The Inappropriate Use of School "Readiness" Tests

Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption, And Dependent Care

Pediatrics 1995;95;437

The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on
the World Wide Web at:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/95/3/437

PEDIATRICS is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly publication,
it has been published continuously since 1948. PEDIATRICS is owned, published, and trademarked
by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village,
Illinois, 60007. Copyright 1995 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print
ISSN: 0031-4005. Online ISSN: 1098-4275.

Downloaded from pediatrics.aappublications.org by guest on April 3, 2014

AMERICAN
The
Committee

ACADEMY

Inappropriate

on School

Health

All children
who
reach
the
school
attendance
are entitled
ucation
in the least restrictive
communities
offer
some
form
testing
to screen
for children

and

Use

of School

Committee

on Early

legal
age of required
to an appropriate
ed-

environment.12

Most

and interpreted.
When
instruments
designed
for screening
are used
for
poses,3
or when
tests are administered
who
have
a limited
perspective
on
normal
development,
or when
staff
training
in test administration
perform
children
can be wrongly
identified

and procedures
diagnostic
purby individuals
the variations
of
with little formal
the screening,
and their
educa-

tion

jeopardized.

the use

ness

testing

be

used

should

to
be

For these

reasons,

is designed

make

for

placement

excluded

from

2.

of school
readiness
with
special
educa-

tional needs,
and most schools
do this appropriately.
However,
readiness
testing
can vary greatly
in its
sophistication,
and can easily be incorrectly
applied

that

OF PEDIATRICS

should

decisions.

No

placed

Childhood,

Adoption

education

perienced
special
needed.

not

COMMrI-rEE

in a special

ON

DEPENDENT

EARLY

Neal

D.

Kaufman,

include

pathologists,

language

child

professionals
of this age.4
psychologists,

special

diagnosticians,
and pediatricians
in early
childhood
development.

education

who have
expertise
Special
educational

placement
or services
for developmental
problems
in
the preschool
and kindergarten
years should
be recommended
only when
appropriately
administered
developmental
assessments
clearly
document
significant
developmental
delays
or serious
emotional
or
behavioral
problems.5
Because
normal
development
is highly
variable
during
the kindergarten
and 1st grade
years,
school

programs
childs

The
1

should
individual

following

be flexible

and

adaptable

Ann

circumstances,

may

0031 4005).

be

are important:

an exclusive
taking
into

course
account

1995

by

the

American

Acad-

AND

MD, MPH
MD
MD
MD, MPH

Sullivan,

AAP

Daniel
Carol

MSW,

Child

Welfare

League

of

SECTION

LIAIsoN

Bronfin,
MD, Section
Roberts
Gerson,
MD,

on Community
Pediatrics
Section
on Otolaryngology

CONSULTANT

Esther

H. Wender,

MD

ON

SCHOOL

R. Nader,

MD,

1994

HEALTH,

TO

1995

Chair

Bradley
J. Bradford,
MD
Paula Duncan,
MD
Debra E. Seltzer,
MD
Susanne
T. White, MD
Daniel
C. Worthington,
MD
REPRESENTATIVES

Laura Brey, American

Medical
Maureen
Glendon,
RN, CRNP,
Nurse

appropriate.

Copyright

ADOPTION,

TO 1995

America

LIAISON

PEDIATRICS
(ISSN
emy of Pediatrics.

if
are

REPRESENTATIVES

Philip

All children
are entitled
to education
in an environment
where
the great variability
in early childhood development
is understood
and supported.

individual

to

The Honorable
Julie A. Edwards,
National
Council
of
Juvenile
and Family
Court Judges
Marilyn
Smith,
National
Association
for the Education
of Young
Children
Phyllis
Stubbs,
MD,
Maternal
and
Child Health
Bureau

