Early Entrance to Kindergarten FAQ

Children must turn five between September 1 and November 30 to participate in the Early Entrance evaluation.

Children must be age 5 on or before August 31.

In order to determine eligibility for EEK, your child was assessed in the following areas:

• School readiness – A standardized measure is administered to assess the child’s knowledge of pre-academic literacy, number sense and reasoning. 
• Cognitive – A standardized assessment is used to evaluate the child's cognitive development, which includes: ability to attend to visual and auditory stimuli and to retrieve information; critical thinking skills; ability to learn and apply new information; and ability to conceptualize, discriminate and draw relationships among familiar and abstract objects. 
• Social/Emotional – A child’s social, interpersonal and emotional regulation skills are assessed by information provided on the Parent Questionnaire and the Preschool/Daycare Questionnaire, as well as by behavior observed during the assessment session. 

In order to qualify for EEK, a student must exhibit cognitive skills in the superior range compared to a sample of same-age peers, as well as advanced school readiness skills. Students must also demonstrate requisite social/emotional skills to meet the task demands of a full-day kindergarten class.

Applicants must earn a score at the 95th percentile or higher in the cognitive domain, and the 90th percentile or higher in the school readiness domain. An applicant’s performance on the standardized developmental inventory is compared to the performance of a national sample of children of the same age. Students must also demonstrate age-appropriate (5-year-old range) social/emotional development.

Approximately 15% of applicants qualify.

Applications will be submitted using the FinalForms platform. Click here for directions on how to complete the application. Access to FinalForms will open on February 1 and close on March 15.  

Please note that there is a translation feature built into FinalForms that can be found in the parent profile.

Early Entrance evaluations will be scheduled and completed before August each year; families will receive an email informing them of the date and time of their student’s assessment session. Testing will take place at the LWSD Resource Center, located at 16250 NE 74th St, Redmond, WA 98052 (in Redmond Town Center).

The child is individually evaluated by a school psychologist and/or a certified teacher.

There will be two assessment sessions. The initial screening process lasts approximately 30 minutes. Those who pass the screening will have a final assessment that lasts approximately 60 minutes.

Children must complete the entire early entrance to kindergarten evaluation on their assigned test date within their allotted assessment period. Incomplete assessments will not be scored. Children who are unable to complete the assessments will not be allowed to complete the evaluation at a later date.

Children are not allowed to take the early entrance to kindergarten assessments more than once.

Test results will be emailed to parents/guardians within 6 weeks after the evaluation. If your child qualifies, your neighborhood school will also be notified by our department.

This year, Accelerated Programs will divide the EEK process into two parts: Screener and assessment, and will adjust fees for each part accordingly. There will be a non-refundable screener fee of $100 for all applicants which will cover staffing and testing materials. Applicants who pass the screener will then take the EEK assessment. This non-refundable assessment fee will be $100 and will cover further staffing and resources. Students will not be charged for the Assessment if they do not pass the Screener. Current Board-approved fees for EEK are $200. Please do not pay for the second fee until you have received confirmation that your student has passed the screener as the fees once paid are non-refundable. 

You may not take the test unless you live in the Lake Washington School District attendance area and have current proof of residency.

You may not register your child until he/she has been found eligible through the assessment process.

The district does not accept private testing results or results from other school districts in the early entrance process. All students must go through the district’s identification process to be eligible for early entrance to kindergarten.

Studies show that in general, students that start later tend to outperform other students in the long term. However, if you are still inclined to have your child enroll early into Kindergarten please note that entrance criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals for matters related to problems clearly identified with the testing conditions will be considered. Appeals must be in writing and received by the Accelerated Programs office within 10 days of the date of the letter notifying parents of results. The findings of the appeals review committee are final and will be sent to the parents/guardians within 30 days.

Please visit this page for the appeals process.

Your child does not need to be proficient in reading and writing for this assessment.

A child must have a verified record of an identified disability (such as vision, hearing, motor, etc.) that impacts the testing environment. Any modifications and/or accommodations must be allowed by the publisher of the standardized test.

There is no studying for these developmental assessments.

The assessments will be given in English, as our kindergarten classes are conducted in English. An interpreted test will not help us determine if the child is ready for early entrance to an English learning environment. We will provide a translator for an adult in the family who wishes to be able to understand a conference.

Our district policy states that underage children who have previously been enrolled (for a period of not less than four consecutive months) in a state accredited private school which encompasses at least a kindergarten through a grade three program may request transfer into a similar placement in Lake Washington School District. The school principal/team will assess the student’s academic and social readiness and determine whether the student’s skills are age appropriate for a particular grade level.

We do not test for early entrance to first grade. Children who have previously been enrolled (for a period of not less than four consecutive months) in a public school first grade or in an accredited private school which encompasses at least a kindergarten through a grade three program may request transfer into a similar placement in Lake Washington School District. The school principal/team will assess the student’s academic and social readiness and determine whether the student’s skills are age appropriate for a particular grade level.