Remember when Susan Bowles, the kindergarten teacher in Gainesville said “NO” to the kindergarten readiness test? The kids could not reliably use the computer mouse. One thing for sure was that the children just beginning kindergarten were not computer ready!
The State put the test on hold last year. This year they tried an alternative test.
About 75% of children were ‘kindergarten ready’ two years ago, but all of a sudden 95% were now judged to be ready to learn. What are we to believe?
There is more at stake than placing children in the most appropriate group of learners in a class. The scores are also used to rate the Voluntary Prekindergarten programs funded by the legislature. Based on previous scores, forty of the 370 day care providers were on probation for the poor performance of children who had attended their schools. This matters, but if the children are magically better this year, then day care centers are magically better as well.