Wednesday, April 13, 2022

2

 2 -Two

2 hours a week is the average amount of time that Kindergarten teachers spend each week on activities directly related to test preparation.

Schools and districts receive annual report cards from the state that grade them in various areas, including standardized test scores. This report card pressures administrators to push teachers to increase student test performance. Because of this pressure to perform on tests that are not natural or developmentally appropriate for 5 and 6-year-olds, time has to be set aside during the school day to teach students how to perform on these computer-based, standardized tests. Studies show that Kindergarten teachers spend 20-30 minutes daily on activities designed to prepare students to take these tests (Miller 2009). The goal of this instruction is not student learning but merely increasing test performance.

There are many skills in many areas (problem-solving, visual thinking, hand-eye coordination, cooperation, community awareness, and many more) that Kindergarten students need to develop a solid foundation, not only for their future education but also for life. How to perform better on a computer-based, standardized test is not one of these skills.

Crisis in the Kindergarten


#ChangeKinderTesting

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