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Kindergarten Eligibility

Kindergarten Staggered Entry

Kindergarten students will participate in a staggered entry process for the 2023-24 school year. Students will attend school one full day during the week of Aug. 7-11. Building-level administration will determine the date that students will attend and will notify families.

The dates for staggered entry are Monday, Aug. 7 - Thursday, Aug. 10.

All students will fully begin the school year on Aug.14.

During staggered entry day, teachers will observe the students’ interactions and develop an understanding of the child’s knowledge in several areas. All Kindergarten students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools will participate in these activities. Teachers will look to understand the child’s development and knowledge in the following areas.

  • Fine motor skills- Holding a pencil, copying shapes, writing his/her first name, and cutting with scissors.
  • Understanding of language- Following three-step directions and basic communication skills.
  • Letter knowledge- How many letters does your child know? How many letter sounds can your child produce?
  • Book knowledge- Holding a book correctly, pointing to the parts of a book, such as cover, title page, author, illustrator.
  • Language- Identifying rhyming words, consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, sight words, and naming colors
  • Number Knowledge- Rote counting and counting and comparing sets of objects.
  • Shapes- Naming geometric shapes.
  • Patterns- Extending, copying, and creating patterns.

While this seems like a lot, all these activities will be engaging and fun for the students. We are not expecting mastery of these skills; rather we will be looking to determine the students’ comfort level with each area as they begin kindergarten.

Per state law, students must be 5 years old on or before August 15th , 2023 to enroll in Kindergarten.

  • Parents of students turning 5 by August 15th should follow the normal process of registering their child by accessing their existing PowerSchool account or requesting a new account by contacting your child’s school or calling (901) 416-6007.
  • Parents of 4-year-olds who will turn 5 after August 15th should consider MSCS Pre-K options. For more information about Pre-K, go to scsk12.org/prek, call (901) 416-3450 or email [email protected].

KINDERGARTEN - 2023 EARLY ENTRANCE SCREENING

Who may be screened?

Each year, MSCS screens 4-year-olds who will be turning 5 from August 16th - September 30th for early entrance into Kindergarten. These children must be screened to determine if they will be eligible to enter into Kindergarten early. Children whose birthdays fall between August 16, 2018, and September 30, 2018, may be screened to determine if they are eligible to enter Kindergarten early.

Who should NOT be screened?

  • If a child will already be 5 years-old on or before August 15th , 2023, then the child will not need to be screened. These children may register for Kindergarten.
  • If a child turns 5 years-old after September 30th , the child cannot be screened and must wait until the following year, fall of 2024, to enroll in kindergarten.

If I am interested in getting my child screened, what should I do?

  • Screenings are done by appointment only.
  • We will begin taking appointments on Friday, June 2. We will not take appointments prior to Friday, June 2.
  • Interested parents should call the Assessment Department at 416-5450 to make an appointment. Keep in mind that we will only take appointments for 4-year-olds who will turn 5 from August 16 - September 30.
  • Also, please note that if your child was already screened for early kindergarten entry, they cannot participate in screening again.
  • If you have questions or concerns after you have scheduled your appointment, please contact the Assessment Department at (901) 416-5450.

District’s Screening Dates

  • June 8
  • June 12- 14
  • July 13-14

Location

Barnes Auditorium: This auditorium is located on the Barnes side of the Memphis Shelby County Schools Board Building at 160 S. Hollywood.

Where should I park?

Parents will park in the lot in front of the Memphis Shelby County Schools Board Building at 160 S. Hollywood. Enter the building which is farthest right when you face the building with Hollywood Avenue to your back.

What should I bring?

  • Parent or guardian should bring a photo id (for example, driver’s license).
  • Birth certificate for student

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