This case study describes an innovative school entry system in which children are registered at school according to their stage of development, not their age. The system was introduced by law in Hungary in 1986. In this study, an introduction is followed by a discussion of problems in curricular articulation. Problems are discussed in terms of the biological, intellectual, and social development of 6-year-olds. Consequences of developmental differences for curricular articulation, and aspects of the problem of using calendar age as the basis for school entry, are considered. Problems of conventional structural articulation, or fixed age admission, are discussed. Discussion focuses on the origin, characteristics, and main consequences of conventional structural articulation. Topics of this discussion include high repetition rate in the first grade, determination of students' futures, and obstacles to educational improvement. Efforts to overcome the consequences of articulation dysfunctions are critically reviewed and contrasted with an approach adapting the school to the student. The Hungarian model, which is an adaptive articulation model, is extensively described in terms of its core components: structure and functioning of the innovative entry system; evaluation procedures of classification and diagnosis; and preventive education in preschool. (RH)