP), and given a recommendation
from the Coordinator of Preschool Special Education.
-
Kindergarten -
A
4-year-old child, who will be 5 by October 15, upon
request by the parent or guardian, may be admitted
to kindergarten if the child meets the mandated
criteria on the required assessments.
- 130
or better on a standardized cognitive ability
assessment, and
-
8th stanine or
better on a standardized achievement assessment
-
First Grade –
A 5-year-old child, upon request of the parent or
guardian, may be admitted to first grade if the
child meets the mandated criteria on assessments:
-
130 or better on a standardized cognitive
ability assessment, and
-
8th stanine or better on a
standardized achievement assessment.
Can a child who is
enrolled in a nonpublic kindergarten program transfer to
a public school kindergarten program?
Yes, if they are age eligible.
Per COMAR 13A.08.01.01C., an age eligible
child who attends a nonpublic kindergarten program for
part of the year many transfer to a public kindergarten.
If a
child turns 5 years old after September 1 in a given
school year and has been admitted to kindergarten in a
nonpublic school, can the child transfer to kindergarten
in a public school?
No, the child may not transfer into Anne
Arundel County Public Schools kindergarten unless he/she
is 5 years old or older by September 1 of the school
year per COMAR 13A.08.01.02B., Parents who request a
transfer during the kindergarten year for a student
admitted early into kindergarten in the nonpublic
setting must apply for Early Admission to Kindergarten
and the student must meet the established criteria.
If a
child did not meet the age for kindergarten attendance,
was admitted to kindergarten in a nonpublic school, and
successfully completed nonpublic kindergarten, the child
can transfer to the public school for first grade?
No. Children who did not meet the age requirements and
were admitted early to a non-public kindergarten program
will not automatically be enrolled in grade 1 in Anne
Arundel County Public Schools. The child’s
parents/guardians can apply for early admission to grade
1 and if the child meets the performance requirements
required by AACPS regulations then the child will be
granted early admission. The first step in this process
is registering for kindergarten at the elementary school
assigned to the family’s residence and completing the
early admission to grade 1 application.
If a
child has been attending kindergarten in another state
but does not meet Maryland’s age for school attendance,
should the local school system use the early admission
procedure to determine placement?
No. Per COMAR 13A.08.02-2C., Non-State
Residents, a 5-year-old child who moves into Maryland
who has had a kindergarten experience in another state
for part of the school year shall be enrolled in
kindergarten. This recognizes that the state from which
the child is transferring may have established a
different regulation for determining the age for school
attendance. These students are enrolled as transfers
without using the early admission to kindergarten
regulation.
If a
child was admitted to nursery school or nonpublic
prekindergarten according to its established early
admission policy and successfully completed nursery
school, can the child transfer into public school
kindergarten earlier than the legislated age of entry -
September 1?
No. Students who were admitted early into
nonpublic nursery schools must meet the Early Admission
to Kindergarten criteria.
If the
parents of a non-English speaking child apply for early
admission, must accommodation be made?
No. The Maryland State Department of
Education has determined that a local school system is
not required to make adjustments in its early admission
regulation to pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first
grade for non-English speaking students. Assessments for
early admission to kindergarten and first grade will be
administered in the language of instruction – English.
If the
parents of a child in home schooling request transfer to
public school, must they meet the September 1 age of
entry for kindergarten?
COMAR allows a student to be enrolled in
kindergarten home schooling if they are 5 years old by
December 31. A student, who was home schooled, must be 5
years old by September 1 to enroll in public
kindergarten or meet the early admission criteria. A
student who has completed a home school kindergarten
program and requests transfer to first grade must meet
the age requirement of 6 year old by September 1 or the
Early Admission to Grade One criteria.
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