How Students Are Identified

Kentwood Public Schools uses an inclusive and equitable process to identify students for PEAKS.

The process begins in late spring with an annual review of spring i-Ready assessment data in both Mathematics and Reading, using a combined performance measure. Based on this data, approximately the top 10 percent of students are identified and entered into a lottery pool.

In addition, students may also be included in the lottery pool through teacher or parent nomination. This helps ensure that multiple measures of student potential are considered.

Students identified through this process are invited, along with their families, to a PEAKS Family Information Session where they can learn more about the program, expectations, and opportunities. After the informational session, families have the opportunity to move forward with PEAKS for the upcoming school year.

For each incoming third-grade class, there are typically 76 available seats across three classrooms. Students are selected through a lottery process to fill those seats. The same approach is used in other grade levels when openings become available.

This process reflects Kentwood Public Schools’ commitment to fairness, access, and opportunity for all students.