Early Entrance to K and 1st/Acceleration Procedures
North Palos School District 117 Acceleration Procedures
North Palos School District 117 recognizes the need for academic interventions for all students. Subject area acceleration and whole grade acceleration is a curriculum intervention intended for academically talented students.
Subject area acceleration: A student may move to an advanced grade level in one or more core academic subjects. For example, a third-grade student may attend a fourth-grade math class. This is recommended for students in grades 2 and up.
Whole grade acceleration: A student may proceed to an advanced grade level in all subject areas.
Early Admittance to Kindergarten
North Palos District 117 recognizes that some children may be ready for kindergarten early.
A written request must be made to the Curriculum Director. To be considered for early admittance to kindergarten, the student must meet the following criteria:
- Show emotional maturity, good social adjustment, exceptional pre-academic skills, and superior intelligence.
- A score in the 50th percentile (fall norms) on AIMSweb early numeracy probes of oral counting, number identification, quantity discrimination, and the missing number.
- Able to identify all letters and sounds.
- Able to read a level 4 passage at the independent or instructional level using the Developmental Reading Assessment.
The above assessments will be administered prior to the start of the school year and the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning will contact the parents with the grade level recommendation within 7 days of the screening.
Early Admittance to First Grade
A written request must be made to the Curriculum Director. Early admittance to first grade follows two tracks--those that attended an accredited kindergarten earlier than the age of 5 and those requesting to enter first grade without attending kindergarten. Criteria for both scenarios are outlined below.
Early Admittance for Students that Attended an Accredited Kindergarten
- Able to identify all kindergarten high-frequency words
- Able to read a level 6 text with comprehension (Developmental Reading Assessment)
- Correctly answers 80% of math problems correctly on an end of year assessment for kindergarten
- Able to write a few sentences about a topic including details
Early Admittance to First Grade without Attending Kindergarten
The child must start kindergarten in District 117 and be assessed by the kindergarten teacher during the first quarter of the school year. A meeting will be held with the building administration, teacher, and parent within the first quarter of the school year to revisit the application. The review process will include data from the following assessments:
- Fall MAP/iReady data
- KIDS Assessment results
- Fountas and Pinnell
- Writing Assessment
- Math Assessment
- Teacher Observations
- The Iowa Acceleration Guide May Also Be Used for Consideration
Students Enrolled in Grades 1-7
A teacher, administrator or parent may initiate the request for consideration by completing the Request for Acceleration Application.
A teacher, administrator or parent may initiate the request for consideration by completing the Request for Acceleration Application.
Criteria for Whole-Grade Acceleration
To be considered for whole-grade acceleration the student must demonstrate:
- Longitudinal test scores in the 95th percentile for reading and mathematics on iReady
- A performance level of 5 on the Illinois Assessment for Readiness in the previous year
- Consistently high achievement on local assessments
- Social and emotional readiness as observed through observations
- A commitment to the opportunity of acceleration
Whole-Grade Acceleration Process
- Once the Request for Acceleration Application is received, the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning will review the application for consideration.
- The Iowa Acceleration Guide will be used to collect more information.
- When the results have been collected, a meeting with will be scheduled with the parents or guardians to discuss the results and recommendation.
- If acceleration is recommended, a transition plan will be developed.
- If acceleration is not recommended the parents or guardians may appeal to the Board of Education.
Whole grade acceleration works best at the start of an academic year and not when it is a transitional year before a move to another building.
Criteria for Subject-Only Acceleration
To be considered for subject-only acceleration the student must demonstrate:
To be considered for subject-only acceleration the student must demonstrate:
- Longitudinal test scores in the 93rd percentile on iReady
- A performance level of 5 on the Illinois Assessment for Readiness in the previous year
- Consistently high achievement on local assessments
- Social and emotional readiness as observed through observations
- A commitment to the opportunity of acceleration
Subject-Area Acceleration Process
- Once the Request for Acceleration Application is received, the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning will review the application for consideration.
- If acceleration is recommended, a proposed transition plan, including schedule changes and transportation plans will be developed.
- A meeting with parents and students will be scheduled to discuss the transition.
Subject-area acceleration works best at the start of a semester or a new academic year.
Request for Acceleration Application
Click here to submit a request for acceleration. Please note that the process for evaluating whole grade acceleration for students in grades 1-7 could take up to 75 days.
Click here to submit a request for acceleration. Please note that the process for evaluating whole grade acceleration for students in grades 1-7 could take up to 75 days.