Readiness to Learn

304 Words2 Pages
Readiness to learn,generally, has been thought of as the “level of development at which an individual (ofany age) is ready to undertake the learning of specific materials.”2 When applied to a population or group, it refers to theage at which the average individual has the specified capacity. This concept of readiness, although perhaps useful in some situations, is not very helpful in assessing progress toward the national goal. The concept of school readiness tethers the notion of readiness for learning toa standard of physical, intellectual, and social development that enables children to fulfill school requirements and to assimilate a school’s curriculum. the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a statement declaring that readiness screening instruments should not be the sole criterion for determining when a child enters school. Variability in the environments to which children are exposed during their preschool years also contributes to variability in school readiness. Historically, chronological age has served as the major criterion for school entry. While many children enter kindergarten as young as age four, the majority enter at age five, and about 8% are held back each year to begin school when they are age six. Because some aspects of development, such as language skills, are strongly related to chronological age, older children typically do better in school during the early grades than do their younger classmates. This has led to the policy of deferring school entry for some children—who are judged, either on the basis of age or ability, not ready for school—so that they may be better prepared for school entry in subsequent years. Despite these and other problems that arise in attempting to define and apply concepts of school readiness, parents,teachers, and school administrators frequently make critical decisions for
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