Martha's Vineyard Public Schools
Age of Entry Policy
of the
Edgartown School District
Oak Bluffs School District
Tisbury School District
Up-Island Regional School District

THE ABOVE NAMED DISTRICTS recognize that a uniform entrance age in a graded school structure can help to minimize the whole developmental variability found in any typical graded classroom group.

It is the policy of the above Districts that a child must be five (5) years old on or before September 1 of the school year of entrance for Kindergarten placement and must be six (6) years old on or before September 1 of the school year of entrance for grade 1 placement.

It is the policy of the above Districts to place children who enter from other public schools in the grade placement of the sending school.

RELEVANT STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
Early entrance is not encouraged or recommended and is not usually in the child's best interest. Although in extremely rare cases, it may be educationally and developmentally appropriate for a particular child, this determination is extremely difficult to make. Any recommendation for early entrance shall be based on a comprehensive review of the child's development and characteristics including: self-confidence and self-esteem, independence, interest, use of time, stage of play development, stage of cognitive development, emotional maturity, peer interactions, social development, and other indicators of overall advanced development. Advanced academic skills alone are not reliable indicators of developmental maturity or appropriate justification for early entry.