COMMITTEE

The recommendations
in this statement
do not indicate
of treatment
or procedure
to be followed
Variations,

age

of this age, to determine

or special
services

to each

characteristics.69

principles

is of legal

MD

LIAIsoN

and

Care

Edward
L. Schor, MD, Chair
Peter A. Gorski,
MD, MPA
Jerri Ann Jenista,
MD

mental
tests completed
with experience
working
professionals

child

CHILDHOOD,

1994

CARE,

cational
services
for developmental
problems
should
be based
upon
the analysis
of data
obtained
from
individually
administered,
standardized
develop-

speech

if the

with children
class
placement

Peter M. Miller,
Jody R. Murph,
James M. Poole,
Mark D. Simms,

Such

Dependent

attend
school
in that state
or community.
If readiness
screening
suggests
that the child
has
significant
developmental
delays
or signs
of emotional
or behavioral
problems,
well-standardized
tests that evaluate
all relevant
aspects
of development
need
to be administered
to the child
in an
individual
setting
by qualified
professionals,
ex-

child

education
setting,
or provided
with special
educational services
on the basis of such testing.
The decision
that a child will require
special
edu-

by qualified
with children

and

Readiness
testing
that
relies
on screening
instruments
and procedures
should
not be the sole
basis
for special
education
placement
or services,
nor should
it be used
to keep
a child
from
access

to formal
3.

Tests

of readi-

screening

school,

Readiness

Associates

Karl Hertz,
PhD,
Administrators

Association
Natl Assoc

of Pediatric

& Practitioners

American

Association

Downloaded from pediatrics.aappublications.org by PEDIATRICS

guest on April 3,
Vol.2014
95 No. 3 March

of School

1995

437

Yvonne

Lagasse,

RN,

National

Association

4. Werner

of School

MD, American
Academy
of Family
Physicians
Lani Smith Majer, MD, American
School
Health
Association
Mary Vernon,
MD, MPH, Centers
for Disease
Control
and Prevention
James H. Williams,
MEd. National
Education
Association

5. Camp

Education

Education

3. Thorpe

HS,

a critical
grams.

438

for All Handicapped

of the
Werner

review
Pediatrics.

Handicapped

EE. Developmental
of inventories
used
1974;53:362-370

INAPPROPRIATE

Act of 1975, Pub

Amendments

6. Satz

screening

of preschool
and

health

educational

Smith
from

PS.

20

Prediction

months

ton AL, Pearl

York: Oxford
7. Dworkin

L 94-142

HG,

and

WK,

Lamps

WJ, Frankenburg

Friel

D, eds.

Position

and

psychological

An

Press;
and

JM, Preschool

problems:

JM. Some

disabilities:

Dyslexia:

University

PH. Learning
PA: WB Saunders

8. NAEYC

J, Fletcher

of reading

precursors

of intelligence

pediatric

196839:1063-1075

Dcv.

Doorninck

P, Taylor

dictive

studies

developmental

a six-year

Appraisal

and

follow-up.

of Current

of 55
pro-

In: BenNew

Knowledge.

1978

Behavior

Problems

of School

Children.

Philadel-

& Co; 1985

Statement

on

School

Young

Readiness.

Children.

1990;

46:21-23

of 1990.

in

Child

BW, van

phia,

Children
Act

MP,

10 years

developmental
testing
in prediction
of school
children
in Denver.
Clin Pediatr. 1977;16:257-263

REFERENCES
1 . The

Honzik
at

examinations.

R. Dee Legako,

2.

EE,

achievement

Nurses

children:
pro-

9. Nader

PR.

Five

years:

Encounters

With

Year

Medical

Book

Children:

entering
Pediatric

Publishers;

school.
Behavior
1987:281-290

Downloaded
from pediatrics.aappublications.org
by guest on April 3, 2014
USE OF SCHOOL
READINESS
TESTS

In: Dixon
and

SD, Stein MT.

Chicago,

Development.

eds.
IL:

The Inappropriate Use of School "Readiness" Tests

Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption, And Dependent Care
Pediatrics 1995;95;437
Updated Information &
Services

including high resolution figures, can be found at:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/95/3/437

Citations

This article has been cited by 2 HighWire-hosted articles:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/95/3/437#related-urls

Subspecialty Collections

This article, along with others on similar topics, appears in the

following collection(s):
Committee on Early Childhood, Adopt, Dept Care
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/collection/committee_on_ea
rly_childhood_adopt_dept_care
Council on School Health
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/collection/council_on_scho
ol_health

Permissions & Licensing

Information about reproducing this article in parts (figures, tables)

or in its entirety can be found online at:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/site/misc/Permissions.xhtml

Reprints

Information about ordering reprints can be found online:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtml

PEDIATRICS is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly publication, it
has been published continuously since 1948. PEDIATRICS is owned, published, and trademarked by the
American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, 60007.
Copyright 1995 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0031-4005.
Online ISSN: 1098-4275.

Downloaded from pediatrics.aappublications.org by guest on April 3, 2014