No. In alignment with assessment procedures in the school setting, the performance assessment is secure and will not be provided to applicants before the appointment. Children who have mastered the assessed skills will be able to demonstrate them during the evaluation; the assessor will model or demonstrate specific task expectations as appropriate.
Your child will be assessed by an experienced early childhood teacher who has completed all requirements for employment in the Howard County Public School System. All assessors are current or retired teachers with classroom experience and certification in Early Childhood Education. Additionally, all assessors complete training and annual calibration to ensure consistency of delivery and implementation.
The performance assessment will take approximately 45-60 minutes, including breaks; however, the actual length of assessment time may vary. The time it takes to administer the assessment is not factored into the Early Admission to Kindergarten decision.
Assessment measures include observational data and performance measures. Assessment measures align with the approved Maryland State Standards and Frameworks for PK4 and are designed to predict a child’s readiness and success if admitted early to kindergarten.
Each applicant is assessed in a standardized manner using the same criteria to evaluate readiness. In accordance with Howard County Public School System’s Policy 9000, students admitted early to kindergarten must demonstrate an exceptionally high degree of skills and readiness to begin kindergarten a full year before the state-established age of entry (i.e., five by September 1).
No. In Maryland, children must be 5 years old by September 1 to enroll in kindergarten. The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Early Admission to Kindergarten process is limited to children who are born within a six-week window of the cutoff date, specifically September 2 - October 13, inclusive.
The FY26 Operating Budget will take effect on July 1, 2025, and fund the 2025-2026 school year.
The process for developing the FY 2026 Operating Budget began in the fall of 2024. During the budget development phase, school system leaders and staff held strategic discussions to provide input on the proposed budget. These recommendations are included in the Superintendent’s Proposed FY26 Operating Budget.
The Superintendent’s Proposed FY26 Operating Budget begins the public process that concludes in May with the Board of Education adopting the final FY26 HCPSS Operating Budget.
Details specific to the FY26 Operating Budget is online, directly at www.hcpss.org/about-us/budgets/fy26. Information on that page include budget documents, Board of Education work sessions and public hearings, County details, and more.
That page is continually updated throughout the budget process.
