Kindergarten screening tests for educational readiness.
Prospective kindergarten students are asked to go through a screening period during the spring. Parents bring their 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds to school for a series of tests and actions that will help the school determine how ready the children are for school. The screening also identifies at-risk children, provides accountability and evaluation to improve instructional programs. Actual screening activities vary from program to program.
Vision and Hearing Screening
Children are screened for any vision or hearing problems. Parents may be asked to provide documentation of any family history of eye or ear disorders. Tests may be run to check how well children's eyes are aligned and their ability to track an object. Hearing acuity will be tested. The hearing screening may include an external examination and an audiometer test.
Teacher Observations
Kindergarten teachers observe the children in different situations to see how they react in "real life" situations. Some programs provide the teacher with a checklist sheet that uses a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most positive response to the child's behavior. Work completed by the children is used to help evaluate their readiness for school.
Fine Motor Skills
The children will be tested to see if they have well developed fine motor skills. Children may be asked to cut with scissors. They may be given a writing tool and asked to trace, draw and write letters or numbers. Students may be asked to place pegs into a peg board, with the screener noting how the child handles picking up the pegs, stabilizing the peg board and placing the pegs into the holes.
Gross Motor Skills
There are three areas of screening for gross motor skills. Children will be asked to demonstrate balance by standing on one foot first and then the other. Upper-extremity coordination will be demonstrated by passing and catching a playground ball. Bilateral coordination will be tested by asking the children to jump into the air while clapping their hands several times.
Prior Knowledge
Children entering kindergarten are expected to have basic information during their screening. They will be asked to write numbers as the screener names them. The children will be asked to demonstrate a knowledge of number concepts, such as how many squares represent three. They will be asked to identify letters of the alphabet and the sound of each letter. They will be asked to sound out words. Children will asked to identify shapes and colors.
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