Children not ready to learn? The invalidity of school readiness testing

The Relationship Between Prekindergarten Social and Emotional Development and Academic Success among Hispanic Children from Low-Income Families

“…What once was a historically social curriculum in kindergarten, founded by Fredriech Froebel, is today very similar to what was previously considered first grade (Miller & Almon, 2009;Shepard, 1997). Children are expected to sit at desks or tables and complete worksheets in silence while the teacher walks around to make sure everyone is on task.…”

The relationship between school-entry age and academic achievement in Lebanon. (c2011)

“…Detractors argued that the most popular screening and readiness tests were not able to predict future school success and therefore should not make decisions about the readiness of individual children (Grissom, 2004;May, 1986;Shepard, 1997).…”

Examination of factors related to kindergarten readiness

“…In a review of research on red-shirting, Marshall (2003) cited studies that listed such rationale as: feeling their child was socially immature, the desire to provide their child with a "good start" to the schooling experience, wanting their child to be "at the top of the class", and increasing the child's self-esteem by waiting. Although some parents believe red-shirting will help shield their child from unnecessary stress that might be caused by early entry into what has become as increasingly academic kindergarten curriculum (Shepard, 1997), others feel that, although their child may have the necessary academic skills, their child needs time to increase his/her attention span and develop skills such as listening, confidence, and following directions (Diamond, et al, 2000, Graue & DiPerna, 2000. In the literature, red-shirting refers to a choice by parents, not school officials, to delay kindergarten enrollment.…”

“…In the literature, red-shirting refers to a choice by parents, not school officials, to delay kindergarten enrollment. However, pressure from communities, family members, the media, and sometimes even schools may also play a role in parents' decisions about school entry (Graue & DiPerna, 2000;Shepard, 1997). …”

“…When some children wait until age six to start kindergarten while others are entering having just turned five, the risk that academic expectations will rise even higher to meet the abilities and needs of the older children occurs. This may also happen as a result of parents pushing for activities to "challenge" their older children who were red-shirted (Frey, 2005;Graue & DiPerna, 2000;Marshall, 2003;Narahara, 1998;Oshima & Domaleski, 2006;Shepard, 1997). In contrast, some authors (e.g., Marshall, 2003) have argued that children should start school as soon as possible so that they can begin benefiting from the experience and instruction that is provided at school.…”