Education Week - October 8, 2014 - 13

get scared because you use the word
'assessment.' What we're talking
about is measuring progress by being
a keen observer, and helping teachers
know where their kids are," she said.
"We always want to make sure [kindergarten
entrance tests] are properly
used. We never want children or
programs punished."
Even as federal funding speeds
development of new tools, however,
some experts are reserving judgment
about their quality. For Kathryn
Hirsh-Pasek, a Temple University
psychology professor who focuses on
early-childhood learning, even the
better tests for young children focus
too much on yielding information
about the results-rather than the
process-of learning.
"People in my field are nervous as
heck," she said. "My fear is that we
aren't testing the right stuff."
Ms. Hirsh-Pasek and colleagues are
currently piloting kindergarten-readiness
tests designed to provide that
deeper kind of information. Instead
of simply asking children to identify
shapes, she said, the tests display
shapes in various colors and sizes, in
two and three dimensions, rotated to
varying positions. The teacher then
asks questions that plumb students'
grasp of what they saw. "That's really
unpacking what we mean by
spatial ability," said Ms. Hirsh-Pasek.
"A teacher can really get a sense of
where this kid is coming from in
skills that are precursors to math
ability all the way up the grades."
Skepticism about tests for young
children surfaced almost immediately
at an August training session
designed to acquaint Amy Knight
and her colleagues with Maryland's
new assessment. Teachers told stories
of day-care centers that administered
spelling tests to 4-year-olds or
expected children to recognize words
by sight. Scanning the lists of skills
they'd be looking for in their students,
some teachers sounded worried.
"A lot of this is what we teach in
kindergarten. How can we expect
them to know this stuff when they're
coming in?" asked one teacher, pointing
to a place on the skills sheet that
said, "Count the number sequence
to 20."
Janet Bubnash, one of the session
trainers, reassured the teachers that
the students are not expected to demonstrate
all the skills listed. The test
was deliberately designed to reflect a
wide range of skills, since young children
master things at very different
points in their development, she said.
The point of the test is to get a snapshot
of readiness "from a whole-child
perspective, to see where they are,"
said co-trainer Amber Chenoweth.
By the end of the training session,
Ms. Knight felt excited. "Documenting
all of this will be a challenge,"
she said. "But it seems really good. I
think my students and their parents
will benefit from this."
Coverage of "deeper learning" that will
prepare students with the skills and
knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly
changing world is supported in part
by a grant from the William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation, at www.hewlett.
org. Education Week retains sole editorial
control over the content of this coverage.
13749_BV_RTI_AD_EDWK Oct8.indd 1
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Education Week - October 8, 2014

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