District addresses entrance, graduation requirements

Posted 3/4/21

Park County School District 1 trustees have reviewed an updated policy outlining the age requirement for entering kindergarten or first grade. That revised policy was introduced Feb. 23 at the …

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District addresses entrance, graduation requirements

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Park County School District 1 trustees have reviewed an updated policy outlining the age requirement for entering kindergarten or first grade. That revised policy was introduced Feb. 23 at the trustee’s regular meeting.

“We are moving the dates but we needed a process to evaluate if a child falls between those dates and the parents want it, a way to determine if they are ready to go to kindergarten or first grade,” said Superintendent Jay Curtis.

The policy indicates students who turn 5 on or before Aug. 1 may enter kindergarten that year. If a parent requests it, students who will turn 5 on or before Sept. 15 may test for kindergarten readiness. That test will assess whether the student is developmentally ready, academically and socially, to start kindergarten. The test will be developed by the district to determine the maturity of the student and whether they are ready for admission.

Additionally, students may register for the first grade if they have turned 6 on or before Aug. 1; students may register for the first grade if their sixth birthday is on or before Sept. 15, if the student was admitted to kindergarten based on the district’s assessment of maturity and developmental readiness, academically and socially. 

The requirements for graduation are also being revisited. World studies has been exchanged for world history, and vocational technology was replaced with career and technical education. Performing arts was added to the fine arts requirement. While these seem like small differences, they moved PCSD1 standards closer to state standards. The foreign language before high school also underwent a facelift, whereby courses taken before a student’s freshman year must be aligned to the standards for high school classes.

Other changes to operational procedures either removed archaic language, corrected errors or were suggested by the district’s attorney, Tracy Copenhaver, to more closely align with the state’s educational standards.

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