Kindergarten Acceleration

Qualifications for Testing

The Texas Education Agency mandates that school districts establish their process for grade-level acceleration. The Kindergarten Acceleration Program for Plano ISD assesses students wishing to skip Kindergarten and be placed directly into First Grade. To qualify for Kindergarten Acceleration, the student must meet these qualifications:

• The student must be five years of age on or before September 1.

• The student must be registered for Kindergarten for the upcoming school year in the Plano ISD.

If both of these qualifications are met, then a parent/guardian may request that his/her child test for placement in First Grade. To determine whether testing and possible placement in First Grade are the best options, parents/ guardians, students, and staff should consider the following:

• The Academic Rigor of First Grade
• Social and emotional impact
• Effect of skipping a grade level on the student’s overall educational experience

Plano ISD strongly encourages all learners to participate in Kindergarten due to the social, developmental, emotional and academic benefits this grade level provides.  

About the Kindergarten Acceleration Test

To advance to First Grade, the student must score 90% or above on the district-approved assessments in Reading, Writing, and Math. These assessments measure cognitive development and academic skills that are appropriate for students completing Kindergarten.

• Test content is based on the Kindergarten Math Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills.
• For Math and Reading, students are tested on the computer using Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) software. Writing is assessed through a series of one-to-one activities that require the student to demonstrate an understanding of the writing process. 
• MAP Practice Test 
  (To access the practice test you must use Google Chrome)
  Username: grow             Password: grow
  

This practice test is meant only to familiarize students with how questions are presented on the computer. It is not based on test content.

Results and Acceleration

Results will be sent to the school Principal where the student is registered. The principal will contact the parent/guardian directly regarding the student’s test scores. The Credit by Exam office will not give out any information regarding the results of Kindergarten Acceleration testing.

If the student is recommended for acceleration, it will be on a probationary basis. Should the school or teacher feel it is in the student's best interest to be placed back in Kindergarten, the parent/guardian will be contacted.

Deadline and Parent Information  

Parents/ guardians must contact their elementary school counselor for information on the Kinder Acceleration process. The deadlines for Kindergarten Acceleration requests must be made by the deadline listed in the calendar below. 

• All requests must be received by 4:00 p.m. on the deadline date.
• The counselor will notify the parent/guardian of the testing dates and times.