Studies were conducted locally to augment findings from the literature regarding the effect of school entrance age, and to examine several other issues related to the St. Louis Public School's kindergarten screening program. Studies reported address a number of questions related to program planning and policy development: (1) Is there evidence to…

This report, one of several prepared for a comprehensive policy study of early childhood education in Illinois, provides a technical review of the following twelve instruments for screening, assessing, and diagnosing young children's readiness for school: Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development; Brigance K & 1 Screen for Kindergarten…

This article describes a program which transformed a traditional kindergarten into a diagnostically oriented, developmentally planned experience that focussed on early assessment of children. In this model, the school psychologist serves as a program and teacher consultant. (Author/HMV)

The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize empirical evidence on the effects of different kinds of scheduling on kindergarten children. A search was made for all research conducted within the last 10 years that directly compared kindergarten children in different programs on academic readiness for first grade and on socioemotional…

This document describes the design and implementation of a screening procedure for a first grade readiness class which was receiving inappropriate referrals. The class was intended to serve normal children between kindergarten and first grade who seemed to need an extra year of maturation. Because students who exhibited discipline, emotional and…

OUT OF INTERVIEW DATA AND A BUREAU OF STANDARDS BOOKLET, TWO APPRAISAL DEVICES "WHERE IS IT DONE" AND "WHAT TO DO" WERE DEVELOPED TO MEASURE SOCIAL READINESS FOR EMPLOYMENT. THE DEVICES ARE DIRECT MEANS FOR A STUDENT TO RECORD HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT WORK AND SCHOOL SITUATIONS SO THAT HE AND OTHERS CAN OBSERVE THE VERACITY OF HIS RESPONSES. THE DEVICES…

The comparative school readiness and cognitive ability of kindergarten children from lower-income schools (N=47) and from higher-income schools (N=71) were assessed using the Preschool Inventory and a battery of eight Piagetian tasks. The overall purpose of the study was to ascertain characteristics of the children's cognitive development as a…

Presented are the proceedings of the Institute held to provide public day school personnel (teachers, administrators, and materials center personnel) with an opportunity to study methods of locating, acquiring, and utilizing materials for visually handicapped students. Recent research, new materials, and information from materials centers and…

This study was made to find out to what extent kindergartens contribute to school readiness. Ninety children with a mean chronological age of 4.9 were tested with the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA), and a Behavior Rating Scale and were retested one year later. During the intervening year,…

The rationale for the existence of developmental kindergarten classes is based on individual differences, the general importance of early childhood education, and the advantages of early detection of emotional disturbance and learning disabilities. The Waukegan program focuses on early identification and specification of problems, development of…

The transfer of schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to public school systems has been occurring for more than 100 years. When these schools are transferred to the public school systems, a financial impact on school operations, school construction, and the instructional program is felt by the public schools. Because of the…

Determination of the nonintellectual characteristics of migrant children that are involved in development of the child's readiness for academic material was the purpose of this study. (Author)

Primary school children were administered the Draw-A-Design and Draw-A Child subtests of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities in a group setting. Results suggest that the McCarthy drawing tests may be administered validly in a group format, and that these scores are significantly related to school achievement. (Author/BW)

Commenting on the Gesell Institute's response to his original article concerning the Gesell assessments, Dr. Meisels continues to maintain that the Gesell readiness tests lack sufficient proof of validity. (BB)

Research suggests that children should be kept at home until 8 to 12 years old, then begin attending school. Attitudes toward parents, peers, and school can be improved and children can learn more effectively when taught physically, academically, and socially at home in their early years. (PGD)