Letter: Pre-K children not ready for grades

In regard to The Advocate’s article titled “State to overhaul pre-K”:

Preschool should be a time for children to foster a love and desire for learning while developing social skills. This can only be done through constructive play and investigations that are based on the child’s interests while directed by the teacher.

However, because of recent decisions made by today’s policymakers, preschool will become a time for making children “kindergarten ready.” But what does “kindergarten ready” really mean? Policymakers are planning to implement standards and letter grades for preschool children. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, “Development and learning proceed at varying rates from child to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child’s individual functioning.”

Teachers need to treat their students with the understanding that no child is at the same cognitive, social, emotional, or physical level. No child comes to school with the same amount of exposure to stimulating, educational content. Because of these varying developmental rates, are there really standards that can be put in place for all 3- and 4-year-olds to achieve? Is failing children who were not exposed to this content on someone else’s accord the way to get children to fall in love with school?

Preschool and kindergarten teachers are constantly administering tests that are developmentally inappropriate for children; therefore, the tests are an unreliable indicator of the child’s knowledge. If teachers spent less time dispensing these tests, they would have more time for intervention with the children who are behind and more time challenging the children who are ahead. Throughout the year, teachers should assess every child separately on his or her individual academic gains, as this substantial growth is the true indicator of preschool and kindergarten success.

Before these politicians make decisions that affect the futures of our children, they should familiarize themselves with NAEYC’s position statement on school readiness at http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/school_readiness.

Rachel Ginn

early childhood education student at LSU

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by timesright - 15/10/2012

The advice and facts from the student who is studying early childhood and author of the letter should be heeded. The grading of these programs will involve testing the little ones attending such programs. This reform is meant to increase a profit for test publishers Pearson is already involved in developing tests for this age group. My question, who will be the experts to determine if a program is appropriate? So far,the track record for people in charge of ed reform haven't been met with open arms, thanks to the appointments of John White. I suggest that discussion begin with reading articles published by Nancy Carlsson-Paige , early childhood expert. You could start with this one....http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/editions-of-the-backpack/may-2011-backpack/rally-against-arne-duncan%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98reforms%E2%80%99-for-public-schools-on-may-26/

2) Comment by rcraw11 - 15/10/2012

If the link below in my previous comment does not work, try this link: http://theadvocate.com/news/1967685-123/jindaltargetspre- kprograms.html#.UHyONeviBf0.google

3) Comment by rcraw11 - 15/10/2012

I absolutely agree that letter grades have no place in preschool programs. However, the state does not have plans to grade individual preschool students. The state does plan to start grading PreK programs based on kindergarten readiness. Please refer to an earlier article for clarification: http://theadvocate.com/news/1967685-123/jindaltargetspre- kprograms.html

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/10/2012

Indoctrination and lock-step education prevail because in the government's eyes, the child is either a potential taxpayer or block-voting welfare recipient. You don't want either one thinking too much.

5) Comment by stickynotez - 15/10/2012

The bottom line is that children desire to learn but the government is minimizing that desire and ruining it with a test score at a young age. It has come to the point where preschool and kindergarten teachers are having to keep this desire to learn alive because the government is trying to take that away. Children go into school with various backgrounds and experience and it is the teacher's job to meet each individual child where they are in their own development. We can not base one child's development in the different domains off of another child because then of course someone is bound to "fail" because they do not compare. Developmentally appropriate practice is crucial for early childhood classrooms and nothing about daily tests is appropriate for a three or four year old.

6) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/10/2012

Oh, the guilt. Who is doing the throwing out? The more you subsidize behavior, the more of it you get.

7) Comment by lovemykids - 15/10/2012

Yes, it is true that some parents do not take the responsibility of child rearing seriously. On the other hand are we supposed to throw out those children whose parents are not giving them what they need socially, emotionally, cognitively, or physically?

8) Comment by nimby? - 15/10/2012

teachers , schools , society should not be asked to take the place of parents . as with any emotional issue there are pleas for compassion , accusations of selfishness , blame , finger pointing , criticism . yet little critique of the mother/father who shows no concern , who isn't there .

9) Comment by tradewinns - 15/10/2012

thank you chucky! it is the parent(s) job to prepare their children for school and life. schoosl and teachers are NOT there to start the desire to learn but to impart knowledge to a inquiring mind. with today's "not my fault/job" mentality no wonder our schools are at best underperforming. there are single parents who still perform their duties to their children. while it may be harder they meet their obligations. if you are neither mature enough or just don't care enough, please pass on having children. we don't need more like you.

10) Comment by phil - 15/10/2012

This is really about boarding children and feeding them during the day , often for free, when parents work, and has nothing to do with education. The only thing this does seem to have in common with education is the funding, and it appears that by calling it education existing education tax funds can possibly be used. If taxpayers want free daycare for all children, then they should get to vote on it. Of course we could also vote to pay for the entire costs of raising children from the time they are born until they are 26 since it seems as if many parents do not want to accept that responsibility.

11) Comment by Chucky - 15/10/2012

"a time for children to foster a love and desire for learning while developing social skills" I thought that was the parents job, yet in today’s society with so many one parent homes and others that do not know how or care, I guess it is a Government responsibility now.

12) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/10/2012

Right; Democrats had Louisiana education out of the basket-case basket after what, 8 or 10 decades?

13) Comment by lovemykids - 15/10/2012

Thanks, Rachel. But, you are fighting a losing battle in this state, especially with Jindal and his so-called educational agenda. How about giving big tax incentives to preschools you get accredited by NAEYC.

14) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/10/2012

"Teachers need to treat their students with the understanding that no child is at the same cognitive, social, emotional, or physical level. No child comes to school with the same amount of exposure to stimulating, educational content." The same as who or what?

15) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/10/2012

The writer is correct about the potential deleterious effects of regimentation in early childhood. The truth that so-called early childhood education is difficult to evaluate, however, makes it a near-perfect boondoggle: endless "needs" but results not reliably measurable for many years if ever.