What is Kindergarten / School Readiness?

For most students, Prekindergarten and Kindergarten mark the beginning of a child’s formal education. Assessment of a child’s unique learning style during this time is essential to helping caregivers and teachers understand a child’s individual pattern of strengths and weaknesses.

Assessment of “Kindergarten Readiness” or “School Readiness” provides a measure of how prepared a child is to perform in school. It includes assessing the cognitive, academic, motor, social, and emotional preparedness skills a child demonstrates to succeed in a school environment. Research tells us that students with appropriate readiness skills are more likely to enjoy academic success and to progress in a timely manner throughout their academic careers. For this reason, early assessment of these skills can be critical in order to identify and support any potential areas of concern.

THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS

At The Child & Family Practice of Washington, DC, we work with caregivers and teachers to help answer questions about a child’s readiness for school. We utilize various standardized assessments, observational systems, and interviews to make informed decisions about the appropriateness of a child’s educational programming and to guide intervention planning for young students.

Assessment of Kindergarten Readiness begins with an intake session, which can be conducted over the phone or in person. At the intake session, parents are encouraged to share records of their child’s academic progress, including teacher reports, previous testing, or any other related information. If school observations are desired, they will take place next, prior to beginning testing, so that the evaluator can anonymously observe the child in the natural school environment and obtain more accurate results. Occasionally, there are times when parents wish to have their child assessed without the school being involved in the process. Please let us know if this is your preference. Following the intake session and any school observations, the evaluator will meet with your child to begin testing. Testing generally occurs over one or two sessions, lasting approximately one to two hours in length.

FOLLOW UP

Once testing has been completed, your evaluator will draft a comprehensive report that outlines the results of the assessment, as well as diagnostic impressions, recommendations, and next steps. You will be invited for a feedback session where your evaluator will review the findings of the assessment for you and provide you with a copy of the report. Typically, the testing process takes two to three weeks to complete.