Re: study of red****rting (late entrance to kndergarten)

"toypup" <toypup@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:6L6dnXaJe7BD0h_VnZ2dnUVZ_qninZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> "toypup" <toypup@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:MvCdnc4us5zV0x_VnZ2dnUVZ_hninZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>>
>> "Donna Metler" <dmmetler@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
>> news:bIidnQMkq4Exux_VnZ2dnUVZ_hCdnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> The only concern with a test is that young children aren't always 
>>> cooperative at showing what they know, especially on a pencil-paper 
>>> test.
>>
>> I know some kids don't show what they know to strangers, but
kindergarten 
>> around here is all about pencil/paper work and tests, so if a kid can't

>> show s/he can't do it, s/he is not ready.
>
> That ought to read "*can* do it."
You mean to say that the first thing they did on the first day of K was to

take the kid in, sit them down, and hand them a test? At least here, the 
first week or so is usually K. "boot camp", and they learn how to handle
the 
cafeteria line, sing some songs and listen to some stories, find where 
everything is (often via looking for a runaway gingerbread man), and so
on. 
They might do some coloring and crafts, but it's not exactly heavy 
academics. Not day 1. And yes, there are, every single year, children who 
cry and have a very, very hard time the first few days who ARE ready for
K. 
But would they have been ready to do for a stranger, or to sit down and
take 
a paper/pencil test or a formal *****sment with mommy out of the room,
when 
they went in for an hour or so visit and orientation? It seems unlikely. 
Warming up to strangers and strange situations is a personality test, not
a 
measure of intelligence or academic readiness.

At my DD's private school,  they do have a test that is used for K-2 (STAR

early literacy, plus some general readiness performance things), and they 
try to test all children before admission, but it was stated at open house

that if your would be K student doesn't cooperate with the test or just
has 
a bad day, it doesn't mean that your child won't be accepted, just that
the 
teacher has less information on hand about that child when they enter.