The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for
Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
Definition
A testing instrument designed to measure skills believed to be related to school learning tasks and to be predictive of school success.
Related Terms (Not Synonyms)
Achievement test; Aptitude test; Screening test
Explanatory Comments
- Instruments used for readiness tests should be designed for the purpose of readiness testing (as opposed to screening) and should have adequate reliability and validity data.
- Wide concern exists around the appropriate use of readiness tests. Most experts agree that they should never be used to exclude a child from school or from a specific program.
- Use of readiness tests to discourage parents from entering age-eligible children in kindergarten is also discouraged.
- When used properly, readiness tests can provide information about designing instructional programs to further children's learning.
Web Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics. (1995). The inappropriate use of school readiness tests. Policy Statement. Pediatrics, 95(3), 437-438. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.aap.org/policy/00694.html
National Association of School Psychologists. (2002). Position statement on early childhood assessment. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.nasponline.org/information/pospaper_eca.html
SERVE (October 2001). Institute on school readiness assessment systems: Making them work for all children. Retrieved June 5, 2003 from http://www.serve.org/Syc/policy.htm
Other Resources
Gredler, G. R. Early childhood screening for developmental and educational problems. In B.A. Bracken, (Ed.). (2000). The psychoeducational assessment of preschool children. (p.402). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Gullo, D. F. (1994). Understanding assessment and evaluation in early childhood education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Meisels, S. (1999). Assessing readiness. In R. Pianta & M. Cox (Eds.), The transition to kindergarten, (pp. 39-66). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Shepard, L.A. (1994). The challenges of assessing young children appropriately. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 206-212.
Shepard, L.A. (1997). Children not ready to learn? The invalidity of school readiness testing. Psychology in the Schools, 34, 85-97.
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