The latest trend in test preparation? Helping three and four year olds get ready for kindergarten admissions tests! And it's not just for private school admissions. Many preschool aged children are studying in order to get into public gifted and talented programs.
Do you think this is harmless or excessive? In my opinion, testing has gotten out of control in our education system. We should allow children to develop and evolve with less structure and pressure.
Comments
I beliive there is too much testing, and especially at the younger ages through 3rd grade there should be no testing. I believe that students should be learning at their own pace and that teachers can document through the products that students create during the school year that learning is taking place. All the testing is too stressful for young children. Education has brought expectations down so that children have to know more at a younger and younger age. Preschool is what Kindergarten used to be. Kindergarten is what 1st grade used to be etc. I think we need to stop rushing our kids to know more and let them learn it as they are ready. Some are ready at these ages to learn and know at this schedule and others need time to develop that abilities to learn at a slower rate. They need time. We need to stop pushing them and let them be ready when they are, not when we want them to be ready for the next level of development. We need to let kids be kids. Presenting the information is good, and letting them tell us when they are ready is good. Testing at the younger ages is not accurate and is too stressful. Testing should not be a common practice.
Absolutely, testing and the pressure put on children has gotten out of hand. This also applies to middle-schoolers whom are expected to organize themselves and study like high-schoolers or college kids. The amount of homework 7th and 8th graders are expected to do way too much. It does not allow them to be adolescents and enjoy this time in their lives.