The Sycamore School Admission Application Process
School Year 2008-2009

“It’s clear that Sycamore ignited the sparks in my life. And not only music and science, but the pure content of what I learned there continues to reveal itself in daily encounters… Sycamore is an extraordinary place, and I couldn’t be more proud to be an alumnus.”

Checklist for Application

All applicants:

Visit Sycamore - tour the school or attend the admissions open       house.

Submit the following items:

Application for admission
Application fee

EC1 – EC3: Application/screening fee $100.00
Pre-kindergarten – grade 8: Application fee $50.00

Parent questionnaire
Student’s birth certificate - a photocopy is acceptable.
Confidential teacher recommendation - to be completed by your child’s current teacher. He/she
should fax or mail the recommendation form directly to Sycamore.
Applicant assessment results - See page two for more information on testing requirements for each grade level. Preschool screenings are scheduled through the admissions office and are usually conducted in January and February. Individual intelligence testing and/or achievement testing is scheduled with Dr. James Gange, Consulting Psychologist for Sycamore School (317-202-2515). If the student has recently taken an achievement test at his/her current school, the results of that testing may be submitted.

EC1 – EC3: Preschool screening
Pre-kindergarten & kindergarten: Intelligence testing
Grades 1 – 8: Intelligence and achievement testing

Applicants for grades 1 through 8 only:

Submit recent school records, including report cards and achievement test results if available.

Applicants for pre-kindergarten through grade 8 only:

Classroom visits will be scheduled as a last step in the admission process for those children who are being considered for available classroom openings in pre-kindergarten through grade 8. The number of visits scheduled will vary depending on the number of applicants and available openings. Students will visit the grade in which they are currently enrolled. The length of the visit varies according to the age of the child.

Application Deadlines

Siblings: Sibling applications must be received by December 1, 2007.

Non-siblings:Applications may be submitted at any time. Students who want to be considered for the first round of admissions offerings in mid-March must submit completed applications by February 15, 2008.

Acceptance of students applying after February 15, 2008 will be based on availability of classroom openings.

Enrollment Announcements & Applicant Pool Placement

The first enrollment announcements and enrollment agreements for 2008-2009 will be mailed mid-March, 2008. All applicants with completed applications will receive a letter concerning their applicant status at this time. Parents of students offered enrollment will have ten business days to sign and return the enrollment agreement with the tuition deposit and enrollment fee. If an agreement is not returned by the deadline indicated on the contract, the classroom space may automatically be offered to another qualified applicant from the applicant pool. If classroom space does not exist for all appropriate candidates, some may be placed in the applicant pool to be considered when an opening occurs. Enrollment may be offered to an applicant over the summer or during the school year based on availability of classroom openings.

Required Applicant Assessments

EC1, EC2, and EC3 applicants will be scheduled for assessment once the application checklist on page 1 has been completed. The Early Screening Profiles instrument, published by American Guidance Service, Inc., is used for early childhood screening and is administered at Sycamore School by Sycamore staff. During the screening appointment, each child will be involved in both individual evaluation and small group activities with Sycamore faculty. The cost of this screening is included in the application/screening fee.

An individual intelligence test, administered by the school's consulting psychologist at the parent's expense, will be required prior to the kindergarten year for enrolled early childhood students who wish to continue in the Sycamore lower school program.

Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten applicants are required to take the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III) or a comparable individual intelligence test. Evaluation will be done through referral to the school’s consulting psychologist, and payment for this service is made directly to the examiner.

First grade applicants must take the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised Edition (PIAT-R/NU) or comparable individual intelligence and achievement tests. Evaluations are done through referral to the school’s consulting psychologist, and payment is made directly to the examiner.

Students applying for grades two through eight must submit results of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) or a comparable individual intelligence test and the results of a recent acceptable standardized achievement test. Note: ISTEP test results are not acceptable for admission purposes. If current test results are not available, evaluations will be done through referral to the school's consulting psychologist, and payment is made directly to the examiner.

Please call the admissions office at 317-202-2519, if you have questions concerning Sycamore School admissions policies or procedures.